John Connell

Screenwriter

Toronto, Canada

Member Since:
December 2014

Last online:
> 2 weeks ago

Invites sent:
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About John

On the lam. Can't say too much or I'll have to eliminate a few people. Truth is I was a musician for decades, then a teacher of languages in high schools, all the while honing my craft (Is that the right word, "honing"?). Now I am aflame with the desire to make other people recognize the unique insights that I can offer to characters and storytelling (Is that the right word, "unique"?). If that doesn't work out, well, I shave with an open razor and have a hot bath running....

Unique traits: untrustworthy, resentful, spiteful, vindictive, easily offended, irritated, irritating, cheap, vindictive, vicious, angry, aggressive, manipulative, and vindictive, BUT people love me in spite of it all. My psychiatrist told me so. I wanted to thank her and hug her but the restraining straps on my jacket are too tight.

Gender:
Male

Body type:
Slim

Hair:
Receding

Hair color:
Silver

Eyes:
Blue

Ethnicity:
Caucasian

Badges

Certifications

Videos

BIOGRAPHY BEST SCENE Reading of THE REDEMPTION OF JOHN PARKER, by John Connell

Loglines

The Dumb Ox Bellows Budget: $5M - $10M | Biography ⋄ Historical A 13th-century friar struggles to renew Christian theology with logic and reason, but intellectual opposition from peers, malicious slander by envious brethren, and “slavery of the pen” under two Popes drive him to mental collapse and loss of faith in his life’s work -- until God intervenes miraculously to affirm its merit. The true story of St. Thomas Aquinas.
The Redemption of John Parker Budget: $10M - $30M | Historical ⋄ Biography A hot-tempered former slave risks life and limb as an Underground Railroad “conductor,” but peace eludes him until, targeted for death by angry slave owners and a sociopathic slave hunter, he must confront and resolve his inner rage or bring tragedy on his family. Based on a true story.
Russian Romance Budget: $5M - $10M | Romance ⋄ Drama On tour with the visiting Russian Circus during the Cold War, a carefree American pianist endures a comic clash of cultures when he romances a beautiful Russian high-wire artiste, but the frivolity ends when the vindictive KGB tour director contrives to keep the lovers apart. Romeo and Juliet vs. Communism.
Mate Matcher's Match Budget: $100K - $1M | Comedy ⋄ Drama When a seemingly carefree playboy sets course to win the affections of a virginal Christian matchmaker, he collides with a moral blockade that buckles only when she discovers the personal trauma that cracked his moral compass. Romcom/Drama. 1st Runner-up in the 2017 Creative World Awards Screenwriting Contest, comedy category.
Faithful Wife and Hooker Budget: $1M - $5M | Romance ⋄ Comedy An outraged, prudish wife avenges her frustrated husband’s "intentional adultery” by disguising as a hooker and blackmailing him in a series of deceptions that upon discovery ironically amends the couple’s mutual failings and restores their marriage.

Credits

Letting Go (2015)
Film (short) Co-Producer
The Girl at the End of the World (2014)
Film (short) Associate Producer
Forest of the Dolls (2014)
Film (short) Associate Producer
Half & Half (2014)
Film (short) Associate Producer

Awards

The romcom/drama, "Russian Romance," was a Finalist in the 2022 Santa Barbara Screenplay Contest
(2022)
The romcom/drama, "Mate Matcher's Match," Semi-Finalist in the 2021-22 Santa Barbara Winter Contest
(2022)
The biopic, "The Dumb Ox Bellows," is Semi-Finalist in the 2020 Los Angeles International contest
(2020)
"The Redemption of John Parker" was a TOP 100 FINALIST in the Emerging Screenwriters annual contest.
(2014)
An early version of romcom “Faithful Wife and Hooker” was Semi-Finalist in the Movie Deal Contest.
(2010)