1st Scene Reading: Gladiatrix Daughter of War, by Roxanne Gregory (interview)
New Releases
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4m 45s
Gladiatrix Daughter of War --- Barbarians+Spartacus=Gladiatrix. Acolyte priestess Aoife survives the fall of the Druidic stronghold but is enslaved. She kills a brothel master & is sold to a ludus, a school for gladiators, where she flourishes becoming Rome's deadly champion. As Amazonia Nyx Death-Bringer she will have blood justice for her people.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Geoff Mays
Arwynn: Val Cole -
Aoiffe: Kyana Teresa
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
Aoife is raised in magic, is prescient and can walk the Otherworld. Aoife’s life is turned upside down when the Romans invade and massacre everyone in her Druidic stronghold except four girls. As a priestess in training and genocide survivor, Aoife discovers Roman life, first as a brothel slave and after she kills her owner, she is condemned to the arena, where her magic and the crowd saves her. She is sold to a ludus and trained as a Gladiatrix. She meets Nyx a beautiful gladiatrix who becomes her lover and they discover they are both Sisters of the Light. The legions are led by the Brotherhood of Sol Invictus. The Brotherhood and the Shining Sisters have warred for centuries. Daughter of War is Aoife’s survival story and her quest for Blood Justice.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Historic fantasy action thriller. Think Game of Thrones meets Rome.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
It will make money, and it’s based on a trilogy so there is potential for sequels. It's an untold story, and a great opportunity to explore a lesser-known conquest story and follow the life of an extraordinary woman who became a gladiatrix and waged war in the arena. It’s also a behind-the-scenes look at gladiatorial entertainers and first century life, when diversity was common and everyone believed in magic.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Domina+Barbarians.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Mongol.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Six months
7. How many stories have you written?
Thousands
8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
Caravanserai Loreena McKennitt
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Dealing with my son’s sudden and unexpected death and writing four other novels
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Social justice
Gender equality
Collecting ancient grave goods and touching the past…
11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your
experiences working with the submission platform site?
Awesome… Better than Submittable and on a scale of one to ten with Query Tracker/manager at -1 and Submittable at 6, FilmFreeway rates a 9.5.
12. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
The opening of my first draft is quite different and brutally active with the in-your-face invasion by the Roman legions and the defense by the Druids and the Roman deserters and their families who were given sanctuary. I wanted some outside eyes beyond my writing group to give me feedback. I thought the revised screenplay opening was much slower and expected that feedback, so I was surprised.
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