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Dennis J. Manning is a neo-noir screenwriter and filmmaker crafting psychological thrillers, memory-driven dramas, and elevated character studies built for directors with a strong visual point of view.
CARNIVAL LIGHTS - The Final Screenplay of 2025 - a modern noir about chosen family, moral collapse, and the cost of belonging.
2025 I wrote 14 scripts.
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3/1/2025 One Less Egg To Fry
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3/17/2025 Deuce's Wild
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4/8/2025 Handrptint
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4/24/2025 Another Rose On The Vine
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5/9/2025 Chasing Truths
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5/15/2025 Dreamland Lovers
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6/8/2025 Dreamland: 2nd Offering
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7/1/2025 Strings Attached
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7/11/2025 Refuse to Go Dark
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9/17/2025 Blank Canvas
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10/21/2025 Have At It
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10/23/2025 Honesty 1
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2/3/2025 Black Diamond
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12/30/2025 Carnival Lights
The Shaft , Chasing Truths & Handprint — Under Contract with Price Productions — Packaging in Progress.
The Substitute Wife - Under Contract with Voyage Media
"More Going Down" – Awarded Stage 32 Double Recommend (Top 1%)
Redefining LGBTQ+ storytelling through bold, cinematic narratives where love, power, and fate collide in a neo-noir landscape.
I don’t write “gay stories.” I write thrillers where power seduces, love destroys, and fate never blinks. The fact that some of my leads are queer?
That just makes the stakes higher.
I'm not chasing trends. I’m redefining them.
Beautifully unstable narratives that linger long after the credits roll.
9-screenplay slate. 5 completed in 75 days. All killer. No filler.
Undertow
"Undertow" is a romantic comedy musical with a magical twist. It follows Tom, a man on the verge of marriage who is drawn to Mike, a confident gay man. With the help of a meddling Fairy Godfather and a potion gone wrong, Tom embarks on a journey of self-discovery, embracing his true identity. Set against the sun-soaked backdrop of Fort Lauderdale, Undertow offers a heartfelt, humorous exploration of love and acceptance, combining the whimsical charm of Enchanted with the emotional depth of Love, Simon.
Undertow - A Modern-Day Fairytale
When a man looking for love meets the perfect woman who is engaged to be married, a meddling fairy godfather and his bumbling assistant intervene with a sleeping potion scheme to stop the wedding and redirect true love.
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Come to Fort Lauderdale and hang out with the Beach Boys, Mike, Tom, Rachel, and The Fairy Godfather. Magic and Romance is alive and well! Watch out for Potion #71!
The Story
When social media influencer Rachel brings her longtime friend Tom, who she assumes is straight, on a trip to Fort Lauderdale's vibrant Sebastian Beach, Tom finds himself drawn to Mike, a confident gay man and begins questioning his own sexuality. This threatens Rachel's plan for her "perfect wedding" to Tom, and their meddling fathers intervene, trying to pay Mike to disappear. But with the help of a magical Fairy Godfather and his bumbling assistant Dwight, Tom, and Mike ultimately come together, their true love's kiss breaking a sleeping spell and awakening Tom to embrace his identity. Meanwhile, a newly single Rachel surprisingly finds an admirer of her own.
