Megan Smith-Harris wins Best Feature Screenplay at Burbank International Film Festival

Megan Smith-Harris is pleased to return to Stratford with her award for the Best Featured Screenplay for her script, The Ghost of You, at the Burbank International Film Festival.

Stratford local Megan Smith-Harris has returned from California triumphant in her win of Best Feature Screenplay for her script titled The Ghost of You at the Burbank International Film Festival (BIFF). The award was presented during a star-studded ceremony following a tribute and hour-long presentation honouring filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.

Smith-Harris was stunned upon hearing her name called as winner in her category. “I was up against four male screenwriters, I was the only female scriptwriter, and my film didn’t have any car chases or CIA operatives. So, what are the chances I am going to win? It’s a character driven film with an actress over forty. It’s a quieter film with a low- to mid-range budget, so I was really shocked,” she said.

She has always been a storyteller, but in different mediums. This is her favourite medium and she loves writing, wishing she could write full-time, however, she doesn’t have that luxury so to have her script honoured and to be recognized by such a prestigious event was really exciting.

“I hope they responded to the story which is emotionally resonant, and very human, and something that affects us all; the loss of someone we love deeply, and in this case the loss of a young adult child. On the heels of COVID where so many people lost family members, friends, colleagues, it affected the world in a collective way. Everyone experienced some kind of loss,” said Smith-Harris.

The Ghost of You is a darkly comic, moving exploration of love, loss and resilience. The story follows a grieving mother who’s not just haunted by regret, but by the unpredictable ghost of her teenage son. His otherworldly mission: to help his emotionally fragile mother confront the wreckage of her life and begin piecing together a new reality. This poignant dramedy touches upon motherhood, loss, and the messy path to healing.

The story was inspired by the tragic life events of a personal friend who lost her son at the age of 22. It was devastating for her and then a year later, her other son died on Father’s Day. Watching her close friend navigate the pain and grief of the unthinkable, and as the mother of an only child, Smith-Harris found it instilled a kind of fear in her as this was not the natural order of things.

Once the COVID-19 pandemic started, she projected what would happen if she lost her son suddenly. Watching with great empathy what her friend went through with gossip and conjecture within the town, subsequent to the loss of her sons, Smith-Harris found herself feeling upset and anxious. When she has fear or anxiety, she processes those feelings by writing creatively.

“Because of my work as a comedy writer, it’s a drama infused with comedy. I like to explore what happens when you lose everything and how do you find the wherewithal to get up and fight back to regain yourself,” she added.

It is also an exploration in connection with a mother and son and the sense of presence. While there are supernatural elements given that one character is a ghost, she tapped into that connection and explored her worst fears.

“(Writing) was cathartic in many ways. It was a way to process all the anxiety I was feeling and also the fear as well as what my friend went through. I first wrote it as a play and sent it to her. I told her it wasn’t about her family but was inspired by her loss and the memory of her sons. I wanted her to read it and be ok with it. She loved it,” said Smith-Harris.

Now the hard part comes. It is challenging and difficult to have a script in the right place at the right time. Reaching out and developing relationships is difficult when living in a town of 33,000 people.

“It is a youth-oriented business, but there is much to be said about those with lived experience who are writing from their reality and an imagined reality while they also understand how and why people are motivated. There’s always an agenda that meshes together in this messy tapestry of life. I would like to do a reading here in Stratford. It’s so important as a writer to hear it read aloud,” she said.

Looking forward, she will be seeking representation with a literary agent and look for a producer interested in a low- to mid-range budget film. She would love to be a producer on the project, but really, she just wants to see it made and enjoyed by an audience.

“Writing is lonely and solitary, which is necessary. My advice is to come up with a story and just get it down. Ann Lamott wrote an essay called ‘S***** First Drafts’ that everybody should read. Just spill it all out; it can be maudlin, it can be cliché, it doesn’t matter. That first expulsion of your story from your brain allows you to do revisions. Don’t limit yourself by thinking you need the perfect writing space or the perfect schedule or massive grant. If you’re a writer, write what and where you can,” said Smith-Harris. “Be confident and think of yourself as a writer.”

She went on the say it has been said that there are only so many stories to tell, but an infinite number of permutations to bring so many different outcomes. “Like music, there are a finite number of notes, but an infinite number of ways of putting them together,” she concluded.

While audiences will have to wait for this film to be made, they can look forward to Smith-Harris’ inaugural Stratford Film Festival coming next month.