Poster for Dads Don't Dance, written by Michelle Worthington, AFIN 2021

Feature Screenplay AFIN 091

Dads Don't Dance

Written by Michelle Worthington

AFIN 2021 Winner

  • 2021
  • Australia
  • English
Australian
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Synopsis

Jack loves to dance. When he is encouraged to try out for a lead in the musical by family and friends, he never dreams he will get in. He is short, clumsy and wears glasses. Even his country music idol doesn’t think he has a chance. Will Jack dare to follow his dreams and be the star of the stage he has always wanted to be? He thought only Dance Mums were crazy until his Dad decides to help and nothing will stop him, not even lycra.

Writer's Statement

This is my story, minus the Dad in Lycra.

From the Judges

From the Judges

A warm, wholesome read that plays out on the page like a film already shot, with humour pitched for families to enjoy together. It struck the panel as easy to picture in the mind while reading, the kind of script that suggests how well it would film. They found it an enjoyable script to spend time with.

Curated, anonymised highlights drawn from the judges' notes.

Writer's Biography

Michelle Worthington Writer

International award winning children's author Michelle Worthington is an international award-winning author and business woman. Two-time winner of the International Book Award and finalist in the USA Best Book Awards, Michelle also received a Gellett Burgess Award and a Silver Moonbeam Award for her contribution to celebrating diversity in literature. Michelle was the recipient of the 2018 AusMumpreneur Gold Award for Business Excellence and the winner of the 2018 Redlands BaR award for Best Start Up Business. ​Michelle is also a real life book fairy. Her magic powers include turning coffee into award-winning books. As Founder of Share Your Story Australia, she waves her wand to coach aspiring authors and illustrators all over the world achieve their dreams of publication. Whether she’s a fairy, a mermaid, a pirate or an elf, Michelle celebrates empowering readers and storytellers to dream big. An energetic and dynamic storyteller Michelle is dedicated to encouraging a strong love of reading and writing in young children and conducts author visits at primary and special schools, libraries and bookstore storytelling and publishing workshops for adults. She especially enjoys meeting people through her speaking engagements for women's groups and charities.

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Dads Don't Dance was Winner of Best Feature Screenplay at the AFIN International Film Festival 2021, a Top 100 Best Reviewed and IMDb-qualifying festival.

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