“The Redlist is the socialist answer to Franklin Leonard’s The Black List that foregrounds scripts that promote left-wing narratives in entertainment, and highlight the experiences of the poor, the disenfranchised and the oppressed.” – The Hollywood Reporter
THE REDLIST is a screenplay competition from DSA-LA’s Hollywood Labor, created to promote socialist art and to provide a platform for writers from historically marginalized groups across the country.
We’re shining a light on stories that Hollywood is afraid to tell – but hopefully not for much longer. The Redlist offers visibility to writers who may not have agents and managers, who may be in the early stages of their careers, and who may come from communities that are underrepresented in the entertainment industry.
We launched our inaugural competition earlier this year, and today we are proud to announce our top five scripts, which will serve as our first Redlist! (Quotes are from our volunteer script readers!)
FUCKBOI by Warner James Wood
When an unhoused, queer Black youth and a social-climbing, queer millennial become entangled in a powerful man’s deadly fetish, they must bring their two worlds together to take down this Goliath and survive. Inspired by true events involving Ed Buck and the forced overdoses of two Black escorts.
“Highly nuanced portrayal of queer POC youth struggling with homelessness. Shows the difficult choices they make while also showing the joys in their lives.”
The Snare by Merlin Camozzi
Dani is a straight-A student from the wrong side of the tracks, who’s worked for years for an academic scholarship. When she’s busted with a small amount of drugs, the police pressure her to become an informant, forcing her to choose between the people she most loves and the future she’s worked so hard to create.
“Very simple story yet the pacing and unfolding of the plot is quite good as walls close in on the main character and her options are stripped away one-by-one. Characters feel real, and even the cops are given moments of depth.”
HEYNA? by Diana Kolsky & Murf Meyer
After discovering a low-stakes gambling ring in their Rust Belt town, a very pregnant high school basketball referee and her degenerate husband hatch a point-shaving scheme to save their house from foreclosure.
“The dialogue and characters are all well-drawn and unique, and the story moves along at a brisk pace…the journey is enough fun to be worth recommending.”
Conscription by Caroline Glenn
After the devastating loss of her fiancé in the early days of World War I, a young woman starts an underground business injuring men to keep them out of the draft.
“This is a well-written, quickly paced script. A period piece and female character study, it could appeal to a wide range of audiences.”
The Hack by Mark Vigeant
A desperate comedian gets blackmailed into helping a group of hackers infiltrate and take down Big Tech.
“The Hack is a comedy-first script that succeeds at it’s goal… Everything zips by without getting caught up on unimportant plot or digressions.”
If you’re interested in reading one of these incredible scripts, please email [email protected] with your name, company and position!
Thank you again to all who submitted! Do not feel discouraged if your script was not on this list; there were so many great scripts that narrowing it down to these five caused our readers to make some difficult choices, so feel free to resubmit to the next iteration of this contest!
Yes, that’s right! We’re also proud to announce that there will be a second round of THE REDLIST coming soon! If you want to learn more about the next edition of The Redlist, please fill out this form and you’ll be looped in!
Hollywood Labor and The Redlist Team