And the Winner is...Local Screenwriter Claims Dual Cash Prizes

Philadelphia, PA -March 28, 2009-- The Greater Philadelphia Film Office, Greater Philadelphia Filmmakers, organizers and sponsors of the "Set In Philadelphia" Screenwriting Competition announced Drexel professor Mary Spiers as the 2009 winner of two cash prizes.

In addition to the cash prizes awarded, the winning scribes receive:
- Notes from High Profile Judges
- Pass to 2009 Philadelphia Film Festival & CineFest
- In-kind services
- Press
- Screenplay Synopsis published on www.film.org

Greater Philadelphia Filmmakers is proud to have the "SIP" series among featured events of the Philadelphia Film Festival & CineFest, (March 26th-April 6th).

ABOUT MARY SPIERS
$10,000 "SIP" GRAND PRIZE AWARD WINNER
$2,500 GREATER PHILADELPHIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE REGIONAL AWARD WINNER

Mary Spiers has enjoyed living in the greater Philadelphia area for 21 years. Her passion for Philadelphia revolutionary war history, a personal ancestral quest and a desire to understand the lives of ordinary people during extraordinary times led to the development of "Saving Independence". This is her first full-length screenplay.

Mary Spiers is a clinical psychologist and professor in the psychology department at Drexel University where she is also a student in the Drexel screenwriting program under the mentorship of David Greenberg. She blends her interests in psychology and film by involving psychology students in the analysis of psychological issues in film. She is an active member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is currently working on the accompanying middle grades novel for "Saving Independence" as well as other revolutionary war and psychologically themed stories.

Saving Independence (synopsis)
While visiting her grandmother at the home where her ancestors lived during the Revolutionary War, 12-year-old Hannah reluctantly plays a part in the Philadelphia City Tavern's annual July 4th reenactment. But when an antique recipe book reveals a coded message in Hannah's own handwriting, she is magically sent back in time to 1777.

There, the war rages on and Philadelphians loyalties are split, except for Hannah's Quaker ancestors who struggle to stay neutral, despite danger from both sides. When she and her 12-year-old ancestor, Lydia, discover a plot to kidnap the Rebel Congress during the first July 4th celebration feast at the City Tavern, Hannah must decide where her loyalties really lie. Can she prevent the kidnapping and keep her family safe? Through an unlikely alliance with a young Patriot soldier and a crusty privateer, the plot is foiled. Hannah returns to the present with a personal sense of how people make choices during war.

More About "SIP"
"Set In Philadelphia"(SIP), is an international competition that is open to all screenwriters, who submit an original feature length screenplay set primarily in the Greater Philadelphia region. Scripts are judged on their overall quality, and the extent to which they tell a genuine "Philadelphia story."

Special Thanks to our Program & Event Sponsors

Greater Philadelphia Film Office | Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce | Derek Freese Film Foundation Stephen J. Rivele | Mike Lemon Casting | Philadelphia Film Society | Sofitel Philadelphia | TLA Video | The University of the Arts | The Pita Pit