THE TRAIL by Yvonne Paulin is the Grand Prize winner of the Seattle International Film Festival first-ever Catalyst Screenplay Competition.

THE TRAIL is described as a riveting dramatic thriller set in the snow-covered forests of Washington state that follows a young mother as she fights for her life while unraveling the mystery of her missing daughter.

THE TRAIL will receive a live read-through at the SIFF Film Center on Saturday, June 11 during SIFF’s Catalyst Weekend, taking place June 9 to 12, 2016, with screenwriter Yvonne Paulin expected in attendance as a distinguished guest of the Festival.

The SIFF Catalyst Screenplay Competition connects strong scripts with independent directors and producers, all alumni of SIFF’s Catalyst program. It emphasizes the importance of the screenwriter in the creative process and closes the loop of mentorship and collaboration by drawing on industry professionals who have participated in and graduated from Catalyst over its five years of existence.

Each screenplay submitted to the SIFF Catalyst Screenplay Competition receives one page of written feedback from SIFF’s team of trained screenplay readers. Semi-finalist scripts are determined with the use of a 13-category, 10-point rating system. This year, the ten semi-finalist scripts were evaluated by screenwriter George Wing (50 FIRST DATES), who selected the Grand Prize winner, three finalists, and six semi-finalists, each of whom will receive a live reading in front of an audience as part of SIFF’s monthly Catalyst programming over the coming year.

Grand Prize Winner
THE TRAIL by Yvonne Paulin

Finalists
DIETRICH DANZIG by John Pisano-Thomsen
THE FLID SHOW by Richard Willett
THE ROUSTIE by Gina B. LaLonde

Semi-Finalists
LOCK EYES by Bodine Boling
PRIVATE PARTS by Elizabeth Giorgi
RED IVORY by Noah Foster-Koth
SAVING SHENANDOAH by Alessandra Bautze
SOME KIND OF MIRACLE by Arun Narayanan
SUBJECT A by Shannon Bentley