News and Events
FTT Talks Presents
FTT Talks and the Notre Dame iNDustry Alliance present...
SCREENWRITERS SHOWCASE
Friday, September 21 @ 7:30 pm
Browning Cinema, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
The Notre Dame iNDustry Alliance (ND Alumni in Media and Entertainment) will gather on campus for the Sept. 21-22 Michigan State weekend with the featured event being a Friday night Screenwriters Showcase in the Browning Cinema of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
South Bend native Larry Karaszewski (1408, Man on the Moon, Ed Wood), ND grad ('77) Jim Jennewein (The Flintstones, Richie Rich), and FTT alum ('95) Stephen Susco (The Grudge, Red) will show clips of their work and talk about the art of screenwriting at the event which kicks off at 7:30 pm.
The Friday night Screenwriters Showcase is a FREE but ticketed event open to the public. Call the Ticket Office at 574.631.2800 to reserve tickets. Sponsored by the Notre Dame Alumni Association and the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre.
Larry Karaszewski
Larry Karaszewski and his writing partner Scott Alexander wrote the Academy Award® winning film ED WOOD for which they were nominated for Best Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America. They followed this with THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT which won them the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, as well as a special Writers Guild Award given in recognition of work done for civil rights and liberties. They reteamed again with director Milos Forman on "MAN ON THE MOON, a biopic about the legendary comic genius Andy Kaufman for which Jim Carrey recieved the Golden Globe for Best Actor.
Other projects include producing the acclaimed Paul Schrader film AUTO FOCUS and directing the comedy SCREWED staring Danny DeVito and Dave Chappelle. Their current film is an adaptation of the Stephen King short story 1408 staring John Cusack and Sam Jackson. Collaborators since their senior year at USC's School of Cinema, Larry and Scott began their careers with the box-office hit PROBLEM CHILD and its sequel. Before meeting Scott, Larry worked as the on-air film critic for WNDU, an NBC affiliate, and a comedy writer for the South Bend, Indiana television show "Beyond Our Control" which won the prestigious Peabody Award and the Gold Hugo for Television from the Chicago International Film festival.
Jim Jennewein
Now in his 17th year as a working Hollywood screenwriter, Mr. Jennewein has co-written (with Tom S. Parker) and sold twenty motion-picture screenplays to all the major studios. His screenplay credits include “The Flintstones” (Amblin / Universal), “Richie Rich” (Warner Bros.), “Major League II” (Morgan Creek / Warner Bros.), “Getting Even With Dad” (MGM), and “Stay Tuned” (Morgan Creek / Warner Bros.). Having worked with numerous producers and directors, including Steven Spielberg, Joel Silver and animator Chuck Jones, as well as ever-mercurial movie stars and studio executives, Mr. Jennewein offers real-world insights into the realities of the film and TV business, as well as all aspects of the art of screenwriting, the craft of storytelling in all its forms and the power of the creative act.
His first novel, a comedy-adventure for young adults, is to be published September, 2008, by Harper-Collins.
Prior to working in Hollywood, he was a writer in advertising. He was educated at the University of Notre Dame, graduating in 1977 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son. He is also fond of Billy Wilder, Preston Sturges, the Marx Brothers and anyone else who makes him laugh.
Stephen Susco
Stephen Susco has been a working screenwriter since 1996. Over the past ten years, he has written and sold over thirty scripts and pitches to New Line Cinema, Warner Brothers, Dimension, Miramax, Universal, Sony, United Artists, Lionsgate, Rogue Pictures and Paramount Studios, has had the privilege of writing for a variety of acclaimed directors (including Mike Nichols, Taylor Hackford, Ted Demme and Philip Noyce) and producers (including Kathleen Kennedy, Lawrence Bender, Quentin Tarantino, Gale Anne Hurd and Sam Raimi). His first produced film, THE GRUDGE, which was made for under $10 million, grossed over $100 million domestically, and nearly $300 million worldwide and on video. He also penned THE GRUDGE 2, released in October 2006.
Stephen recently completed work on a science-fiction epic called THE FORGE OF GOD for Warner Brothers, and CRAWLSPACE, a horror/thriller, for Paramount. In September 2006, he sold his script SANCTUARY (based on the book BAD MEN, by John Connolly) to Lionsgate and Sobini Films. Stephen is currently writing THE DIBBUK BOX, which he is co-producing with Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures. He is also producing two other upcoming films: his screenplay ZERO.DARK.THIRTY, which will be shot in 2007 by director John Stalberg, Jr., and his screenplay RED, based on the novel by Jack Ketchum, will be directed by Lucky McKee and Trygve Allister Diesen, scheduled to be released in the upcoming months.