“Screenwriting is like ironing. You move forward a little and go back and smooth things out.” – Paul Thomas Anderson
Beginning with short stories in middle school, writing has always been one of Jody Matzer’s passions.
After fifteen years as an actor, it seemed a logical step that he try his hand at screenwriting. It began with an attempt to write an original monologue for auditions. A voice from inside him told him there was more to the half page he’d just written. A fellow writer agreed and encouraged Matzer to flesh out the thriller and see what happens next. What happened next is that Matzer’s first screenplay Sharks and Minnows won top honors in the 2023 Virginia Film Office screenwriting competition.
Jody Matzer hasn’t stopped telling original stories. He’s written five more screenplays, all of which have been recognized in international and national competitions.
Matzer has just completed his sixth feature screenplay. Snap Shots (working title) is undergoing final edits. Matzer hopes the feature film will be shot in Virginia.
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SHARKS AND MINNOWS
– AWARD WINNER –
Thriller/Rated R
Trapped in a diner during a blizzard, a grizzled hitman comes face to face with the grim consequences of his past actions and he comes face to face with the ghosts of his past.
ACCOLADES
- FINALIST Best Thriller Screenplay London Director Talents Movie Awards
- SEMIFINALIST Filmmatic In-Roads Fellowship S8
- SEMIFINALIST Filmmatic Drama Screenplay Competition S10
- FINALIST Athens International Monthly Art Festival
- SEMIFINALIST Richmond International Film Festival Screenwriting Competition
- SEMIFINALIST 28th Annual Fade In Thriller Awards
- TOP HONORS VA. Film Office Screenwriting Competition
#jodymatzer #screenwriting #featurefilm #thriller #awardwinningscreenplay #sharksandminnows
For more information, please visit: https://filmfreeway.com/projects/2940964
TITCH
– AWARD WINNER –
Horror/Rated R
Consumed by sadness after the death of his father, Beckett Richter spirals downward into madness. Helpless, his wife Claudia watches as good and evil, past and present, come crashing together in a horrific battle for not only Beckett’s sanity, but his very soul.
ACCOLADES
- OFFICIAL SELECTION Diabolical Horror Film Festival
- OFFICIAL SELECTION Sugar Loaf Film Festival
- RUNNER UP Best Feature Screenplay Independent Horror Movie Awards
- SEMIFINALIST Chicago Script Awards
- OFFICIAL SELECTION Filmmatic In-Roads Fellowship S8
- HONORABLE MENTION Athens International Monthly Art Festival
- SEMIFINALIST Filmmatic S9 Horror Screenplay Awards
- QUARTERFINALIST Manchester Film Festival Screenwriting Competition
- SEMIFINALIST Atlanta Film Festival Screenwriting Competition
- SEMIFINALIST Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition
- WINNER 13Horror Film & Screenplay Contest
- 2ND ROUNDER Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition
- OFFICIAL SELECTION Frights! Camera! Action! Horror Screenplay Contest
#jodymatzer #screenwriting #featurefilm #horror #awardwinningscreenplay #titch
For more information, visit: https://filmfreeway.com/projects/3115927
FEAR EATER
– AWARD WINNER –
Horror/Rated R
During his investigation into a series of grisly murders, Detective Thomas Kinderman finds himself on a collision course with an ancient evil. Soon Detective Kinderman will realize he’ll have to rely on more than his badge and gun to bring down a monster unlike any he’s ever seen.
ACCOLADES
- WINNER Haunted Pamlico’s Carnival of Darkness Frightful Feature-Length Screenplay Contest
- OFFICAL SELECTION Sugar Loaf Film Festival
- OFFICIAL SELECTION 2025 Nashville Horror Fest
- WINNER Best Feature Screenplay Independent Horror Movie Awards
- OFFICIAL SELECTION 2025 HorrOrigins Film Fest
- OFFICIAL SELECTION SICK Fest 2025
- OFFICIAL SELECTION 2025 Phobia Fest
- RUNNER UP Best Villain Frights! Camera! Action! Screenplay Contest
- SEMIFINALIST Richmond International Film Festival Screenwriting Competition
- FINALIST Frights! Camera! Action! Screenplay Contest
- FINALIST 13Horror.com Screenplay Contest
- FINALIST Athens International Monthly Art Festival
#jodymatzer #screenwriting #featurefilm #horror #awardwinningscreenplay #feareater For more information, visit: https://filmfreeway.com/projects/3367621
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THIS BUSINESS WHICH IS GRIM
– AWARD WINNER –
Action Thriller/Rated R
After she is kidnapped, the daughter of a tech billionaire must fight for her survival until the team of experts sent by her father can rescue her from a woman with more than ransom in mind.
ACCOLADES
- FINALIST Best Action Screenplay London Director Talents Movie Awards
- AWARD WINNER Sugar Loaf Film Festival
- FINALIST Calgary Independent Film Festival
- FINALIST Athens International Monthly Art Festival
- QUARTERFINALIST Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition
- WINNER New York Screenplay Competition BEST Action Screenplay
#jodymatzer #screenwriting #featurefilm #actionadventure #awardwinningscreenplay #thisbusinesswhichisgrim
For more information, visit: https:https://filmfreeway.com/projects/3483390
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MR. OXENFREE
– AWARD WINNER –
Psychological-Supernatural Horror/Rated R
It’s 1973, and Oliver, alongside his younger brother Charlie, leaves a trail of bloody mayhem behind him after his escape from a mental institution. All is going to plan until he meets Beatrice and learns there just might be things worse than him in the world.
ACCOLADES
- OFFICIAL SELECTION Film Basement Horror Film Awards
- FINALIST 13HORROR.COM Screenplay Contest
- QUARTERFINALIST Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Awards
- HONORABLE MENTION Frights! Camera! Action! Screenplay Contest
- HONORABLE MENTION New York Screenplay Competition
- NOMINEE for BEST FEATURE SCRIPT Independent Horror Movie Awards
- QUARTERFINALIST Chicago Script Awards
- SEMIFINALIST Outstanding Screenplay Feature Competition
- QUARTERFINALIST Outstanding Screenplay Feature Competition
- WINNER Best Horror Screenplay Melbourne International Screenplay Awards
- BEST FEATURE SCRIPT Diabolical Horror Film Festival
- FINALIST The 2025 Athens International Monthly Arts Film Festival
For more information, visit: https://filmfreeway.com/projects/4013900
#jodymatzer #screenwriting #awardwinning #mroxenfree
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THE PENANCE OF ALVINA LEE
DRAMA
As she tends to the graves in a forgotten cemetery, a woman encounters the spirit of a young boy. As their bond grows, each will help the other maneuver the worlds of the living and dead.
For more information, vist: https://filmfreeway.com/projects/429617
#jodymatzer #screenwriting
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SCREENWRITING GALLERY
October 28, 2023 • The Virginia Film Festival • Charlottesville, Virginia • The Paramount Theatre
First time Screenwriter Jody Matzer wins Top Honors in the 2023 Virginia Film Office Screenwriting Competition for his suspense/thriller Sharks and Minnows. He is seen here being presented his ‘check’ by Andy Edmunds, Director of The Virginia Film Office.
#jodymatzer #jodymatzerscreenwriter #awardwinningscreenplay #virginiafilmoffice
The official logo for Jody Matzer Screenplays. Artwork created by Work Monkey Illustration.
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Jody Matzer 