Written by a Sundance alum and short filmmaker, this book combines the practical advice of a craft guide with a curated, diverse anthology, including revealing interviews with the writers and directors.

Short Film Screenwriting demystifies the process of writing effective, emotionally involving short films and, for the first time, publishes the screenplays of some award-winning shorts, providing unfiltered access to the voice, vision, and approach of the filmmakers. A ground-breaking new addition to both film and creative writing instruction, this book treats short film screenwriting as a literary mode worthy of close examination and exploration to inspire screenwriters.

The book is built around accessible craft concepts and story forms: narrative design, visualizing character, uncommon relationship, the 10-minute journey, perception shift, formal experiments and hybrid forms, and revision. Contemporary, award-winning film scripts from the Oscars, Sundance, SXSW, and beyond accompany chapters as case studies, along with interviews with the writers/filmmakers about the drafting and revision process, production, and release. Each of the films is accessible for screening online, with additional screenplays included in an online resource.

Austin Bunn is Associate Professor in the Department of Performing and Media Arts at Cornell University, USA. He is the author of The Brink: Stories and co-author of A Killer Life: How an Independent Producer Survives Deals and Disasters Far From Hollywood, one of the Hollywood Reporter "Top 100 Greatest Film Books of All Time". He wrote the screenplay for Kill Your Darlings and has written scripts and pilots for Lionsgate, Participant Media, Fox2000, and Tomorrow Studios. His award-winning short films have screened nationally and internationally.