When I was a junior in high school, a surprise was usually a pop quiz or new assignment I didn’t want from one of my least favorite teachers. But two Fishers High School students received a very nice Monday morning surprise when they were presented with the announcement as winners of a statewide screenwriting competition for students in grades 9-12.
Co-writers Whitney Roberts and Cynthia Foulke accepted the honor from Pigasus Pictures, a Bloomington, Indiana-based film company, for their screenplay, “As We Begin.”
“We chose this screenplay because it has a compelling story and real heart,” said Pigasus Pictures co-founder and COO John Armstrong. “It addresses the fears that high school students have as they begin to think about life after school and the effect it will have on their relationships. The humor of dialogue was also very real and natural, which is hard to generate. It was also apparent in the pitch video that these girls had a great friendship and would be really fun to work with.”
Whitney Roberts (center) accepts the Pigasus screenwriting honor, along with her writing partner Cynthia Foulke (left). (Photo provided by HSE Schools)
“As We Begin,” set in Fishers, follows the story of 17-year-old Jordan Smith and her best friend, 18-year-old Dakota Hawkins, through the navigation of family-related issues, preparation for college and angst about the future. The film will be fully produced by a professional film crew and area students will be invited to apprentice on set, learning every aspect of professional filmmaking. The film will be submitted for consideration to major film festivals nationwide, and screened in select theaters and distributed online.
“The purpose of Project Pigasus is to find those students who were just like us,” said Pigasus Pictures CEO and co-founder Zachary Spicer. “Growing up in Indiana, you often feel so far removed from the film industry. We want to show young people that you don’t have to be from a coast, or move to one, to be able to work in this field. And, by producing this short film entirely in-state, our hope is that Project Pigasus will inspire young Hoosier filmmakers, provide opportunities for in-state talent, and generate greater exposure for Indiana’s growing film industry.”
One of Pigasus’ recent movies, filmed in Bloomington, “The Good Catholic”, is streaming now on Netflix.
The 2017 Project Pigasus winner was “Through the Window,” written by Kira Daniels of Southwestern High School in Madison, Indiana. You can view that film at this link.