Haunted House Sitter by Randi Barnes and Stacey Hegarty of Los Angeles has been named the winner of the 2009 Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) Screenplay Competition. The script follows the misadventures of twelve-year old Kirby Barrett who thinks he's found the ideal summer job taking care of his neighbors' house, but he gets more than he bargained for when it turns out to be haunted by a rather angry spirit.

According to Demetria Carr, RIIFF Managing Director, "Screenplay judges poured through 324 screenplay entries this year, the largest entry base in the competition's history. Each submission was analyzed and scored according to a set of five criteria, including Character, Dialogue, Setting, Plot and Technique.

GRAND PRIZE:

Haunted House Sitter
Written by Randi Barnes and Stacey Hegarty, USA

FIRST PRIZE:

Bus Rider
Written by Andrew Bluestone, USA


(Tied with)

Last Pirate of New Providence
Written by John Bain, Canada

SECOND PRIZE:

Pants on Fire
Written by Peter Bohush, USA

HONORABLE MENTION:

Wilson
Written by Ernest Plock, USA

HONORABLE MENTION:

Buchanan
Written by Patrick Harrison, USA

BEST LOCAL:

Rum Runners
Written by Louis Rosenberg and Joe Rosenbaum, USA

BARREN BRANCHES GLBT COMPETITION:

Blood is Thicker
Written by Jeff Austin, USA

BEST SHORT SCRIPT:

Lost Dog
Written by Dean Friske, Australia

BEST HORROR SCRIPT:

The Sleeping Deep
Written by Jeffrey Blake Palmer, USA