Taos Land & Film Company has selected Buzz Nutley's original screenplay "Raw Talent" as the winner of the 2nd Annual Screenplay Contest. Nutley not only receives five acres atop the Cerro Montoso filmmakers colony in Taos, New Mexico, but his screenplay has been optioned by Taos Land & Film Company. "Raw Talent" was selected from ten finalist screenplays which were culled from over 400 entries. This year's finalists were judged by: David Neiderman, (Development, Fox Searchlight) Philip Kruener, (Director of Development, KingWorld Productions) Richard Foos, (Executive Producer, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"; "Why Do Fools Fall In Love") Tim Rhys, (Editor, MovieMaker Magazine) and Chris Eyre, (Director, "Smoke Signals"). "While the quality of screenplays was exceptionally high this year" commented contest director Jeff Jackson, "Nutley's story about a burned-out road comedian running the backwater circuit with a bubble-headed rookie comedian proved the maxim that a good writer writes about what they know. Nutley himself is a stand-up comedian who works the midwest comedy clubs." (click here to read interview w/Buzz Nutley). The other 1999 screenplay finalists were: CARMEN BASILIO! BASILIO! by Lou Buttino CLUBS by John Hanna FINDING DAVID by Chrisine G. Boone GOD DON'T LIKE UGLY by Jiovanni Iacoviello LIMBS by Danika D. Dinsmore MOJADOS by Grant McCaw THE NEVADA ROOM by Matt North THE PASSAGE by Michael Raymond RUTHLESS by Tim Sexton (Click here to read synopsis's) Taos Land & Film Company also sponsors the Taos Talking Picture Festival's Annual Land Grant Award given to the director of the most innovative feature film entered in the festival. This year's winner was LA CIUDAD, directed by David Riker. 1998's winner was SMOKE SIGNALS director Chris Eyre.

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