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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#147: Yes I Cannes

Cannes Film Festival is one of the most prestigious events in the world of cinema, and is currently celebrating 75 years since it first opened its doors back in 1946. Every year, the crème de la crème of the industry travel to the French Riviera for two weeks of glitz and glamor, while the festival hands out a range of highly sought-after awards, like the Palme d’Or for best film of the year.

As A-list celebrities and movie mavens attend exclusive screenings and walk miles of red carpet, this week's prompts are all about awards and movie magic.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who has been nominated for a prestigious award, but isn’t sure they deserve it.

Sad – 25 stories

Start your story with two people sitting in a movie theater, waiting for the lights to come back on.

Sad – 72 stories

Start or end your story with someone realizing that life isn’t like the movies, for better or worse.

Kids – 35 stories

Write a story about someone who keeps being cast as the hero but is actually a villain (literally or metaphorically).

Adults – 21 stories

Write about a relationship that has been greatly impacted by a movie.

Kids – 26 stories

Stories

“A Hero's Life” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #147

They were three weeks into filming the latest and greatest action movie, and the Director, Arthur Coolidge yells repeatedly into the darkened set for one of his actors who was late once again for his scene. Beth, the 1st Assistant Director scrambles through the darkness asking everyone on-set if they had seen Walter anywhere. She knows that if she doesn’t get him onto the set soon, the axe will fall on her, not ...

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“The Documentary” by Simrin Dhillon

Submitted to Contest #147

TW: Mentions of death The first change in my marriage was the way that he looked at me. Our glances had always been wistful and filled with love. Whenever I felt at my most strong and confident, I could feel his gaze on me with adoration and obsession. His eyes were always dripping with lust and love for me, and this made our relationship a love for the ages. Now, he looks at me with suspicion. Rather than flirty winks, I receive narrowed eyes filled with distrust. His stares are sharp and judgmental rather than sweet and longing. He’s b...

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“Moments in the Dark” by Amber Versailles

Submitted to Contest #147

The screen dims as the credits roll down the screen. I try to turn my head without being obvious, but I can’t see her in the dark anyway. I tap my leg impatiently, waiting for the lights to come back on. “What did you think of the movie?” I hear her ask softly. I turn to face her in the dark, wishing I could make out more than a few shadows of her face. I’m not even sure if she’s looking back. “It was um … really thought provoking.” I think I see her nod. I have no idea what the movie was about. There were some action scenes and ...

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“On The Kisser” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #147

The anger growing in me feels good, my fist clenches, I am going to knock this guy into next week. My whole life I took the hits, the curses, well no more. I am Rocky, the greatest boxer who ever lived. Standing at the bar, half listening to Lori, this asshole bumped me hard, I know it was on purpose. I snap, throw my glass at the floor, the crash echoing the sound in my head. Adrenaline and whisky course through me, the din of the crowd recedes into a bubble of silence. My blood pumping, loud and fast, while the driving guitar of ‘Eye...

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“Remembrance ” by Cindy Strube

Submitted to Contest #147

Remembrance=DRAFT=NOTE: DELETE COMMENTARY BEFORE SENDING!!My dear family and friends, I have been tasked with asked to write an obituary and eulogy for Aunt Opaline.(None of you want to tackle trying to figure out how to say something nice about her, and you pretend that you chose me because I have “a way with words”. Speaking of words, the word “eulogy” comes from the Greek “eulogia”. It means “praise”.This is going to be difficult.)I will share with you what I’ve written, and you feel free to let me know if there are any inaccura...

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“Daddy's Chair” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #147

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. Her name was Rana, and she lived on a farm. Her family was made of a dad, a mom, six brothers, eleven cows (Bessie died last fall), two dogs, and three cats. This day started off quite ordinary. Her brothers were milking the cows.Rana took her little bucket and walked carefully to the first milking stall. Annabelle, the biggest cow, looked at her with big, solemn eyes. Randy, her brother who was leaning against the cow’s side with his hands working the teats, looked at her with sleepy eyes. “Go...

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“The Best Seats In The House” by Cierra Lynn

Submitted to Contest #147

“Should I get up? Should I say something?”Eric whispered in my general direction from the seat to my left, “No, no, I’m sure it’s fine,”Julia answered from my right, forever not wanting to make a fuss about anything, “The credits have been over for like…5 minutes now, the movie for like 20, so?” Eric complained not bothering to whisper anymore. The theater was pitch black all around, soundless without a movie playing, and blind without the theater screen or any lights on inside of the giant room. “Just give it a minute I’m sure some...

