‘The Gravedigger’, which I wrote with Gerard Murphy, the author of ‘The Kindness of Strangers’ upon which the screenplay is based, was entered into the 2020 Austin Film Festival drama screenplay competition. We got some welcome news that the screenplay got through to the Second Round. Alas, it didn’t go further. Nevertheless, according to the Austin Film Festival we should take a lot of encouragement from our achievement.

Thank you for submitting your work (The Gravedigger) into the 2020 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition. I am pleased to inform you that your script advanced to the Second Round! It did not advance to the Semifinalist Round but, keep in mind, your placement represents a distinction only achieved by less than 20% of this year’s submissions.
 
Out of 13,175 scripts submitted across all categories, this year’s entries proved to be incredibly competitive and featured a high standard of exemplary stories, including your own. This is a tremendous accomplishment, and you should be very proud of your script’s recognition.

So if there is a brave Irish film producer out there looking to stir up a hornet’s nest then our story about an IRA murder squad that abducted and executed numerous people during the Irish War of Independence will fit the bill.