and it all began...
and it all began...
In 2016, Lily won the ISA Fast Track Fellowship, then went on to win Best Screenplay for MY OLD MAN a few months later at the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival (VIWIFF). Soon after she became a quarter-finalist with the same script for the Nicholl Fellowship. Then in May of 2017 Lily became the co-founder of a female writer's group, Bechdel Babes Writing Partners, dedicated to both empowering female voices and advancing careers for women in the film industry.
For all her efforts, Lily was named as one of the Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2018
by the International Screenwriters Association, www.networkisa.org
Life is good.
SCREENPLAYS
MY OLD MAN
Finalist
Richmond International Film Festival
Winner
Vancouver Intl. Women in Film Festival
Semi-Finalist
Creative World Awards
Quarter-Finalist
Nicholl Fellowship
MY OLD MAN
Finalist
Richmond International Film Festival
Winner
Vancouver Intl. Women in Film Festival
Semi-Finalist
Creative World Awards
Quarter-Finalist
Nicholl Fellowship
In this quirky character drama, a 45-year-old widow on the verge of suicide picks up a 99-year-old yoga master hitchhiking in Sedona, Arizona. As their relationship unfolds, he helps her to live and she helps him to die.
A FULL-LENGTH SCREENPLAY
POCAHONTAS:
The Other Story
Finalist
Richmond International Film Festival
Finalist
Creative World Awards
POCAHONTAS:
The Other Story
Finalist
Richmond International Film Festival
Finalist
Creative World Awards
In the 1600’s, a Native Princess is kidnapped and used by the British as a pawn in the burgeoning tobacco industry. But with the help of her best friend, a transgender woman, she survives to become America’s first first lady.
Inspired by true events.
A six week LIMITED SERIES
THE BIG BLIND
Semi-Finalist
Page International Awards
Semi-Finalist
CineStory TV Fellowship
THE BIG BLIND
Semi-Finalist
Page International Awards
Semi-Finalist
CineStory TV Fellowship
When a hotshot female poker player discovers her best friend is missing, she teams up with her friend’s 8-year-old daughter to find her. Suddenly the unlikely pair are dragged into the underbelly of Atlantic City, and the world of emerald smuggling.
An ORIGINAL TELEVISION PILOT
NO MORE HEROES
Winner
ISA Fellowship
Semi-Finalist
Creative World Awards
Quarter-Finalist
Final Draft Big Break
NO MORE HEROES
Winner
ISA Fellowship
Semi-Finalist
Creative World Awards
Quarter-Finalist
Final Draft Big Break
When war and chaos erupt in the world, a team of medical professionals from around the globe rush into the hell of it - bringing their own personal demons along for the ride. As they struggle to get the new clinic up and running, they soon discover they will be just as challenged by each other as they are by their surroundings.
An ORIGINAL TELEVISION PILOT
THEATRICAL PLAYS
BEFORE A FALL
Finalist
NYU Goldberg Prize
Production
Hollywood International Fringe Festival
BEFORE A FALL
Finalist
NYU Goldberg Prize
Production
Hollywood International Fringe Festival
In this Southern Gothic play, the patriarch of a local church is suspected of molesting his granddaughter, until a high school English teacher gets involved and runs the risk of exposing a much more heinous act.
A FULL-LENGTH PLAY in two acts
what people are saying about the play
BEFORE A FALL
what people are saying about the play
BEFORE A FALL
About BEFORE A FALL
It's John Grisham meets Tracey Letts meets Winter's Bone as Lily Mercer deftly tackles difficult subject matter in her compelling new Southern Gothic courtroom thriller. The acting is superb and the staging is crisp and fast-paced as nary a beat is wasted in this exploration of damaged characters doing their best to function in their grossly dysfunctional society. Congrats to Ms. Mercer and the brave cast for fearlessly telling this story and raising awareness of its disturbing issues. A must see in this year's festival."
ERIC DESKIN - writer, actor producer
This is a robust production of a new play that hangs its beautiful but painful memories upon the structure of a courtroom drama. The gifted performers give focused performances that reflect the horror of Mercer's story, a well-woven tapestry of the traumas that occur when families cover up tragedy instead of acting upon it or communicating. It's a warning to distrust blind faith and rely instead on what we see. And what we see is lovely - the chemistry (bonds both positive and negative) between the characters is tangible and very real. The lighting and scenic design are by far the best I've seen from any Fringe production. Elegant and moving, I'll be thinking about this show long after Fringe ends.
HEIDI POWERS - writer,"The Real Housekeepers" ,"Bronies, Musical"
© 2017 www.lilymercerwriter.com