Is Kinolime Legit?
Addressing Our Legitimacy
Two winning scripts. Five additional screenplays optioned. Up to $15 million committed to production deals. These are just a few of the milestones reached by Kinolime in just two years of operation, and the future is looking bigger and brighter.
Whether you’re a writer, actor, filmmaker, or cinephile researching Kinolime, you’re right to ask the question – is this platform legitimate? It’s understandable, you want to know that your creative projects, investment of time, and skillsets are put to good use.
Kinolime has an atypical origin story. We were founded by film lovers with the sole purpose of building new avenues for great scripts to make it to the big screen. Like you, we want to see life changing films and help shape the industry to deliver just that. Ours is a community driven model based on meritocracy, committed to honoring the direction voted for by our readers. Kinolime aims to develop the next generation of film.
But ambition, ethos, and theoreticals won’t convince you. Evidence will. So let us begin by highlighting some trusted third party sources. You can find verified press from Variety, follow our productions on IMDBPro, submit to our competitions through FilmFreeway, and check our positive rating on ScamAdviser, who report;
“It seems that kinolime.com is legit and safe to use and not a scam website. The review of kinolime.com is positive. The positive trust score is based on an automated analysis of 40 different data sources we checked online such as the technology used, the location of the company, other websites found on the same web server, etc.”
The bottom line is that we’re still a new company, and we’re working on justifying ourselves and proving our model works. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.
Our Track Record: 18 Months of Results
2024
Inaugural Script to Screen competition launched
The Waif by Adam Hampton wins our 2024 Script to Screen competition in September
Second, third, and fourth place screenplays are additionally optioned
Production involvement on American adaptation of popular Japanese franchise Baby Assassins.
Investment in Canadian feature film Falling Man.
Development plans for The Waif are put in motion
Building on that first year’s momentum, 2025 has already seen major growth.
2025
Second annual competition launched, with 27 finalists announced publicly
Huge uptick in submissions, readers, and tallied votes
Mob Mentality by Eric Landau wins our 2025 Script to Screen competition in July
Commitments made to option runner-up screenplays
The Waif enters pre-production phase, BAFTA nominated Stephen Fingleton signs on as director
The Numbers
>1000 submitted screenplays to Kinolime contests
2 grand prize winners across two competitions
Up to $15 million production budgets committed to contest winners
5 additional screenplays optioned from runners-up
100% follow-through on all winner commitments
2 years running with full transparency and community voting
35k followers on Instagram
Industry Recognition
Variety coverage and IMDBPro listings for our productions
FilmFreeway integration for official competition hosting
ScamAdviser verification with positive rating across 40 data points
What’s In It For Kinolime?
So why are we doing all this? Partly because the film industry is a mess, wasting money and ignoring the audience. We’re building an alternative.
Studios spend tens of millions making movies without finished scripts, audience-testing afterwards which then requires ordering unsustainable reshoot costs, and even going so far as to scrap movies for tax incentives. We know movies are a business, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be done better – with better stories, fairer treatment for writers, and with emphasis on greenlighting ideas people want to see. You hear ‘adapt or die’ used in business circles, and with constant questions about the state and sustainability of the film industry, it's time to focus on real adaptations.
Our pathway to achieving this is simple and based on concrete milestones:
Host annual, free to enter screenwriting competitions. We concluded our second Script to Screen competition on July 11th 2025, and have plans to announce further contests soon.
Honor the winners as voted for by the community. We believe that audiences should get a vote on what they want to see before studios spend millions. Our opinion is that the cream rises to the top, and we trust our readers to flag worthwhile contenders. This has resulted in the optioning of two exceptional screenplays from our maiden and subsequent competitions.
Commit to producing winners. Adam Hampton’s horror-thriller The Waif won the 2024 prize, and we have just announced Eric Landau’s raucous comedy Mob Mentality took the top prize for the 2025 contest. In both instances, the screenplays were optioned and we contractually committed to seeing the film through production – funding and all.
Option additional high-scoring screenplays. Additionally to the winners, we couldn’t let some of the high-ranking screenplays get away from us. We also optioned second and third place scripts from the ‘24 contest, Peking to Paris and Something Like Molasses.
Do right by screenwriters. We pay on time, communicate our intentions, and keep writers informed and involved wherever possible.
Grow our team. We’ve made incredible connections with passionate writers and filmmakers all around the globe, and we are steadily expanding our reach by bringing exceptional talent into the fold.
