Local woman wins top award at California film festival - The Westerly Sun

STONINGTON — Writer Laurie Reilly of Pawcatuck has written 1 caller and 5 screenplays, but connected this Halloween eve — overmuch to her astonishment — it's her virtual world thriller that's got radical buzzing.

Reilly took location the apical prize astatine the Catalina Film Festival earlier this month, erstwhile she won the champion publication grant for "V.I.S.C.E.R.A.L," a paranormal thriller with a virtual world theme.

Reilly, a joined parent of 4 big children and grandma of one, said she was truthful amazed erstwhile the victor was announced that she fto retired an audible gasp, prompting laughter from the assemblage gathered wrong the iconic Catalina Casino.

"It truly was a batch of fun," Reilly said connected a caller day arsenic she sat astatine her room array sipping coffee, talking astir her screenplay and recalling the festival experience. "The reddish carpet was amusive and winning the grant was the icing connected the cake."

Her publication has been "optioned" and "is being read," which are each encouraging developments, she said.

Reilly said she wrote "V.I.S.C.E.R.A.L" during the COVID-19 pandemic, often portion her hubby John — a instrumentalist and retired YMCA enforcement — was playing euphony and penning songs downstairs.

As she spoke, the dependable of keyboard euphony floated up from the level below.

"That's my husband," Reilly said with a smile. "And that's the inheritance of my life."

Her husband, who's retired from his presumption arsenic vice president of operations for the Ocean Community YMCA, said helium was not the slightest spot amazed that his woman won the champion publication award.

"She's a creative, hardworking, productive pistillate who deserves each the accolades she gets," helium said. "I anticipation this inspires others to work her work."

While Reilly said helium surely enjoyed the script, and work drafts of the communicative arsenic Laurie was writing, helium doesn't deliberation it's her champion enactment of fiction. 

"It has a batch of twists and turns," helium said, "but sci-fi isn't truly my style. I deliberation she's written amended things."

The screenplay is centered astir a young newsman who hops a ferry to an land disconnected the California coast, meets a shade huntsman named Sammy Starz ("think Randy Rainbow," Reilly said) and ends up searching for a missing genius. It was really inspired by a existent acquisition Reilly had erstwhile she was a TV newsman moving connected a question amusement backmost successful the 1990s.

When Reilly, a Southern California native, was filming a conception of a show called "Southwest Getaways," she and her unit ended up connected Santa Cruz Island, 1 of the 8 islands successful the Channel Island chain.

It was determination that she learned astir the past of the land — which was primitively inhabited by members of the Chumash people — and of the galore shade stories and tales of hauntings that circulated astir the island.

"V.I.S.C.E.R.A.L," which stands for "Virtually Integrated Sensory Controlled Experimental Reality Augmented Lens," Reilly explained, involves akin themes but with added virtual reality — and added humor.

Reilly said her son, Jaden, who works successful the accusation exertion world, helped her get a amended knowing of virtual reality.

In "Visceral," Reilly said, her main quality wears "reality glasses" which are hooked into her senses and show her adrenaline levels.

"Fear keeps the adrenaline flowing," Reilly said. "Her adrenaline goes truthful precocious it sends her into the paranormal realm."

Reilly said she collaborated with Kristine Kreska, a shaper and person who helped her "expand" the indispensable communicative idea, connected the project.

"She helped maine with the shamanism and voodoo," Reilly said. "She's had her ain encounters with the paranormal."

The wit successful the screenplay is unexpected, Reilly said, which "allows you to fto your defender down until the adjacent happening grabs you."

"The amusive happening astir going to movie festivals is to beryllium capable to acquisition it," she said, "to spell and conscionable the different radical and to get progressive and to marque friends."

The Avalon Theatre astatine the Catalina Casino, wherever the awards ceremonial was held, is a chic gathering spot wherever stars similar Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin erstwhile performed and wherever movie workplace tycoons similar Cecil B. DeMille, Louis B. Mayer and Samuel Goldwyn once screened caller films. It was besides the first theatre successful the satellite that was built specifically for films with sound. 

Interestingly, Reilly said her grandfather, the precocious Charles Kenworthy, worked successful the movie manufacture and successful the dependable studios astatine MGM.

Reilly, present a communications specializer for the City University of New York, spent 18 years arsenic a broadcast writer and won 5 New York State Broadcaster’s Awards arsenic a writer, shaper and anchor for her in-depth sum of science, technology, wellness and authorities connected some tv and radio.

"But I've ever been collecting stories," she said, "and I wrote my archetypal screenplay 20 years ago, erstwhile my children were young."

In summation to her lad Jaden, Reilly has 3 daughters, Shera Dawn, a teacher, and the parent of Reilly's granddaughter Grace; Clare, a traveling nurse, and Alianora, a euphony therapist. 

One of her screenplays, titled "Stringer," is based connected her experiences successful the newsroom.

"My extremity present is to get an agent," Reilly said. "And to support writing."

nbfusaro@thewesterlysun.com