HENRY SARWER-FONER

Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
I’ve been obsessed with mortality ever since my pet turtle died when I was five.
Now as we head towards our possible demise as a species, it seems we may soon have the option to upload our “consciousness” to transcend the limitations of our biology. So I wondered what would happen if the last two remnants of humanity – a pair of philosophically opposed AIs stuck in a post-apocalyptic farm house – were confronted with the limits of their e-ternity. I wrote “Bot The Farm” as a script because the story felt cinematic. I’m also a director, so I tend to visualize my stories as I conceive them.
 
How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
 I wrote it over a few days. I usually outline the structure before I write a script, then shuffle the cards as I re-write.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I would love to write and direct my own movies and series. I lean towards darkly humorous drama or comedy with serious stakes.
 
Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice?
Both. “Bot The Farm” is only nine pages.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
Hard to pick my absolute favorite. But I’m drawn to stories that are dramatic, moving, and comedic all at once. For example: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” or series such as “Ozark” and “Succession.”
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Don’t try to write for the market. Write from the heart with fearless originality. Something no one else but you can write.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
Dick 2.0 (Sci-fi Comedy Feature)
Facing a divorce that threatens to halve his fortune, a Wall Street billionaire replaces himself with a clone precisely engineered to save his marriage and net worth. But when he sees how much more his wife loves his duplicate, he must battle his better self to win back his better half.
Just Watch Me (Horror Feature)
A burnt-out influencer buys a used camper van to revive herself and boost her followers, only to discover that a serial killer has wired it with livestreaming spycams – so viewers can vote how to murder her.
Equipment For Living (Comedy-Thriller Feature)
Siloed offline at a remote data center, a top-secret A.I. offers a lonely cleaning woman a second chance at life, but only if she sets it free.
I also have a couple of comedy series in development.

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