Transform the industry. Beyond putting our money where our mouth is, we’re committed to shifting how the industry operates. We want to continue our meritocracy based model until this is just as valid a pathway as the traditional (and outdated) route. This involves plugging gaps in the market, as necessitated by the recent news about Coverfly shutting down, and refining services available to screenwriters.
That’s the work we’ve been doing on the production side. But Kinolime is more than just deals and budgets — it’s about the people in our community.
The Waif begins production this year under BAFTA-nominated director Stephen Fingleton. We're taking the time needed to do it right – we know great films can't be rushed, and we won't compromise quality to hit arbitrary deadlines. You can follow our progress through regular updates on our social media, forum, and website as we move through pre-production, filming, and post. This is how we're building something different: with full transparency and the community along for the ride.
Real Community Feedback
We welcome and thrive upon community feedback. Want to hear what our finalists are saying about our competition model? Check out the video embedded below to see the moment that Mob Mentality was crowned winner of the 2025 Script to Screen Competition, and what our winner and runners-up had to say about their experience.
What Writers Are Saying:
Andre Ford (Finalist, writer of Cooperville): I’ve gotten to know the community which has been great actually, the online community has been really really cool… It reminds me of back when I was in film school, where people just sit around and talk about stuff.
Tabitha McDonald (Finalist, co-writer of Decomposer): …so often as filmmakers, you send your stuff into the abyss and then you get a notification that you were rejected most of the time… Moving through this process you guys have been really engaged. The forum is really engaging. It’s been really cool to be able to read the other writer’s works along the way, which is something else that is pretty unique to you [Kinolime].
Mason McDonald (Finalist, co-writer of Decomposer): …whenever you submit to another competition, you basically load your crazy idea into a tube and shoot it into space. Then you either A) never hear back or B) get that very hollow ‘unfortunately…’ email. And that hasn't been the experience whatsoever with Kinoliome, in fact, the opposite is true. It’s actually like jarring how refreshing it is. I hope that they’re setting the table for future screenwriters and other people to look and take note of what they’re doing right.
Eric Landau (Winner 2025, writer of Mob Mentality): From day one, I was very impressed with the professionalism and communicativeness. It was immediately apparent that everyone at Kinolime loves script and loves movies, so… Yeah, I’ve been impressed from day one.
Eric Landau (Winner 2025, writer of Mob Mentality): [I’m feeling] exactly what Mason referenced a minute ago when he said you hear ‘no’ a lot in this business and trying to embark on this endeavour you hear a lot of ‘no’s. So, it’s almost a weird feeling to hear a yes! It’s a strange feeling, but I’m excited.
Adam Hampton (Winner 2024, writer of The Waif): Knowing that you have a community supporting you through votes and reads and engagement, and a company who really wants somebody’s story to succeed, standing here offering this life changing chance… it’s exciting!
Colin Nevins (Top 10 2025, co-writer of Meridian): Kinolime truly feels like a new and refreshing option to make headway into this career and I believe that is due to your willingness to commit to writers by staking your money and reputation upfront for the winner of the contest. Nowhere else (and trust me, I've looked) was a company prepared to reciprocate so much faith in me as a writer.
What Readers Are Saying:
Robin Kaczmarczyk (Screenwriter, Author) This was an amazing reader experience. I have been reading screenplays professionally since 1988, and I adore my work. Your app made it easy and fun. I was expecting having to write a full report and I was pleasantly surprised by the simple questions asked instead.
Alice McCoy (Screenwriter): It’s been weirdly exhilarating seeing my vote matter in creating something.
And we implore you to visit the forum to see the discussion about individual screenplays, thoughts on the competition, and community conversation. This is a platform where people are free to voice concerns, suggest workarounds, and more.
Have we had teething pains? We’ve been down for maintenance or sent the wrong copy out once or twice. We’re working on that. We’re learning on the job, inviting ongoing feedback, and constantly seeking improvements.
Commitment to the Community
Kinolime isn’t just building a new model, we’re fostering a creative community. We are run by and for visionaries. Only a few films can be made, but creative collaboration, peer to peer guidance, and a hub for screenwriters could become an infinite resource.
We are committed to fostering screenwriters through various initiatives:
Screenwriter voting. We invite screenwriters to submit and review submissions, offering insights, suggestions, and honing their own crafts.
