Christopher Salmanpour
After his grandfather’s death, Salmanpour wrote The Promise in 2016 – a screenplay about his grandfather’s escape from the notorious Ervin Prison in Tehran. This script earned the distinction as the first-ever double winner of The Black List Writers competition, taking home two out of the three contests that secured script deals with Warner Brothers and StudioCanal. According to Hollywood Reporter, "Salmanpour was selected for the deal in accordance with the partnership formed last February between StudioCanal, TheBlackList, and The Picture Company to find a new voice among European Union writers for a blind script deal. His talent was showcased in his sample script The Promise."