September 25, 2000
Maria Jones Wins The First Film DC Screenwriting Competition
(Washington, DC) District resident Maria Jones won the Film DC Screenwriting Competition with her original screenplay, Missing Pieces. The contest was sponsored by the DC Office of Motion Picture & TV Development and the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities. The Mayor's Chief of Staff Dr. Abdusalam Omer, The West Wing producer Llewellyn Wells, and actor Martin Sheen made the announcement at a press conference on Friday, September 15th.
As winner, Maria Jones will travel to Los Angeles, California on October 16 - 18, 2000 to visit the set of the Emmy Award-winning television series The West Wing, to meet the writers, and to appear in a featured extra role on an episode of the hit series. "This competition is a tremendous opportunity for District residents. We are proud of Ms. Jones and look forward to sending other talented writers to Hollywood," said Dr. Abdusalam Omer.
The award-winning script, Missing Pieces, is Maria Jones' first feature length screenplay. The tale, set in a Washington, DC group home for girls, follows the life of Shauntay, a 16 year old African-American girl whose family is torn apart by drugs and unemployment. As her imprisoned father begins to correspond with her, Shauntay discovers her true identity and self worth.
Maria Jones received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications - Film Production from Howard University in 1988. For ten years in Washington, she has produced youth and community projects for television and theater, helping many young people pursue their vision and creativity as video technicians and producers. Her work is frequently featured on DCTV Channel 25. Maria is also the author of over seven short scripts and stories.
The Film DC Screenwriting Competition is intended to generate screenplays using actual District locales and to promote prize-winning scripts to the film and television industry in Hollywood. This first competition received a substantial number of scripts that were judged by a group of industry professionals and narrowed down to seven. The seven chosen scripts were then submitted to the writers and producers of The West Wing for final judging.
