Interview with Screenwriter Hank Biro (SPACE FISH)

Matthew Toffolo: What is your screenplay about?

Hank Biro: Donny, a one-armed, African-Canadian man, tries his best to honor his dead girlfriend by becoming an astronaut. It is an era where thousands of space shuttle launches occur every year in search of new, habitable planets for earthlings to live, due to disastrous weather events happening on Earth brought on by over-pollution. When Donny is rejected from the Canadian Space Agency for having only one arm, apparently, Donny is forced to turn to robbing banks, so that he can afford a new limb device.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

‘Space Fish’ is a science-fiction drama.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

This screenplay should be made into a movie because it features cool, exciting, and relevant sci-fi ideas, and it delivers a positive message, that the world needs to take the effects of global warming seriously, and that racism and prejudice needs to end.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

Violent future.

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

I recall watching the Star Wars series, Donnie Darko, The Thing (1982), A Christmas Story, This is Spinal Tap, The Goonies, The Silence of the Lambs, The Sandlot, 12 Monkeys, Jurassic Park , Small Soldiers, Godzilla (1998), Men in Black, Mars Attacks!, The Matrix trilogy, Signs, The Lord or the Rings series, School of Rock, Daredevil, Collateral, Napoleon Dynamite, King Kong (2005), Drag Me to Hell, Moon, and District 9 the most growing up.

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

My writing partner and I have been developing ‘Space Fish’ since 2012, then we finally began writing out our ideas and finished the script in 2017.

7. How many stories have you written?

I have one feature-length script and five short film scripts in my portfolio.

8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the
most times in your life?)

The song I have most listened to the past few years is New Faces (ft. Earl Sweatshirt & Dash) by Mac Miller.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

Struggling with mental health.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

I am also passionate about animal welfare, and watching movies/TV.

11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your
experiences working with the submission platform site?

FilmFreeway is an excellent, easy-to-operate platform for submitting scripts to festivals.

12. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings
on the initial feedback you received?

Reading testimonials from others who entered and getting the chance to have my script read by actors is what enticed me to enter this festival. The initial feedback My writing partner and I received for ‘Space Fish’ was very helpful, and it made us realize we needed to cut many pages from it to make the story more focused. The pages we cut are now part of the sequel script to ‘Space Fish’.

Submit via FilmFreeway, the exclusive way our festival accepts submissions.:

In the future, a one-armed young man obsesses over becoming an astronaut after a final discussion with his girlfriend, and turns to criminal actions to fulfill his desire after the space agency rejects him.

CAST LIST:

Security: John Leung
Narrator: Anjelica Alejandro
Bill: Adrian Currie
Donny: Liam Kinahana

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