PURPLE LIST - From Script to Screen

Inspired by the Hollywood Black List, and by their professor Robert Warren's challenge to find new ways to link students with potential film investors, thesis students Ash Bhalla and Shandor Garrison founded The Purple List with the support of the faculty and Professor John Tintori.

The Purple List’s objective is:
To bring vetted, production-ready feature screenplays from the NYU Grad Film community to the attention of industry professionals and potential investors.

How the list is formed:

  1. Faculty members sponsored student/alum feature screenplays that they deem to be production-ready, and of the highest standard.
  2. An outside panel of film professionals gave a blind-read to these faculty-selected projects. We asked them to sift through these excellent scripts and pick our list. We didn't start out with a maximum or minimum number of projects. Our primary criteria: is this script ready to be made, and will it make a good movie?


Numerous Purple List selections have been finished as accomplished feature films which have played top tier film festivals and gone-on to enjoy successful theatrical releases.

<em>Skin of Youth</em> by Ash Mayfair. 2020 Purple List. Ash Mayfair's second feature film as well as her second completed Purple List film. Skin of Youth received its World Premiere in Japan on March 21, 2025 launching its theatrical rollout in Asia.

<strong><em>In The Land Of Brothers</em> </strong>by Raha Amirfazil. 2021 Purple List. Premiered at Sundance 2024. Winner of the Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic.

<strong><em>MUSTACHE</em></strong> by Imran J. Khan. 2020 Purple List. Premiered at SXSW. Winner of Audience Award for Narrative Feature.

<strong><em>THE STARLING GIRL</strong></em> by Laurel Parmet. 2019 Purple List. Premiered at Sundance.

<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bolder;">EYIMOFE (THIS IS MY DESIRE)</span> by Chuko Esiri. Purple List 2018. Premiered at Berlinale 2020, nominated for the GWFF Best First Feature Award.

NOAH LAND by Cenk Erturk Purple List 2016. Premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2019 winning best screenplay and best actor awards. Released theatrically.

<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bolder;">THE THIRD WIFE</span> by Ash Mayfair. Purple List 2015. Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018, winning the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award. Released theatrically.

<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bolder;">YOMEDDINE</span> by Abu Bakr Shawky. Purple List 2014. Premiered in Competition at Cannes 2019. Released theatrically.

<strong><em>DEAD PIGS</em> </strong>by Cathy Yan. 2015 Purple List. Premiered at Sundance. Winner of the 2018 Sundance Special Jury Award for Ensemble Acting.

<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">IT HAD TO BE YOU</span>, Sasha Gordon 2012 Purple List, Honorable Mention for Best Narrative Feature at Woodstock, released theatrically.

<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bolder;">THOSE PEOPLE</span>, Joey Kuhn, 2013 Purple List, premiered at Seattle International Film Festival, won Audience Award at OUTFEST and NEWFEST, released theatrically.

<em><strong>THE ADDERALL DIARIES</strong></em>, Pamela Romanowsky; 2013 Purple List, premiered at Tribeca, released theatrically.

<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bolder;">YOSEMITE</span>, ​Gabrielle Demeestere 2013 Purple List, Slamdance, released theatrically.

<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bolder;">SONGS MY BROTHERS TAUGHT ME</span>, ​Chloe Zhao 2012 Purple List, premiered at Sundance, released theatrically.

<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bolder;">MANOS​ ​SUCIAS</span>, Josef Wladyka 2013 Purple List, Tribeca winner, released theatrically.

<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bolder;">Appropriate Behavior</span>, Desiree Akhavan, 2013 Purple List, premiered at Sundance &amp; released theatrically.

<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bolder;">NEWLYWEEDS</span>, Shaka King; 2012 Purple List, premiered at Sundance and released theatrically.</p>