Brian Lee Weakland wins Best Screenplay at Winter Film Awards 2013 Independent Film Festival

Winter Film Awards is pleased to announce that "Last Waltz of Vienna", written by Brian Lee Weakland, has won Best Screenplay at the WFA 2013 Independent Film Festival, held February 28-March 2 2013 in New York City.

Winter Film Awards received over 100 screenplays submissions for the 2013 festival. Each was judged by a team of five industry professionals with wildly divergent interests, and four standouts were chosen as finalists. The outstanding "Last Waltz of Vienna" was awarded Best Screenplay at the March 2 2013 Awards Ceremony.

Based on a true story, "Last Waltz of Vienna" is the story of a young chemist is drafted by Nazis to control the assets of Sigmund Freud after Hitler’s army overruns Austria in 1938. But after becoming the unwitting subject of Freud’s psychoanalysis, the chemist disobeys orders, hides assets and pulls off Freud’s daring escape on the Orient Express. “Last Waltz of Vienna” captures not only the cultural beauty of Vienna and the brutality that forever marred it but, more importantly, tells the compelling story of two men, political opposites, who leaned on each other to survive.

Brian Lee Weakland of Richmond VA, is an honors graduate of Penn State’s School of Journalism. He won the Associated Press Community News Reporter Award and Keystone Press Award for investigative reporting as a staff writer and news editor for The Centre Daily Times in State College, Pennsylvania. He has taught writing courses at Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of three mystery novels based upon the legends of Pittsburgh's three rivers. He received the 2012 Screenwriting Award from the Virginia Film Office, and is a proud member of the Virginia Screenwriting Forum. Visit http://www.brianweakland.com/ for more about Brian and his work.

The 2nd Annual WINTER FILM AWARDS Independent Film Festival began Thursday, Feb 28 with 3 days of screenings and after-parties. The event offered something for everyone, highlighting the dynamic range of storytelling the independent filmmaking community has to offer. Among the 58 films selected was a diverse mix of documentaries, shorts, features, animation, music videos and horror films from all over the world. Visit http://www.WinterFilmAwards.com for more information.

Winter Film Awards' mission is to recognize excellence and diversity in cinema by nurturing emerging filmmakers and helping them get recognition and contacts to break into a tough industry. WFA celebrates the crazy cultural mixture that is New York City, showcasing emerging filmmakers from every age, ethnic, racial, religious, cultural, political and geographic perspective. WFA prides themselves on their diverse collection of films and filmmakers, allowing the audience to enjoy films they normally wouldn't think to seek out. In addition to the festival, WFA hosts 4-6 events each year in NYC, including panel discussions, networking parties, a 48-Hour Film Challenge and other fun film-related events. Winter Film Awards is a registered New York State 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Winter Film Awards 2013 Independent Film Festival is proudly sponsored by American PrimeTime TV, Showbiz Café, FEARS Magazine, Jungle Software, Footage Firm Royalty-Free Stock Footage, Hunter Mountain, Pole Position Raceway, Final Draft Industry Standard Screenwriting Program and media sponsor ProductionHUB, Inc. (http://www.productionhub.com) an online marketplace for broadcast TV, motion picture, pro video, live event, corporate & digital media production.

Winter Film Awards
12 Desbrosses Street
New York NY 10013

Media Contact: Vanessa McGinley

This release was published on openPR.