Melanie Schiele

Filmmaker & Programmer
Director, Screenwriter and Producer

Brooklyn, New York

Member Since:
February 2013

Last online:
> 2 weeks ago

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About Melanie

MELANIE SCHIELE is an award-winning screenwriter, producer, and director from Brooklyn, NY. She is among only 32 pioneering MFA graduates of NYU Tisch Asia in Singapore, with festival awards/premieres spanning Tribeca, Palm Springs, Atlanta, BAMcinemaFest, Traverse City, Bilbao, and Singapore. Her directorial debut DELILAH, BEFORE won the audience award for BEST SHORT FILM at the Tribeca Film Festival and her follow-up short film ROCKAWAY earned multiple awards in writing, directing, and acting. Her feature drama script BUTTERFLY CHILDREN won the Grand Prize at Slamdance (out of 2500 entries) and has received over 30 accolades, including those from Nicholl, PAGE, Sundance, American Zoetrope, and ScreenCraft. It was also featured in the Hollywood Reporter as an NYU Purple List Winner.

Melanie is developing projects for film and television while freelancing in script consulting and festival programming. She is well-versed in social media, audience engagement, fundraising, and has spoken on panels addressing the need for creating strong female roles. She has written about her own endeavors to achieve this in Tribeca's Future of Film and Women & Hollywood columns and continually advocates for new artistic voices from her peers and community to be heard.

http://www.imdb.me/melanieschiele

Gender:
Female

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Butterfly Children (Feature) Romance ⋄ Drama A furniture craftsman struggles to save his failing marriage and six-year-old daughter afflicted with a rare and debilitating disease, leaving her skin as fragile as a butterfly's wings. WINNER, Film Empire's Fempire Screenwriting MentorshipWINNER, NYU Purple List- in partnership with The Black ListWINNER, Slamdance Screenwriting Competition (from 2500 entries)WINNER, Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay CompetitionWINNER, NYU Fusion Film Festival’s Screenplay CompetitionWINNER, Stowe Story Lab FellowshipWINNER, Vail Film Festival Screenplay CompetitionBlack List Featured Script and on Coverfly's Red ListRunner-up, ScreenCraft Fellowship (from 2000 entries)Finalist, Sundance/Sloan GrantFinalist, WeScreenplay Feature Competition (Top 2%)Finalist, Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film FestivalFinalist, ISA's Emerging Screenwriters Competition Top-5 Finalist, ScreenCraft’s Nashville “Live Read”Top-10 Finalist, Cinequest Film FestivalTop-20 Finalist, Script Pipeline CompetitionTop-25 Finalist, WeScreenplay Diverse Voices CompetitionTop-50 Finalist, ISA Fast Track FellowshipTop-100 Finalist, Fresh Voices Feature CompetitionTop-100 Finalist, Table Read My Screenplay @ ChicagoTop-100 Finalist, Table Read My Screenplay @ SundanceTop-100 Finalist, Napa Valley Film Festival’s Pitch ContestSemi-Finalist, American ZoetropeSemi-Finalist, StoryPros AwardsSemi-Finalist, Fade In AwardsSemi-Finalist, ScriptapaloozaSemi-Finalist, ScreenCraft's Drama Screenplay ContestSemi-Finalist, Finish Line Screenplay CompetitionSemi-Finalist, Circus Road Films’ Screenplay CompetitionSemi-Finalist, CineStory Screenwriting AwardsQuarter-Finalist, Final Draft/Big Break ContestQuarter-Finalist, Nicholl Fellowship (Top 5% of 7251 entries)Quarter-Finalist, PAGE International Screenwriting AwardsQuarter-Finalist, Writers On the Storm "The script is astoundingly quiet, subtle and intuitive. Even when literally dealing with life and death, the script unfolds with incredible restraint, letting each character beat and plot point occur at its own pace, a trick the author pulls off by writing with real efficiency, letting slice-of-life moments create an emotional journey. Compelling protagonists behave like real people at every turn, giving in to their weaknesses and neuroses quietly and privately. The conclusion of the script is brave in a way few stories are. From page 1, it is an incisive, touching drama with fully realized characters." - The Black List
Selma & Charlene (Feature) Action ⋄ Comedy A retired hypochondriac salsa dancer and a former Hell's Angels groupie break free of the drudgery of their senior citizen home and head to South Beach, Miami during Spring Break on a beat-up motorcycle in an effort to prove they still have a lot of living left to do. Top 20% (2600 entries), Finish Line Script CompetitionTop-100 Finalist, Capital Fund Screenplay CompetitionSemi-Finalist, Vail Film Festival Screenplay CompetitionSemi-Finalist, ScreenCraft Comedy Writing CompetitionSemi-Finalist, Circus Road Screenplay ContestSemi-Finalist, Atlanta Film FestivalQuarter-Finalist, ScreenCraft Fellowship "Two spunky, sassy older women taking the world by storm, what's not to love?" - Atlanta Film Festival
Offspring (1-Hr TV Pilot) Film-noir ⋄ Drama Upon her 16th birthday, Kayla Winter must decide between following in the footsteps of her father- a professional assassin- or abandoning him forever. Top-rated on The Black List and Coverfly's Red ListTop 20% (2600 entries), Finish Line Script CompetitionFinalist (Top 2%), WeScreenplay's TV Writing Competition Top-100 Finalist, Table Read My Screenplay @ HollywoodSecond-Rounder, Sundance Film Festival's Episodic LabSemi-Finalist (Top 15%), New York Television FestivalSemi-Finalist, SeriesFest's Featuring Women Initiative Semi-Finalist, Nantucket Film Festival Episodic CompetitionSemi-Finalist, ScreenCraft's Screenwriting FellowshipQuarter-Finalist, ScreenCraft's Pilot Launch CompetitionQuarter-Finalist, Script Pipeline TV Writing CompetitionQuarter-Finalist, BIFF Screenwriters Residency "The central conflict of this series is a superbly strong one. The final moments of the pilot are pulse-pounding and intense, demonstrating that the series can excel at being a smart blend of straightforward family/teen drama with more high concept, crime thriller elements."- The Black List