SHORT Screenplay Reading: THE LIGHT AT THE END, by Lynda Simmons (interview)
SHORT SCREENPLAY READINGS
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18m
A woman caring for a husband with Alzheimer's must choose between a treatment that will extend his life or let the long goodbye and the existence that has become her new normal come to an end .
Narrator: Elizabeth Rose Morriss
Alfreida: Val Cole
Carl: Geoff Mays
Neil: Steve Rizzo
JennaHannah Ehman
Dr. Bright: Sean Ballantyne
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
At its heart, Light at the End is about the nature of love in an impossible situation. When his condition changes suddenly, a woman caring for a husband with Alzheimer’s must choose between a treatment that will prolong his life without improving it, or letting the Long Goodbye and the life she has built around it come to an end.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Family drama.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
So many families are dealing with Alzheimer’s, a relentless foe that not only steals memories but slowly chips away everything you love about a person. Personality, humour, passion, curiosity all fall away, leaving only the physical shell behind. Light At The End makes no attempt to soften the reality of Alzheimer’s or the toll it takes on caregivers as their lives become defined by the demands of an illness that stretches on year after year. Alfreida standing at the crossroads of love and death will ring true to anyone who has lost or is losing a loved one to the Long Goodbye.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Heartbreaking, uplifting.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Being a sucker for musicals and love stories, it has to be Moulin Rouge.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I started in in April 2023 and have rewritten it four times.
7. How many stories have you written?
I am a published novelist with ten novels to my credit, as well as short stories and flash fiction.
The pandemic left me floundering, unable to focus on the novel I was working on. So, I changed direction, enrolled in the screenwritin0g courses at NYFA and headed off in a new direction. And here I am.
8. What is your favorite song? (Or what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
Pretty much anything by Sting, but Fields of Gold will always be up there on my list of favourites.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Novel writing and screenwriting are very different skills. It has been a challenge to focus on the visual rather than the cerebral. I miss inner monologues, and I’m still figuring out ways around them. But I seek out constructive criticism from people who know screenwriting, and with each rewrite, my understanding of the crap grows, and I keep pounding the keyboard mercilessly.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Family. Without them, I’d be a boring sot indeed.
11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platorm site?
I had no idea where to go for feedback. FilmFreeway opened the world of contests and festivals for me, and I have learned so much. It’s expensive, but I have always believed that you need to invest in yourself if you want to get anywhere in any field. I would recommend it to others.
12. What influenced you to enter the festval? What were your feelings
on the inital feedback you received?
Being from Toronto originally, I was thrilled to see that Wild Sound operates in the city I love. The feedback helped me see how much more the story could be and I hope my rewrites have achieved that richness.
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