Zoetrope: All-Story, is a magazine devoted to the best new short fiction and one-act plays. Founded by film-industry cultural icon Francis Ford Coppola in 1997, it has featured many short stories that have inspired films. Neil Burger's 2006 film The Illusionist was inspired by Steven Millhauser's "Eisenheim the Illusionist". Alice Munro's short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" inspired Sarah Polley's Academy Award nominated Away From Her. Other examples are Liu Yi-chang's "Intersection", which inspired Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love, and Paul Auster's "Auggie Wren's Christmas Story", the inspiration behind Wayne Wang's Smoke.
History of Zoetrope
Coppola founded Zoetrope with the hope that this publication would help build a bridge between storytelling and film because a short story is a more natural and enjoyable form than reading screenplays and treatments. The magazine has a partial on-line form and a printed quarterly form available through subscription, which is how they help fund the projects.
Even though there have been some memorable films that have emerged from these stories, the stories are not chosen on the basis of whether or not it could be made into a film, but rather on the voice of the writer, the quality of the writing, the luster of the character and the depth of plot.
It is also an art magazine. They invite a different contemporary artist to illustrate and design each issue. The Fall 2009 issue includes work from Rex Ray, a fine artist whose work has been displayed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, as well as graphic art designs for over 100 Bill Graham Presents tour posters, including U2, Radiohead, and the Rolling Stones.
Contests and Classes
Zoetrope: All-Story has an annual short fiction contest. For the 11th Annual, the winner and seven finalists, as well as winning a monetary prize, were considered for representation by the Williams Morris Agency, ICM, Regal Literary, the Elaine Markson Literary Agency, Inkwell Management, Sterling Lord Literistic, and the Georges Borchardt Literary Agency. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes respectively were: $1000, $500, and $250.
Zoetrope also hosts an annual screenwriting contest, where the winner receives a prize of $5000. The winner and top-ten finalists receive consideration for film option and development by leading production companies, including: American Zoetrope, Samuela Goldwyn Films, Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, IFC Entertainment, Paramount Classics, Lionsgate, Icon Pictures, Working Title, Dimension Films, Antidote Films, Plum Pictures, Frelaine, Greenstreet Films, Michael London Productions, Number 9 Films, Pretty Pictures, This Is That, Roserock Films, Benderspink, Astrakan Films, Industry Entertainment, Nine Yards Entertainment, Anonymous Content, Jim Wedaa Productions, Robert Evans Company, Fortis Films, Jean Doumanian Productions, FX, and Ziskin Productions.
The magazine also offers online writing classes in partnership with Gotham Writers’ Workshop, New York’s leading creative writing school. Find information on times, fees, etc here. They offer workshops in screenwriting and fiction, from basic to advanced.
Submissions to Zoetrope
In regard to submissions, because they are only a staff of two, assisted by a small team of volunteers, they ask that writers submit only one story at a time and no more than two stories a year. Before submitting they ask that non-subscribers read several issues to determine whether their work fits with the publication. They consider unsolicited submissions of short stories and on-act plays no longer than 7,000 words.
The level of language used is intelligent and creative. There have been stories included by director Ethan Coen, and the latest issue includes contributions by Sam Shepard, John Krasinski, and David Foster Wallace. The stories are varying, but they tend towards the types that fall in line with the ones that inspired the films such as listed above.
Francis Ford Coppola's production house, American Zoetrope, offers a virtual studio online that is free to writers, where other writers, producers and directors can be met and an exchange of ideas be made. This is a place where creative minds can mingle and where classic stories will be developed into the films that continue to define the culture.
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