2017 Angel Film Awards - Monaco International Film Festival angel awards

THE ANGEL FILM AWARDS HONORING SCREENPLAY WRITERS




IN OFFICIAL SELECTION "IN WONDERLAND" (US) WRITTEN BY SUMMER STARRS

BIO:

Summer Starrs is an American award-winning screenwriter living in Los Angeles, California. She writes science-fiction feature films. Summer has perfected her craft of method writing for the past 18 years and has resulted in a profoundly unique and authentic outcome to her stories, characters, and dialogue. Summer is inspired by humanity.

"IN WONDERLAND" 'A Feature Screenplay' WRITTEN BY SUMMER STARRS (USA)

LOGLINE: (Genre: Drama/Comedy)

This is a story about the loss of innocence. Alice is a fourteen-year-old girl and Wonderland is a Junior High.

SYNOPSIS:

A dark drama/comedy, a new take of an old classic, after being home-schooled her entire life, a young teen finds herself traversing through a “rabbit hole” into a strange and dangerous world that is her Junior High School.

Alice's obstacles are similar to what an 8th grade middle school teen would face, but yet in Wonderland everything is over the top and exceedingly immoral - thus challenging Alice's innocence and her opinion of herself in this world that she is both curious about and frightened by. The premise is the loss of innocence as one emerges into the 'real' world.

STORY OUTLINE:

An Adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s 'Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland' Written by Summer Starrs

This is a story about the loss of innocence. Alice is a fourteen-year-old girl and Wonderland is a Junior High.

Alice is brought up in a loving home sheltered from the rest of the world. She is wholesome in every way possible. Alice is kind, polite, optimistic, and of course naive. Alice is home-schooled all her life until the year she turns 14 when her parents decide it is time Alice attends a mainstream education. Alice is excited to start a new chapter in her life, but little does she know about of the world outside her own – In Wonderland.

Alice begins her education at the exceedingly unusual Wonderland Junior High School where the students and teachers survive in a maze of chaos, secrecy, and nonsensical interactions that are very important to Wonderland's Creed (of which Alice slowly discovers). Alice's pure innocence, coming from a very sheltered background, is important to Wonderland because (as a chosen one) she holds the answer to the riddle of which is important for Principal Hatter to answer in order for him to gain more power in Wonderland against Time and certain elite students.

All the characters (and even dialogue) remain analytically, philosophically and politically as Lewis Carroll perhaps intended them, yet replacing all characters in the book with roles played in a school. For instance, the Mad Hatter in known as Principal Hatter and March Hare is the assistant principal. Chester Cheshire is Alice's love interest, and Queen with her friend Duchess are the most popular girls in the school that make it difficult for Alice to carry on pleasant experiences. Alice's challenges are similar to what an 8th grade middle school girl would face but yet, in Wonderland everything is over the top and even immoral - thus challenging Alice's innocence and her opinion of herself in this world that she is both curious about and frightened by. As Alice spends more time in Wonderland she become more immersed in the spirit of this environment and begins to find herself in conflict with her innocence. She is tempted by love, power, and admiration. Alice wants to belong to the compelling and irresistible Wonderland, yet she struggles with many vices Wonderland condones.

Alice is swept off her feet by Chester Cheshire, a handsome playboy, and falls in love with him. As Alice falls in love, the students of Wonderland fall in love with her resulting in her nomination for Sprit Queen, a high position to acquire socially. Alice begins to participate in actions that she would have once frowned upon and even aggressively pursues the position of Spirit Queen by any means necessary. Alice pushes to become the Queen only to affirm her esteem and have the satisfaction to “belong” in Wonderland.

There is an interesting twist to the plot that puts Alice in a position above the rest of the students. Because of Alice’s unique innocence she has a very special DNA that Principal Hatter is very aware about. Principal Hatter is concerned with the creed and structure of Wonderland. The plot thickens as we find that there are certain elite students that have the ability to attain power over Principal Hatter. Principal Hatter is bullied by the powerful entity called named Time. And Principal Hatter must know the answer to the riddle in order to regain complete power over the elite students. Alice is Principal Hatter’s ticket to answering the riddle because she has the “chosen” DNA that makes her an oracle for deep complicated questions. Alice is unaware of this and does not know that she is a target for Principal Hatter to pursue. Principal Hatter even goes to the degree of making sexual advances at Alice in hopes to advance her “to a mature state” to solve the answer to the riddle.

Alice’s obstacles are direct attacks on her innocence and her challenges of growing into a teen. She wants to be in love but is challenged with heartbreak. She wants to be liked but is challenged with popularity. She wants to be honest but is challenged with disillusionment. She wants to be good but is challenged with an environment that is vicious and merciless. Alice is in Wonderland and is challenged with leaving.