Chain of Title and Accolades
The writer, Susannah Powers Stengel, has assigned the right to produce a short film from her screen play, Fire and Oak, to SubliminalEd Films of which she is co-producer and a member of the creative management team.
SubliminalEd Films' goal is to help bring stories to life, especially from communities not often represented.
Fire and Oak is honored to be featured in CASCADIA International Women's Film Festival's 2024 Script Studio.
Writer: Susannah Powers Stengel
"I wrote Fire and Oak in October of 2017. Alone on my couch, I watched my twitter explode, igniting me to join in a revolutionary chorus–“Me too.” The world we knew crumbled to ash, and I welcomed the reckoning. Meanwhile, the world was quite literally ablaze this same October with California wildfires that ultimately destroyed a quarter of a million acres of land. Many Napa wineries fell to the inferno. Fire and Oak ponders what happens when we choke on our assumptions and burn away our former selves. I want to challenge the toxic gender norms that perpetuate domestic assault, stigmatize sex work, and fan the flames of sexual shame and silence. Can we ever clear the air? Will we ever forgive the wounds we’re given and those we give? Welcome to the bonfire."
- Susannah Powers Stengel
Bio
Susannah Powers Stengel has the gift of gab. She is an Arkansas-fried, queer, neurodivergent screenwriter. Performing improv from childhood built her “Yes And” muscle strong like bull. After a drama degree at Grinnell College, and a Master’s in Dramatic Literature at Indiana University, Susannah taught drama throughout her twenties. Susannah-in-Seattle now writes television, features, and shorts. As a professional matchmaker (seriously—she can make you a match) with flexible hours, Susie’s singles build her EQ and give her time for her pages. Career triumphs include: writing workshops for the Chance the Rapper Arts Fund, leading 48 Hour Film Projects writers' rooms, and working with Tapped House TV. All the while, she builds a varied range of credits–from head writer to script doctor to script supervisor to assistant director to actor. She cultivates a collaborative blog and portfolio with her creative soulmate and favorite one-upper, Hannah Pearson, at tellyfish.com. From page to set, she’ll always offer her blood, joy, and sweat.
Director: George Laws
Why Fire and Oak?
"Susannah's script for Fire and Oak was first shown to me when I was consciously trying to transform the way I worked with other creatives, to understand other people's wants and passions in much the way the character of Eli has failed to do. As a director I want to confront subjects that challenge my own perception of my place in the world. The best art is the kind that encourages you to grow as you make it, and I saw that chance in this script and in this writer. If we want to get into the Gender of it all (and I do!), I believe stories like these are a way to tackle the conversation about the invisible roles we were raised to assume and where they've left us. Maybe I'm a maniac, but I enjoy pulling apart these aspects of our identities, tearing things from inside me and wondering how they got in there in the first place, and learning the errors and pitfalls of redemption to perhaps help us better achieve it." - George Laws
Bio
George Washington Laws II has been writing all his life, and surviving all its consequences. He was raised on VHS tapes in the golden age of video rental, and many tumultuous years later he realized independent film was his driving passion. Since then he's been in and around the indie film scene of the greater Seattle area in several indie feature and TV projects. He helmed his own first film short Fool's Fantasy in 2021 and the experience convinced him to help build local film community. He runs a monthly table read for local scripts, acts as secretary for the Northwest Screenwriter's Guild, and is head writer for the Summit Community Development Project. His major education has consisted of close scrapes and harrowing experiences, and he has come out on the other side as a writer and director who wants to create opportunities for other writers and directors who've been fighting to find creative agency.
Producer: Ed Castañeda
Bio
Ed is a first generation Mexican-American independent filmmaker from Seattle, Washington, originally from East Toledo, Ohio. Ed started his film career in 2020, attending a 15-week online New York Film Academy program. After completing three student films he was hooked. Four years later, Ed has eight shorts under his belt as some combination of writer, director, and producer.
Breathing Life
"I'm passionate about bringing stories to life, especially from communities not often represented. Ifell in love with Fire and Oak during a Chroma Dreams table read and since then I have been obsessed with bring Helen and Eli's world and the story to life." - Ed Castañeda
Distribution
Film Festivals
We will submit Fire and Oak to Film Festivals both within the U.S. and Internationally with the goal of getting selected for Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) in 2025.
Online
After the film festival run, Fire and Oak will be made publically available on SubliminalEd Film's YouTube Channel.
Now Casting!
