“To make a great film you need three things — the script, the script, and the script.”
– Alfred Hitchcock
Everyone has a story ... what's yours?
Screenwriting is where it’s at, or should we say … where it begins. At DIFF, we believe that every great picture starts with a great screenplay, and so we set out to HONOR writers who are committed to the craft — those who work tirelessly to create new worlds, rich characters, compelling conflict, and stories that forever change us.
STORYLINE awards quarterly winners with DaVinci’s Vitruvian Selection™. These writers go on to compete at DIFF’s annual event for their shot at The Leo — the festival’s most prized commendation.
Rules & Eligibility
- Submitted scripts must be original, and the sole property of the applicant(s)*
- Feature and Short scripts must be in Master Scene Format
- All entries must be in English
- Feature screenplays must be between 80-120 pages in length
- Short screenplays must be under 40 pages in length
- There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit
- You may not submit the same script more than once
- Under no circumstances will substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entry be accepted
- If a submitted script becomes Optioned, produced or purchased between the time of submission and the end of the judging period, that script will no longer be eligible
- All entries must be submitted in PDF format at FilmFreeway. Scripts will not be returned.
- Competition judges, readers and employees of STORYLINE or the DaVinci Intl Film Festival screenplay competition, past and present, and their immediate friends and families, are not eligible to enter
- Previous winners of the STORYLINE competition are not eligible
- Scripts submitted under a pen name will be immediately disqualified
- Script title or file cannot be changed after submission
*Original Works: Script is wholly based on the writer’s own, unique imagination and is not adapted from outside material. The ONLY EXCEPTION is if the writer currently holds exclusive rights/Option to the source material.

“Once you crack the script, everything else flows.”
– Ridley Scott
Without the ongoing support from our sponsors and festival supporters, we would not be where we are today.
Below are a few of those who help make STORYLINE possible.
DaVinci International Film Festival
STORYLINE
storyline@davincifilm.org
(310) 388-DIFF (3433)
Venue
AMC Theatres, The Grove Los Angeles
189 The Grove Drive
Los Angeles CA 90036
The Writers’ Corner
Executive Panel & Finalists Event
Get Your Tickets / LIMITED SEATING
OPENS SOON