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“Salesman of the Year” by Bruce Friedman

Submitted to Contest #147

Author's note: References to violence. Sexual innuendos.I was sitting at my desk at work, twiddling my thumbs. It was a time when New York seemed to have won the battle against COVID and the rules for working in the office had been relaxed somewhat so I came in a few days a week. To be truthful, I was getting bored and fed up at home. My wife had decided to change the family rules of who was responsible for what in terms of chores so the quality of my life there had seriously diminished. I had not previously viewed my office as a refuge but ...

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“Film Club” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #147

They sat in the flickering darkness, watching the final credits. For two hours, Mark Dirac had shared part of the universe with Blanche, breathing in her scent, listening more to her small creaturely noises than to the Japanese movie, After Life. Two hours of bliss. Oh sure, he had worried a little about his body, about not mouth-breathing and not tongue-smacking, and not being overcome by the occasional hardening that he had learned to disperse by thinking about solving first-order differential equations. But unlike other dates, he hadn’t w...

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“Victory” by Faith H

Submitted to Contest #147

TW: vague allusions to killing and death, murder, explicit details about metaphoric blood.I cradle the glimmering golden trophy in my arms, an equally dazzling smile plastered on my face. Camera lights from all directions flash in my eyes, the spotlights to my victory. “Emily! Emily!” One reporter hollers. “What are your thoughts on being awarded the Youth Acting Award?”“Tell us what you feel about being the youngest nominee!”“Miss Coffey, what are your secrets to being such a great actress?” With practiced poise and confidence, I ...

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“The theatre of pain” by Stavros Apostolou

Submitted to Contest #147

A cold shiver caresses my spine as our hands touch. I turn to face her but the darkness is too deep to make out her features. I trace the silhouette of her face with my gaze, it seems gentle. And the warmth of her hand shocks me to my core. This peculiar, newfound feeling, hoists colourful flags of emotions throughout my chest. In that moment of contact my stomach folds onto itself, twists, stretches. It doesn’t last long though, the touch. I find myself having pulled back, holding the bicep of my arm in an attempt to soothe...

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“Wurlds Best Cashir” by Shaquille Oatmeal

Submitted to Contest #147

Our TV is broken. It resides in the basement with the old couch and the water heater and the dust. It has a huge, spiderweb crack on the right, that bleeds multicolored pixels onto the picture, but it works well enough to put a tape into. I sit with a quilt that smells like basement squeezed around my shoulders tight. I have to hug my knees in close to keep the chill from biting at my toes.“Well I’ll be darned. I think this might be the best card I’ve ever seen!” I love TV. I love the mommy and the daddy and the brothers and sisters. I love ...

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“When the Credits Roll” by Rama Shaar

Submitted to Contest #147

We froze in our faded velvet folding seats. It was dark and utterly quiet. The credits rolled on a black backdrop, but there was no music. Like terracotta soldiers, everyone stayed in their seats with their eyes glued to the black screen, unable to move.It was Colette who came to first. She slowly tapped on my arm without turning towards me. I stirred.“Don’t do that, Jack!” she whispered.“Do what?” I whispered back.“Tug on your beard like that. That looks painful!”“Well, not as painful as what I’ve just seen!”“I’m going to kill you!”“Justifi...

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“The Y-Box” by Jace F.

Submitted to Contest #147

Content warning: rape, homophobic languageHe was too nervous to do it while other people were in the theater. Now that they're alone though, it's a different story. He keeps his eyes on the black mega-screen as he reaches over."Reese!" Natalia says."Wh-a-a-t?" Now he looks over. "It was your idea. C'mon. The theater's empty. We have like, five minutes and a hundred fucking trailers until the next movie."The theater is dark. Reese's face is dark. All Natalia can see of it are the metal rivets in his nose and lips. They bite into the dark like...

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“ghost” by L N.

Submitted to Contest #147

She is meant to kill the ghost.Her hair is already curled and her lipstick already crisp, because cinema is art and god forbid her paintbrush strays. The click of heels on the set floor matches the cadence of her even heartbeat, and her faint smile is clandestine in the shadows.Across the floor she senses the ghost move into his own position. The carefully ambient lighting colours him in warm, ephemeral shades, and his soft smile makes her fingers twitch.“I’ve never understood it,” the ghost once told her when they were sitting alone at the ...

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$250

Prize money

179

Contest entries

94

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 27, 2022 EST

Won by Cecilia Maddison 🏆

Title: Just Ask for Mercy

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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