South African producer, director and writer Ferdinand W Gernandt is taking the screenwriting world by storm!
The South African and international screenwriting world is sitting up and taking notice of Ferdinand W Gernandt, as the news hot off the presses is that he has just received his third RECOMMEND from international producers, screenwriting contests and table reads for his gothic suspense thriller screenplay Discordant.
Two other thriller feature screenplays The Imagined and Corpse Garden have also garnered similar acclaim, also receiving RECOMMENDS from international film executives.
Ferdinand is no stranger to the SA entertainment industry, having been part of it for over 20 years and has evolved from being a sought-after vocalist and actor to an award-winning, respected and accomplished producer, director and writer.
Having amassed a wealth of knowledge on stage and in front of the camera, Ferdinand has traveled an exciting 10-year journey behind the camera, getting to this point of being a respected professional writer.
Gernandt has completed a diverse array of international screenwriting courses and written 14 full feature screenplays, 5 short film scripts, 5 writing assignments for local and international producers.
With many career highlights, one that is instantly recordnisable is him having produced, written and directed the smash hit stage musical Reik Na Die Sterre wich received 7 Naledi Award Nominations.
Internationally, he was the winner of the Top 10 1st Scene Screenplay of 2018 at The Wild Sound Festival from over 500 submissions.
Upon receiving this news this week of Discordant receiving an international RECOMMEND, Ferdinand had this to say;
“I am humbled by the fact that my decade-long journey towards becoming a screenwriter has brought me to the discovery of my own screenwriting voice. To have received RECOMMENDS on three of my high concept thriller scripts from International Executives proves that the global screenwriting-door is now open to me and to all of my local, fellow-writers here in South Africa. I am now beyond the ‘show of hands’ approach. To guess what people want and then try to give it to them. Those RECOMMENDS encourage me to share what I know, what I’ve learnt and believe in my future writing projects.”
Gerdnandt goes on to explain what a “RECOMMEND” means;
“This is the highest rating, and it’s also the rarest. When a script gets rated with a RECOMMEND, it means that those executives responsible for greenlighting scripts to get made into movies, should take the time and read it. Executives rarely give RECOMMENDS to scripts and they do this only about 5-10 times a year.”
Collaboration is key for this passionate creative, and when he’s not hard at work developing or producing his own scripts, it’s important to him to consult for others in the development of their work.
With his invaluable first-hand knowledge, he offers a wide array of options to the industry in the form of script coverage, editing, query letters, TV pilots, TV Pitch Bibles and the list goes on! He’d love to develop a script with anyone who feels they have a story to tell!
Any individuals, producers or directors who are interested for more information, email Ferndinand at ferdiwg@ferdiwrites.com
INCREDIBLE OCTOBER OPPORTUNITY
While we’re all at various levels of #LockDown, Ferdinand is offering FREE Masterclasses for the month of October to 30 individuals to help anyone who has a story outline, concept, full screenplay or an idea they want to develop into a movie.
This offer is for a one-hour one-on-one brainstorming session online via Skype or Zoom to discuss and give feedback on their project – AT NO CHARGE!
For anyone wishing to apply for this opportunity, email Ferdinand at ferdiwg@ferdiwrites.com
Ferdinand explains;
“I have had a wonderful journey thus far, overall, in the entertainment industry. So many wonderful mentors, teachers and fellow artists. I learnt so much from everyone and this is a way for me to give back. What I’ve learned from being an actor, vocalist and performer, producer of stage and screen, writer of stage and screen, director of stage and screen, I now want to transfer and impart my skills, experience and love for this vibrant world of entertainment with the new up and coming talent.”
South African viewers can currently enjoy two of Ferdinand’s films which he wrote, produced and directed, on ShowMax; namely The Loft House and Haatklop.
The Loft House:
Haatklop
The pandemic isn’t slowing Gernandt down – he is currently working on a new TV documentary that he’s producing; Pointe Shoes, Prayers and a Pandemic. It is in post-production and targeting film festivals and ultimately raking in some international distribution deals.
The world is most certainly his oyster!
“Watch this space” as other exciting projects develop.
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