Paul Knauer

Screenwriter

Kansas City, Missouri

Member Since:
June 2014

Last online:
> 2 weeks ago

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About Paul

I’m a produced screenwriter working out of the Kansas City area. My main focus is thrillers and slightly absurdist comedy with heart. But, I believe becoming a better writer requires the ability to push personal boundaries, so you’ll notice a thorough mix of genres in my portfolio.

Born and raised in St. Louis, I’ve lived in multiple small towns around Missouri, and now Kansas. My projects often center on life in the Midwest -- highlighting the heart of the hard-working Midwest soul. I currently have two features in early development with an LA-based production company, both centered in part on the Midwest experience.

My first script, a sitcom pilot OH, BROTHER!, placed second in the 2012 Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition and was subsequently optioned. My most recent feature script, WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR, was named a 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowship Quarterfinalist.

I've written dozens of shorts, with produced projects by directors around the globe, the most recent of which just made its big screen debut at the 2023 LA Shorts International Film Festival.

Gender:
Male

Badges

Loglines

Wait Till Next Year Budget: $1M - $5M | Sports ⋄ Comedy A struggling small-town broadcaster, desperate to escape a life working in his father’s septic business and down to his last shot, attempts to lift his career prospects, and a downtrodden town, by calling the winless high school basketball team to a mythical championship.
The Hand of God Budget: $100K - $1M | Thriller ⋄ Independent A modern extension of Cain and Abel: A murderer, sentenced to life on earth by God, is given a chance at redemption when God reunites him with his brother— the man he killed long ago.
60 Feet Under Budget: $10M - $30M | Thriller A struggling widower, desperate to help his anxiety-riddled, claustrophobic daughter, takes her on a road-trip, only for them to be kidnapped and held hostage in an abandoned, underground missile silo.
Blood Brothers Budget: $0 - $100K | Thriller ⋄ Drama Sixty years ago they made a pact to die together. One of them intends to honor it.
In The Dog House Comedy Edward, an aspiring politician, has a secret: His backyard is now home to an unauthorized underground survival bunker built and occupied by his paranoid and fiercely anti-government brother.
Bad Fish Comedy An emotionally-stunted loner is forced to interact with the world by his hard-charging gold fish.

View all 6 loglines

Credits

Sanctuary (2023)
Film (short) by Garrett Adams Writer To escape a bleak future, an unsuspecting yet willing accomplice drives his childhood friend after a robbery, but when things turn deadly, he must confront where his loyalties lie.
Lines (2022)
Film (short) by Celeste Hoang Writer A mother and daughter's lives are put on the line when their drug-addicted husband/father can't pay a debt.
Customer Support (2022)
Film (short) by Bena Jones Writer A lonely shipwreck survivor calls for help when his cable goes out.
For Now (2020)
Film (short) by Drama Galleries/Sikendar Hemani Writer A widow needs a push to begin dating again.

Awards

Academy Nicholl Fellowship Quarterfinalist
(2022)
2nd place, sitcom, Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition
(2012)