Feature Film
“When I stop dreaming”
Logline
Amidst a post-climate disaster Europe, a tenacious working-class woman pursues premium citizenship to cure her sister's life-threatening illness, battling against overwhelming odds in a surreal underwater world.
WHEN HISTORY KEEPS REPEATING ITSELF…
Genre: Dystopian Sci-Fi Thriller/Cli-Fi
Length: 120 min
Language: English
Status: Looking for Producer
OFFICIAL IG: https://www.instagram.com/whenistopdreaming_film/
They call us dreamers, but we are the ones who don’t sleep.
The script was developed in collaboration with Sundance Collab and awarded finalist at the “London International Screenwriting Competition”, received an Honorable Mention at the “Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards” and made it as a Quarter Finalist at the “San Francisco International Screenwriting Competition & Film Awards”.
“If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less, but to dream more, to dream all the time.” (Marcel Proust)
”We humans are a museum: our memories, experiences and dreams are the inventory: Be careful who you give access to.”
“When you think things are bad and they slowly get worse and worse…”
***A bold vision of a dystopian future***
***Kafkaesque futurism***
***Is it possible to build a future by ignoring the past?***
WHEN EVERY DAY IS SURVIVAL DAY…
****It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life worth living.***
***If the universe put a dream in your heart, it has every intention for you to make it happen.****
Themes: Freedom/equality/climate change/class systems/social status/the power of dreams
What does it mean to be free in a world where every aspect of your life is controlled?
Status: open for producer collaboration
Screenwriter/Director: Natalie MacMahon
The project presentation/screenplay, treatment and directors notes are available upon request in several languages.
News:
- Award Winner: “Best Sci-Fi Script”- Chicago Screenplay Awards 2023
-Quarter Finalist at the San Francisco International Screenwriting Competition 2023
-Finalist at the London International Screenwriting Competition 2023
-Honorable Mention at the Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards 2023
-Selection at Oxford Script Awards 2023
-New York International Screenplay Awards 2024- Quarter Finalist
-Selection at the Boston Screenplay Awards 2024
Festivals Overview:
San Francisco International Screenwriting Competition
San Francisco, USA
December 9, 2022
Quarter Finalist
London International Screenwriting Competition
London
June 26, 2023
FinalistSanta Barbara International Screenplay Awards
Santa Barbara, USA
July 16, 2023
Honorable MentionOxford Script Awards
UK
September 22, 2023Chicago Screenplay Awards
Chicago
September 21, 2023
Best Sci-Fi ScreenplayBoston Screenplay Awards
Bostion
January 11, 2024New York International Screenplay Awards
New York
April 28, 2024
Quarter FinalistCambridge Script Festival
October 2024
Finalist
Las Vegas International Film & Screenwriting Festival
USA
October 29, 2024
Scripts reader’s feedback & impressions:
“Bold world-building meets raw emotional stakes. A powerful critique of survival in a system that refuses to heal.”
“The desperation for health care in an endangered world hit hard. Feels like a warning wrapped in poetry.”
“Underwater dystopia, dream logic, and hard truths about the systems we are almost (already) living in. This is sci-fi with soul.”
“A rich, layered dystopia, political without preaching, emotional without sentimentality.”
“Reminded me of “Children of Men” meets “The Trial”, but with a female lead who never stops fighting.”
“History repeats itself, this script dares to break the cycle. Haunting and bold.”
“Feels like a dream you wake up sweating from. Dystopian, yes, but grounded in such raw, emotional truth.”
“A dystopia soaked in realism. This isn’t the future, it’s the next step if we don’t change course.”
“Class, control, climate, this story ties them all together in one heartbreaking, beautiful thread.”
“Every step forward feels like sinking deeper. And still, she doesn’t give up. That’s the revolution.”
“A dystopian parable soaked in sorrow, love, and resistance. One of the most human sci-fi scripts I have read.”