About
April Wright is an emerging writer, director and producer with several narrative, documentary and short films to her credit. Her work has been profiled in articles in Time Magazine and CNN.com, on the front page of the Chicago Tribune, and on BBC World News. She’s also been featured in Movie Maker magazine, P3 Update, and Moving Pictures.
April’s first narrative feature as writer/director, LAYOVER, received great reviews and was honored with the Silver Lei Award for Excellence in Filmmaking at the 2009 Honolulu International Film Festival. Rotten Tomatoes called it “a lovely little gem.” The film premiered at the 2009 Cinequest Festival and also screened at the Reel Women International Film Festival in Los Angeles.
She was in the final selection round for the 2009 Sundance Screenwriter Labs with her feature script HUCKMAN’S HEART and a finalist for the IFC Media Labs Documentary Challenge for her doc GOING ATTRACTIONS about the rise and fall of the American drive-in movie theater, slated for completion in 2010.
April has written and/or produced several features and shorts that played at various festivals including the LA International Shorts Fest, Miami Shorts Fest and Reel Women Fest. She produced the campy horror film KILLER YACHT PARTY and wrote/directed a short comedy called MY BOYFRIEND IS A BLIMP. She is currently in pre-production to direct a short thriller called THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT.
Her short film A FRIENDLY GAME (writer, producer) was an official selection of the Los Angeles International Shorts Fest in 2006 and secured distribution with Movieola / Ouat Media. April’s thriller spec script NO EXIT is currently in development with director Gregory Dark (SEE NO EVIL) attached,
At the start of her career, April won 1st place in the Script Magazine screenwriting competition in 2004 for her action-thriller THE MULE. She was selected to the prestigious Women in Film mentorship program in 2005.
The past six years April has been involved with the Independent Spirit Awards and programming for festivals including the Los Angeles Film Festival, AFI Fest, and Sundance. She is a semi-finalist judge for the Angelus Awards student fest and the Independent TV Fest (itvFest) that showcases independently produced television pilots.
April has an undergraduate degree in computers from Bradley University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She previously worked as a business consultant and in new media and video game development for Mattel Toys. She is a member of Film Independent, Women in Film, and the International Documentary Association. She previously served as Co-President on the board of directors of the Northwestern University Entertainment Alliance, and as Chair of the Advisory Board for Sigma Delta Tau sorority at the University of Southern California.