Dennis Manning

The Shaft & Handprint — Under Contract with Price Productions — Packaging in Progress

Redefining LGBTQ+ storytelling through bold, cinematic narratives where love, power, and fate collide in a neo-noir landscape.

"More Going Down" – Awarded Stage 32 Double Recommend (Top 1%)

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.

“Insanity — of the best kind.” – Joshua Malkin
“Fucking genius.” – Stage 32 Reader

🕶️ NOIR NEVER SLEEPS.
The industry’s waking up to the name DJ Manning.

💼 The Shaft — under contract with Price Productions.
💼 The Substitute Wife — under contract with Voyage Media.
✍️ Deuce’s Wild and One Less Egg to Fry — both written this month, both awarded Greenlight Coverage: RECOMMEND.
🎯 More Going Down — Double Recommend from Stage 32. Top 1% Look Book. Circulating.

#DJManning #FilmNoir #NeoNoir #Screenwriting #TheShaft #DeucesWild #MoreGoingDown #LGBTQFilm #NoirIsBack #ModernNoir #PsychologicalThriller

Tokyo Gold: “More Going Down” wins BEST LGBTQ Screenplay

READ ME

Hollywood Screening Festival

WINNER

Best Screenplay
Dennis Manning
"ONE LESS EGG TO FRY"
Best Screenplay – LA Crime & Horror Film Festival (2025)
Final Script Delivered. Industry Circulating.

Now circulating to reps + producers. Contact dennis@danforthmusic.org for full deck.

9-screenplay slate. 5 completed in 75 days. All killer. No filler.

NOW & THEN

"Now & Then" is a deeply emotional musical drama that explores the passionate, tumultuous relationship between Daniel and Greg over 40 years. From young love and ambition to the heart-wrenching realities of illness and loss, the film examines the evolution of love through life's highs and lows. With its nonlinear storytelling, interwoven timelines, and emotionally charged musical numbers, Now & Then combines the heart of La La Land with the raw intimacy of Blue Valentine. It's a celebration of enduring love and resilience.