ABOUT
Hi! I'm Mandi. I'm a queer WGC-eligible screenwriter, director, script analyst/consultant, and LGBTQ+ rights and mental health advocate. I am currently contracted by a production company to write an LGBTQ+ romance/adventure feature screenplay, plus I work as a script analyst for the Female Eye Film Festival.
I’ve been told I have a knack for strong dialog, well-developed characters, solid story structure, worldbuilding, collaboration, and groan-worthy puns.
MISSION
My mission as a screenwriter/director is to bring more inclusivity to the screen while telling raw, authentic stories from my lived experiences and from my heart.
GENRES
I primarily write LGBTQ+, YA, drama, romance, comedy, and fantasy/adventure screenplays.
THEMES
Most of the screenplays I write are LGBTQ+ and mental health stories with strong female characters and themes consisting of love, relationships, abandonment, personal growth, family/chosen family, and hope.
Additional themes/story elements I find myself drawn to are female empowerment, social commentary, polyamory/ethical non-monogamy, deconstructing societal norms and the relationship escalator, sexuality, smashing the patriarchy, parents apologizing, misfits, atheism, inclusivity, and groan-worthy puns.
MANDI MAXWELL
Screenwriter/Director
Canadian
SCREENPLAYS
Feeling Unreal (Feature Script)
Written by Mandi Maxwell
Indie Feature
LGBTQ+ Drama/Romance
A queer emerging theatre actress struggles with depersonalization disorder, a suicidal father, and a messy love life while playing the lead in a big-time stage play that could make or break her career.
🏆 SUNDANCE 2020 DEVELOPMENT TRACK, SHORTLISTED
🏆 AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL SCREENWRITING COMPETITION, SECOND ROUNDER
🏆 SCREENCRAFT SCREENWRITING FELLOWSHIP, SEMIFINALIST
SCRIPT SAMPLE (COMING SOON)
Metagame (Feature Script)
Written by Mandi Maxwell & Dylan Miles
Feature Film
LGBTQ+ YA Fantasy/Adventure
When a troubled teenage misfit gets transported into the fantasy world of her beloved tabletop role-playing game, she must slay her personal demons in order to return home to her loving friends and family.
🏆 FINAL DRAFT BIG BREAK SCREENWRITING COMPETITION, QUARTERFINALIST (TOP 3%)
SCRIPT SAMPLE (COMING SOON)
Reverie (Short Film Script)
Written by Mandi Maxwell
Short Film
LGBTQ+ Drama/Romance
At the height of the pandemic, a depressed Canadian woman drifts into a blissful reverie where she's reunited with her American partner on the other side of a closed border.
In pre-production
The Art of Christmas (MOW Script)
Written by Mandi Maxwell
Story by Mandi Maxwell & Luke Rackers
MOW (Movie of the Week)
LGBTQ+ Romance
When an overworked bisexual lawyer returns to her hometown for Christmas, she helps save her high school sweetheart's art business while unexpectedly falling in love, rekindling her love for painting, and finding the Christmas spirit.