Bret Thurman

Screenwriter of

UnChristmas in Bethlehem

A complete interview with Bret

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the screenwriter Bret for taking the time to answer our questions.

Whole team of Liverpool Indie Awards is wishing you the very best in all your future projects. We hope to see more of your exceptional work in the years to come. Thank you once again!

I started writing scripts because I had stories to tell. UnChristmas in Bethlehem comes from my interest in anonymous Bible characters that step on stage, say two or three lines, and change everything. These people, like the shepherds and wise men at Christmas, have stories that should be told.
Brainstorming is a passion to tell a story, about Christmas or an immigration lawyer or whatever. That passion fuels the purpose to develop a storyline, create characters, and otherwise flesh out that story. Finishing the script is the hard part because, as they say, everything is always 90 percent done.
I have issues developing characters. I must intentionally create female and nonwhite characters. Otherwise, all characters will be white men. However, once I create the character and the character’s personality, the rest is downhill.

My latest project was a departure for me. I collaborated on a legal thriller script which was based in Hong Kong. As a screenwriter, every new script is a stretch for me, and I like that.

This process is not easy because directors and producers have different agendas. Directors, and screenwriters for that matter, usually just want to make art and don’t care about the financial end. Producers normally want to make money and care little about artistic value. We must empathize with one another to successfully collaborate with one another.

Everyone faces challenges doing anything. As a screenwriter, I often find myself staring at a blank computer screen not knowing what to type. But like any onstacle, there’s always a way over, around, or through this problem.
As a novice screenwriter I’m not sure I have an opinion on this subject.
Write what you know and it’s not as easy as it looks.
Long term (hopefully not too long!) I want my scripts to become movies so I can share these stories with the people that need to hear them.