

Molded by the gruesome horror films she watched at far too young an age, Ariel Sinelnikoff is a screenwriter and director who has dedicated herself to alchemizing life’s grim realities into hyper-stylized genre films. Exploring issues such as women’s and LGBTQ+ rights in her acclaimed short films and screenplays, Ariel’s work investigates the junction between beauty and the macabre to create stories of uniquely (and often messy) human experiences. She is currently developing her supernatural horror feature It Clings To Her, which has amassed over a dozen accolades, including winning the 2022 ScreenCraft Horror Competition, making the semifinals of the 2021 Austin Film Festival, and being named the #1 Horror script on Coverfly’s platform of 91,000+ screenplays.
















SCREENCRAFT HORROR COMPETITION 2022
FEATURE SCREENPLAY WINNER - IT CLINGS TO HER
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COVERFLY TOP 1% OF DISCOVERABLE PROJECTS
IT CLINGS TO HER
COVERFLY RED LIST (FEATURE - ALL-TIME)
#1 HORROR FEATURE - IT CLINGS TO HER
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SCREENCRAFT SCREENWRITING FELLOWSHIP 2022
FINALIST - IT CLINGS TO HER
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LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL SCREENPLAY AWARDS 2021
SEMIFINALIST - IT CLINGS TO HER
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SCREENCRAFT FEATURE COMPETITION 2021
QUARTERFINALIST - IT CLINGS TO HER
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SICK CHICK FLICKS FILM FESTIVAL 2021
OFFICIAL SELECTION - CATFIGHT
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QUEENS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL 2020
OFFICIAL SELECTION - CATFIGHT
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BROOKLYN COLLEGE'S FEIRSTEIN GRADUATE SCHOOL OF CINEMA DEAN'S AWARD
2019 DIRECTING TRACK RECIPIENT
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SCREENCRAFT SPRING FILM FUND 2018
SEMIFINALIST - CATFIGHT
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SAN FRANCISCO UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL 2013
OFFICIAL SELECTION - HARVEST
SCRIPT COMPETITION SEMIFINALIST (HORROR & DRAMATIC FEATURES) - IT CLINGS TO HER
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COVERFLY TOP 1% IN GENRE/FORMAT
IT CLINGS TO HER
COVERFLY RED LIST (GENRE - PAST YEAR)
#1 HORROR - IT CLINGS TO HER
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NIGHTMARES FILM FESTIVAL 2021
SCRIPT FINALIST - IT CLINGS TO HER
ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL SCREENPLAY COMPETITION 2022
SEMIFINALIST - IT CLINGS TO HER
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SHORTLIST - IT CLINGS TO HER
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ANOTHER HOLE IN THE HEAD FILM FESTIVAL 2020
OFFICIAL SELECTION - CATFIGHT
URBAN ACTION SHOWCASE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2019
OFFICIAL SELECTION - CATFIGHT
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SCREENCRAFT FALL FILM FUND 2018
SEMIFINALIST - CATFIGHT
NEW YORK MAYOR'S OFFICE OF TV AND MEDIA SCHOLARSHIP
RECIPIENT, 2016-19
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SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY FILM FINALS 2013
OFFICIAL SELECTION - HARVEST
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PRINCESS GRACE AWARDS 2013
SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE NOMINEE FOR HER FILMS DON'T DO SADNESS AND GIRL WITH ONE EYE
SUNDANCE DEVELOPMENT TRACKS 2022
SECOND ROUNDER - IT CLINGS TO HER
COVERFLY RED LIST (GENRE - ALL-TIME)
#1 HORROR - IT CLINGS TO HER
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COVERFLY RED LIST (FEATURE - PAST YEAR)
#1 HORROR FEATURE - IT CLINGS TO HER
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GENREBLAST FILM FESTIVAL 2021
SCRIPT FINALIST - IT CLINGS TO HER
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SCREENCRAFT SCREENWRITING FELLOWSHIP 2021
SEMIFINALIST - IT CLINGS TO HER
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GENREBLAST FILM FESTIVAL 2020
OFFICIAL SELECTION - CATFIGHT
*Nominated for Best Director Short and Best Score Short
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NIGHTMARES FILM FESTIVAL 2019
OFFICIAL SELECTION - CATFIGHT
BROOKLYN HORROR FILM FESTIVAL
OFFICIAL SELECTION - 4:48 PSYCHOSIS
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ANOTHER HOLE IN THE HEAD FILM FESTIVAL 2014
OFFICIAL SELECTION - ENCEINTE
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RONALD A. JACOBS SCHOLARSHIP 2013
RECIPIENT FOR HER FILMS DON'T DO SADNESS AND GIRL WITH ONE EYE
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