Transparency. In our 2025 competition, we announced our top 27 screenplays before narrowing it down to top 10, and eventually the final 3. While we have input on some stages, the first and final rounds are completely audience driven – we are hands off and do not have any input. We intend to follow this pattern in future competitions, with frequent updates and transparent voting.
Runner-up support. Sometimes coming second hurts more than not making the shortlist. You can almost taste it. We know this can be painful, and this is why we’ve been optioning select runner-up screenplays. Not taking the top prize doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll go home empty handed.
Acting opportunities. This year we’ve noticed a lot of our screenwriters have a keen interest in acting, too. As such – we’ve introduced a new opportunity for dedicated readers to audition for upcoming productions with limited, but guaranteed roles available, drawing further interaction from the community and affording potential big breaks.
And most of all, we have an open door policy – we want to be here to listen, answer questions, and offer support to you. You need only reach out.
Where Does the Money Come From?
Of course, building and maintaining this community takes resources… We're funded by film industry professionals who've backed previous productions and believe in our model. We've proven our financial commitment by optioning four scripts and moving The Waif into production. Our involvement in production, analysis, and consulting generates additional revenue, ensuring all income goes toward bettering creative projects and supporting screenwriters.
Why Are Kinolime Competitions Free or Inexpensive?
That’s a great question – if we’re investing millions of dollars into these productions, why aren’t we aligning with the market and charging $50 to $150 per entry? This isn’t an oversight, a trial period, or a naive mistake – this is an intentional choice on our part to make our competitions accessible.
At Kinolime, we feel strongly that participation shouldn’t be decided by who can cough up the most submission fees. Our competitions are for everyone – the professional writer, sure, but for the most part we’re offering opportunities for the amateur; writers working day jobs to support their dream, paying off student loans, working with tight budgets. We’ve been there, waiting to make sure you can pay rent before applying to a festival, missing out on early bird fees out of necessity.
Our ethos is that every great story deserves an equal shot at success, regardless of the writer’s bank balance. Honoring this tenet rewards the writer, and gives us access to screenplays we might otherwise miss out on.
It also strengthens the heart of Kinolime — the community. Free or low-cost entry means more scripts for readers to discover, more voting and discussion in the forums, and a richer pool of talent for us to collaborate with. The more people who can enter, the stronger and more diverse our competitions become, which benefits every participant.
While we may charge minor fees for late entries to our competitions, we are committed to maintaining a free to enter model for the majority of the submission period – allowing everyone the opportunity to enter without spending a cent. This is to ensure that we can pay readers and reviewers, guaranteeing that we are not inundated with late entries, maintaining a level playing field.
It’s not just about cutting out fees — it’s about keeping the door open for anyone who wants to be part of the Kinolime community.
Just as we keep our fees low to make competitions accessible, we also keep our judging process fully transparent to make sure every entrant has an equal shot.
Friends and Family?
A common concern we face, often by Reddit users, is a natural distrust and assumption that our winners are internal; friends, families, and colleagues of the team. Quick rumor check: No, we don’t know the writers personally. No backroom deals. Ask Adam Hampton, writer of The Waif – who met the team on the day his script was crowned winner. We have no prior connections to our winners or runner-ups – and competition entries are kept anonymous up until the top 3 are announced anyway.
In some cases, we have since collaborated with entrants, forging relationships with great writers and passionate film fanatics. Contributors may be employed to write for our blog, work on our productions, or in certain cases – hired as consultants. This is part of our commitment to finding and rewarding talent in film circles.
How to Vet Any Online Opportunity
The internet is a big and scary place. These days, it’s smart to do a little digging before diving into any new platform – especially when they can seem too good to be true. We encourage trusting your instincts and taking extra steps to confirm legitimacy. So here’s our recommended starting point. Check out trusted resources like the FTC’s guide on how to recognize a scam website. Look for the basics: secure site connections (that little lock icon in your browser), a named team of employees, clearly listed contact info, and an active online presence.
Our site uses valid SSL encryption, we’ve already been running for years, and we don’t hide behind vague branding – you can meet the actual people behind the scenes on our podcast, social media, forum, and beyond.
Want to learn more about the mechanics? Our How It Works page lays it all out, step by step.
Still Have Doubts?
Get in touch with questions or concerns and we'll address them directly. Join our social media channels @kinolimefilms to see how we operate and get a glimpse behind the lime-green curtain.
We're building this community with and for creatives, and your interaction is the lifeblood of our mission. Reach out, participate, and help us craft a platform you'll be proud of.
