ANDREW HORTON is an award winning screenwriter and author of twenty books on film, screenwriting, literature and culture. He is the Jeanne H Smith Professor of Film and Video Studies at the University of Oklahoma and the author of WRITING THE CHARACTER CENTERED SCREENPLAY (U. of California Press, 2000), THE FILMS OF THEO ANGELOPOULOS (Princeton U Press, 2nd edition, 1999), and LAUGHING OUT LOUD: WRITING THE COMEDY CENTERED SCREENPLAY (U. of California Press, l999. His films include Brad Pitt’s first feature film, THE DARK SIDE OF THE SUN and the European Oscar winning VIRGINA (l991, Yugoslavia, directed by Srdjan Karanovic). Currently he has scripts in pre-production in New Zealand, Norway, the United States and Greece The Library Journal wrote about his CHARACTER CENTERED SCREENPLAY, “Horton walks away with an Oscar in the valuable books for the prospective script writer category with his latest rendering.”
FEATURE FILMS PRODUCED:
Virgina (l99l) Voted one of the top ten films of l99l at the European Awards Ceremony in Berlin, this is a tragic tale of our times about a Serbian woman raised in Croatia at the turn of the century under a bizarre custom that if you have too many daughters, you can raise one as a...son. Directed by Srdjan Karanovic. I wrote several versions of the script, though Karanovic takes primary credit. A French-Yugoslav co-production. 1992 European Oscar winner (Felix Award). Many international festivals & well reviewed in THE NEW YORK TIMES, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE etc.
The Dark Side of the Sun (l989), for A.B.J. Films(Chicago). Co written with Zelko Mijanovic. Romantic drama about a young man in love who has only a few days to live. Production in Yugoslavia. Directed by Bozidar Nikolic. Yet to be released in the USA. **First feature film for Brad Pitt who stars in this film!
Something in Between (l983) Produced by Centar Films (Belgrade) released in over twenty five countries including France, Japan, Canada, and Australia. Winner of many awards at l8 International Festivals including Cannes, Montreal, San Remo, Valencia, Los Angeles, Cairo. Distributed in the USA by Cannon Films. Written with Srdjan Karanovic & Saki Marinovic. Directed by Srdjan Karanovic. Romantic comic drama of a young American woman in love with two Yugoslavs in Yugoslavia today.
SCRIPTS IN DEVELOPMENT/ PRE-PRODUCTION
The World in Eight Days, an original screenplay written with Jim Butcher about the true life story of the first man to fly around the world: Oklahoman WILEY POST. An adventure romantic drama with humor spanning his life and career including his friendship and death with the great Will Rogers. In development with 2009 production our goal.
I Was Born Greek! A feature dramatic and comic true life script for a film about Melina Mercouri, the “Marolyn Monroe of Greece who was such a great actress, singer, and politician who fought the Greek dicatorship of the 1960s and always worked for a more joyful and enlightened Greece. In development with IMPERIAL MEDIA of London and Athens, Greece.
Make a Joyful Noise, written with Russell Campbell, for Plumb Productions of Wellington, New Zealand. A jazz sheep farm comedy set on the South island of New Zealand. In development with INSPIRE FILMS of New Zealand. 2009 Production.
Blues, written for Norwegian director, Hans Otto Niccolysson. Story of a Norwegian girl with a New Orleans father she has never met. In development with the Norwegian Film Commission. 2009 production.
Eagle of the Comanches: Quanah Parker Based on the true life story of Quanah Parker, the last chief of the Comanches, set in Texas and Oklahoma.
In development with William Neeley as producer.
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SCRIPTS WRITTEN AND AVAILABLE FOR PRODUCTION:
Land of Dreams screenwriter and co-executive producer on this film about a Bosnian girl who comes to New Orleans in search of her grandparents after her parents are murdered in Sarajevo. Starring Charles Durning.
No Fries On Me, adventure comic-drama about a teenage boy pulling an unusual robbery for a dying grandmother. Co-production through the Greek Film Centre and producer/director Dimitri Vernikos, Greece and USA locations.
No Hard Feelings, based on an idea by Srdjan Karanovic. The story of a 60 something widow in Plaquemines Parish who desides to pick up a husband in Greece via an international video matching service. Romantic dramatic-comedy.
Route 66, romantic road comedy of a handsome Greek actor
Coming down Route 66 on a motorcycle and falling in love with
A beautiful American Indian woman in Oklahoma. Just another Big Fat Greek Sac and Fox comic love story!
Six Stages of a Dead Man, written with Greek comedian, Lakis Lazopoulos. Set for production in Greece. A dark comedy about a Greek who wishes to become a black New Orleans musician.
Vendetta, co-written with Will Manus and Fred Walton. A drama about a Greek-American woman who goes to Greece for the first time to solve the murder of her father in his native village. Optioned by several film companies.
Quimby, for producer Fehmi Gerceker (New York). Historical, adventure romance about the true story of America's first woman pilot, Harriet Quimby.
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SCRIPTS OPTIONED AND/OR SOLD:
Beverley Hills Doc, for Rob Feinfield (Los Angeles). Dramatic romantic comedy about a psychiatrist in therapy who falls in love with his ... psychologist!
Fat Tuesday, co-written with Willard Manus. Romantic comic-drama about two young couples in New Orleans today. Optioned by Feature Productions, NYC.
Upside Down, co-written with Srdjan Karanovic. Romantic social comedy about illegal immigrant marriages in the USA today, set in Houston. (optioned several times, semi-finalist in Sundance Institute Screenwriting Contest, l988).
TELEVISION SCRIPTS/TREATMENTS
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, historical travel docu-drama. Based on Rebecca West's famous travel memoir of her journey through Yugoslavia in l937-38. A one-hour pilot program (drama and documentary format) for an eight hour series.
The Bow Unstrung: Byzantium in Flux, treatment for a proposed six hour mini-series on the Byzantine Empire. Docu-drama of the last days of Andronicus l (l285). Co-production with Ikon Films (Greece).
A Good Man, commissioned half-hour pilot for a new series of updated Bible parables, for National Productions(Washington, DC).
CREATIVE WRITING: OPERA LIBRETTO
I wrote with Willard Manus the libretto for the opera CONGO SQUAR about Walt Whitman’s stay in New Orleans in l848. A modified version of the opera was performed December 5th, l998 at Cal State in Los Angeles with very favorable reviews including the LOS ANGELES TIMES which wrote, “a success, especially in an age when new American opera is almost unthinkable.” (Dec 7th, l998, Section F, page 23).
TELEVISION FILM REVIEWING
I was the CBS Film Critic/Commentator for WWL TV
Ch. 4 in New Orleans doing regular reviews
and commentary on "The Morning Show". Spring
l994 –1998..
TELEVISION DOCUMENTARIES
I completed three short documentaries for New Orleans Channel 32(WLAE) in New CBS Ch 4
One on the Yugoslav Oyster Fishermen of Southern Louisiana, one on the New Orleans neighborhood of Marigny and one on the neighborhood of Bywater. 1986-87.
REFERENCES (upon request, including):
Lew Hunter, Head of Screenwriting, UCLA
Dr. Bruce Kawin, Head of Film Studies, U. of Colorado
Dr. Beatrice Rehl, Editor of Media Studies, Cambridge U. Press