SUSAN KELEJIAN
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Susan Kelejian

Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
I live in Ojai, CA.
 
Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
I wrote the story in a 24 hours writing contest for a theater company in Kyiv, Ukraine and was picked for a directors showcase. A 17-year-old first director picked it, Loved it, and did a fantastic job. I changed from playwriting to screenwriting in 2024 and decided that this would be my first short with the possibility of producing and directing it into a film to “get back on the boards.” I also wanted to honor the LGBTQ community as an ally and be a  supportive voice.
 
How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
It took me five hours initially as the stage play that was produced. Then it took 7 rewrites for the film version Don’t know how long that would be.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
Self supporting as a writer and have it my main focus, reducing the day job. Being respected as an artist by others, being able to transform others through my work, make positive changes for individuals and society at large, winning awards, celebrating successes, working with healthy people and making Art together, making something with value.

What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
Depends on my mood at the time. Too many to list.  Recently, it’s been the Shogun remake, The Queen’s Gambit, The Penguin. Films like Young Frankenstein, Jaws, The Great Race, and Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid are more symbolic attachments to my childhood and continue to hold up as entertaining films. I’m a big LOTR fan. There are a few films which have moved me or inspired me but not that I need to see again. (Cool Hand Luke, Down by Law, O Brother Where Art Thou, Koyaanisqatsi, Brazil, My Neighbor Totoro, Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Shindler’s List, Lawrence of Arabia, The Accused, Chinatown, Blue Velvet, Seven Samurai, probably many more.)
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?  I’m not sure, to me this is a personal journey and a process without attaching to the outcomes. So maybe just that “enjoy the process and don’t attach to the outcomes!” LOL
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
So... I came back to Hollywood after a 30 year absence and have literally been writing like a mad dog.  I finished seven features and two shorts last year. Two are shopping, one optioned and several in the works. I also got my first “pen for hire” gig through an InkTip connection. I’ve been networking a lot and have had some plans to start a production company with a few other people. My main screenplay that I’m hustling “BELIEF,” is also from a stage play adaptation and has been nominated for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Drama.... the screenplay is currently looking to attach a director. The world needs to know that ITS NEVER TOO LATE!!!

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