ISA Staff Picks: June 2025

The team at the ISA is excited to showcase these exceptional screenplays and their talented writers as top selections for June 2025. These scripts are handpicked for their strength in craft and originality, these projects are now being reviewed for potential submission to ISA-vetted agents, managers, producers, and industry executives who are actively searching for standout voices and compelling material.

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Introducing ISA's Staff Picks for June 2025:

PROOF OF WORK (Pilot - Tech Crime/Thriller) by Ali Imran Zaidi

Logline: After the 2008 bailouts, a disillusioned cryptographer invents a currency beyond government control to shatter the corrupt global financial order, dragging him into a criminal underworld... that he fits right into.

Selected by ISA Staff Member Felicity Wren

Comments: A taut well written thriller concerning the (possible) origin story of a once unorthodox currency that has recently hit over 100k a coin… Full of intrigue, underground bunkers, mistrust and with a relevance today that makes it undeniable. Living in a world where the word TRUST is on thin ice, this well paced cat and mouse story of an underdog trying to burn down the system feels so timely. In short it is a weaving of truth and lies, reflective of how Ali sees the protagonist, presenting as "unverifiable" truth. It's like Confessions of a Dangerous Mind meets Big Short meets Mr. Robot.

ISA Connection: ISA Development Slate, ISA Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2025.

THIS IS HOW IT ENDS (Feature - Drama) by Melia Gabriel

Logline: Unable to save her opioid-addicted father in the real world, an imaginative ten-year-old girl creates a comic book where she can rescue him.

Selected by ISA Staff Member Jefrrey Ryan Morales

Comments: This script boasts exceptionally strong character writing, particularly regarding the depiction of children. The writer captures the voices, emotions, and general perspectives of young people. This adds both weight and nuance to the tone, itself another achievement. The mixture of relatable characters and complex themes makes this a story with a high level of applicability, even for those who have not had to endure similar circumstances.

ISA Connection: Table Read My Screenplay: Cannes 2025 Top 10 Finalist

Awards:

Finalist, Table Read My Screenplay Competition Cannes 2025

Semifinalist, SF Indie Film Fest - San Francisco IndieFest Screenplay Competition 2025

Finalist, Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards Fall 2024

THE FOUR OF US ARE DYING (Feature - Sci/Fi) by Jesse Dorian

Logline: A mysterious young woman (with her naive love interest) kidnap a random “couple” that she plans to include in a human sacrifice — one that also includes herself and her partner, by incorporating the four of them into a single-living, fusion-based organism — in order to fulfill her lifelong quest to become sexually compatible with the extra terrestrial that abducted her when she was a small child.

Selected by ISA Staff Member Shayna Weber

Comments: If you’ve read the logline, you already know this script is a little bonkers—in the best way. And honestly, don’t we all need a bit of bonkers right now? It’s not quite a slow burn—more like a jolt. The madness kicks in from page one, and once you're in, it doesn’t let up. If you’re craving something offbeat, bold, and totally outside the box, this one’s for you.

ISA Connection: ISA Showcase Selection

Awards: 

Best Sci-Fi Screenplay - Horror Bowl

Best Dark Comedy Script - Houston Comedy Film Festival

Honorable Mention - London Int’l Monthly Film Festival\

Official Selection - Diabolical Horror Film Festival

Best Horror Screenplay - Marina Del Rey Film Festival

Milan Gold Awards International Film Festival, plus many more.

COUNTERPOINT (Feature - Drama) by Arden Earnest

Logline: At an elite high school conservatory in New York City, the friendship between two violinists—one privileged, one poor—turns vicious when a life-changing competition is announced.

Selected by ISA Staff Member Molly Kasch

Comments: This is a heartfelt commentary on the struggles of friendship and how competition can stretch it to the limit. It is a fun read, and it had me in its grip from the very beginning. The characters are strong and relatable, and it examines the question: how far would you go for success?

ISA Connection: Table Read My Screenplay Cannes 2025 Top 10

Awards: 

Slamdance Screenplay Award

ScreenCraft Grand Prize Winner

Austin Film Festival Second Rounder

Table Read My Screenplay Cannes 2025 Top 10

SIMULATION by Peter Jang
Psychological Sci-Fi Thriller Feature 

Logline: In the near future, a lonely man practices for a date with this dream girl by running simulations indistinguishable from reality, leading to mind-bending and deadly consequences.

Selected by ISA Staff Member Craig James

Comments: I love contained, single-location scripts, especially those that explore the dark side of modern technology. Peter brilliantly highlights a chilling dilemma—what happens when psychological help comes not from a human, but from an indistinguishable simulation? His story taps into the growing fear that AI could blur the line between reality and illusion, leading us further from our own humanity.

ISA Connection: Emerging Screenwriters Genre Competition then invited onto the ISA Development Slate.