I wrote a story that was made into a short film
I can’t believe I just wrote that blog title!
I still need to pinch myself every now and again that Amongst the Large Pines is out in the world. If you’ve been following me on Instagram (@nikkiblakewrites), then you have seen all of the behind-the-scenes footage of our trip to Texas to see Amongst the Large Pines premiere at the Austin Film Festival. But for those who aren’t following me on social media (seriously, why aren’t you? We have a blast over there!), here is a recap:
In late 2023 I entered the Phantom Wine Ghost Story competition with my short story Amongst the Large Pines. I had just started writing that summer, so I was entering contests to get feedback and dabble in writing different genres and formats.
I got the call in early 2024 that my story was chosen, I won the $5,000 grand prize, and my story would be adapted into a short film and premiere at the Austin Film Festival. As you can imagine, I almost fainted. By some miracle, I stayed composed until the end of the phone call and then did a lot of jumping and screaming in my living room.
I kept it a secret for most of the year because I was too afraid I would jinx it somehow. It wasn’t until they sent me the MOVIE POSTER WITH MY NAME ON IT (AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!) that I felt safe enough to share my news with the world. I printed a full-size version of it that now hangs proudly in my office. I love it so much that I might request to be buried with it.
Of course, we had to see it premiere in person, so Elliott and I drove down to Texas and met my parents and his in-laws to attend a few days of the festival. I’ve heard of Sundance and SXSW, but I hadn’t heard of the Austin Film Festival, so I was pleased to learn that it is considered “The Writer’s Conference” and focuses on the writing side of filmmaking.
Austin is such a cool city, and we made the most of our time at the festival by attending as many panels, film screenings, and special events as we could. But the best part was seeing my story come to life. Having my name up on the movie screen and in the end credits is something I will never get over and I am determined to make happen again.
The film is now posted on the Phantom Wine website as one of their official winners, and that means that you can watch it anytime with the link below!
Link to watch my short film Amongst the Large Pines
Keep scrolling to see the movie poster and some pictures from the festival:
The Austin Film Festival headquarters was at the Omni Hotel, and all of the events and films were held at theaters and historic sites in Downtown Austin.
Our badges granted us access to all films premiering at the Festival. After each film, the actors and filmmakers would go to the front of the theater for a Q and A, and then we all met up in the lobby to vote for audience choice. I Hate Myself and Want to Die was my favorite, and Mike Castle was excellent (and lovely to chat with).
Phantom Wines (the winery that chose my story to make into a short film) was the official wine sponsor of the Austin Film Festival and hosted a huge wine reception for badge holders at the historic Austin Club. We met the Phantom Wine/ Bogle Family Vineyards team and mingled with other writers and filmmakers.
Our badges gave us full access to all of the panels on Saturday, October 26, so we attended panels for Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Glass Onion, The Last Jedi) and Jennie Snyder Urman (Matlock, Jane the Virgin). I took pages and pages of notes and plan on doing a blog post to highlight the best tips that I learned. Stay tuned!
Jody Bogle of Bogle Family Vineyards and I on the red carpet at the premier of Amongst the Large Pines, which was part of the Night of the Living Shorts category.
The weekend was full of firsts… first film festival, first time seeing my name on the silver screen, and first speeding ticket on the way home. You can tell Elliott was really torn up about it.
It was so special to combine my love of film and writing into one, and I hope to attend the Austin Film Festival again in the future- maybe next time I will be debuting a full-length film (a girl can dream!)
If you are reading this, thank you for being a friend and supporter of my little dream to become an author. I am working hard on my debut novel and hope to share more soon.
Until next time…
Nikki Blake- Your favorite Christian girl with a spooky side