2011 Nicholl Finalists
Chris Bessounian
Born and raised: Khartoum, Sudan and Sydney, Australia
Current residence: Los Angeles, CA
Tianna Langham
Born and raised: Surrey, England and Port Townsend, WA
Current residence: Los Angeles, CA
"Guns and Saris"
They’ve been oppressed and brutalized at the bottom of India’s caste system for 3000 years, but now the “untouchable” women of India have found an unlikely source of hope - and she’s armed.
Dion Cook
Born and raised: Ocala, FL
Current residence: Altus, OK
"Cutter"
After surviving the nightmare of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Patrice Gasana has made a new life in the United States. A dedicated Miami trauma physician, Patrice lives the American dream with his loving fiancé and her daughter – until his past returns to imperil everything he holds dear.
K.E. Greenberg
Born and raised: Houston, TX
Current residence: Los Angeles, CA
"Blood Bound"
A self-made gentleman boxer is forced to confront his buried past and thwarted ambition as he struggles to train a fighter from similar circumstances in an age of prejudice and corruption.
Ehud Lavski
Born and raised: Ashkelon, Israel
Current residence: Tel Aviv, Israel
"Parasite"
When the crew of an underwater research station discovers a new parasite that turns its host homicidal they have to defend themselves against the surrounding sea life and their infected crew mates in order to stay alive.
John MacInnes
Born and raised: Bournemouth, Dorset, UK
Current residence: Los Angeles, CA
"Outside the Wire"
An ex-Marine working in Iraq saves a young, single-mom in US Army from assassination by his powerful employers. Two Americans on the run in the most dangerous place on the planet with hostile insurgents, militiamen, and a private army hot on their tail, are in a desperate bid to make it back home.
Aaron Marshall
Born and raised: Victoria, TX
Current residence: West Hollywood, CA
"Fig Hunt: The Quest for Battle Armor Star Captain"
Rival toy collectors hunt for the greatest action figure of all time.
Khurram Mozaffar
Born and raised: Chicago, IL and Kuwait
Current residence: Lisle, Illinois
"A Man of Clay"
Considered the prime suspect in the deaths of his wife and children, Malick Hale escapes from custody to try and piece together what really happened that horrible night; and comes to a confounding discovery - he has no memory of his own life but is able to see the memories of everyone else he meets.
Matthew Murphy
Born and raised: Overland Park, KS
Current residence: Culver City, CA
"Unicorn"
A by-the-book FBI profiler must track down a serial killer with the help of an illiterate 24-year-old psychic.
Abel Vang
Born and raised: Fresno, CA
Current residence: Fresno, CA
Burlee Vang
Born and raised: Santa Ana, CA and Fresno, CA
Current residence: Fresno, CA
"The Tiger's Child"
When his father is suddenly killed after being coerced into the CIA's Secret Army, twelve-year-old Tou must decide whether or not to follow in the same footsteps in order to provide for Cheng, his five-year-old brother.
Paul Vicknair
Born and raised: Conyers, GA
Current residence: Los Angeles, CA
Chris Shafer
Born and raised: Baker, Louisiana
Current residence: Los Angeles, CA
"A Many Splintered Thing"
When a charming heartbreaker finally meets a girl he can't have, he discovers the true meaning of love by living out other people's love stories while writing his own.
