Asbury Screenwriting Professor Receives Award for Screenplay

August 7, 2024

Professor of Screenwriting and Associate Dean (School of Communication Arts) Sean Gaffney recently received the Best Mystery Feature award at the 2024 Faith & Family Screenwriting Awards for his screenplay, The Divinity School Murders.

“In the style of Father Brown mysteries, my screenplay involves a youth pastor and homicide detective who partner together to solve murders,” Gaffney said. “One of the twists is that the homicide detective is an atheist, but she also becomes the youth pastor’s love interest. Questions arise about God and justice with themes of mercy and forgiveness woven throughout the story.”

Gaffney also served as an instructor for “Screenwriting Bootcamp,” hosted by the Faith & Family Filmmakers Association, with his session titled: “Writing Deeper Characters Using Biblical Techniques.”

“This scriptwriting workshop explored creating deeper and more complex characters using techniques found in the Bible,” Gaffney said. “Writers learned how such techniques were used in Jesus’ parables as well as more complex character creations in the rest of the Bible – and explored how these techniques are used by writers today.”

Within the next year, Gaffney plans to publish an upcoming book about the theology of screenwriting titled: “Meta Story: What Marvel and the Messiah Can Teach Us About Great Storytelling.”

“The point of this book is twofold: to help storytellers understand the God narrative of storytelling and also to explore how God uses story to help us understand Him better,” Gaffney said. “If you understand how a story is constructed, it will help you read the Bible and understand God better.”

Last year, Gaffney and Cooper Boss ’22 wrote episodes for an upcoming anime series funded by Angel Studios and produced by Colossul Studios. Set to release in 2025, “Gabriel and the Guardians” is a captivating fantasy series that draws inspiration from ancient Hebrew text, much like how “Lord of the Rings” was inspired by northern European legends and lore.

With Gaffney’s expertise and mentorship offered to students, the Asbury University Media Communication major launched the Screenwriting emphasis for undergraduate students last year.

“Story is at the core of the Media Communication program, and we are excited to offer this new emphasis,” Gaffney said. “What sets us apart is that our professors are working professionals who have industry experience. We have tested stuff, worked on film and TV sets, and are happy to offer our knowledge to Asbury students. Here, you get hands-on experience in screenwriting.”

Joining Gaffney this fall as Assistant Professor of Screenwriting is award-winning screenwriter Andrea Gyertson ’95 Nasfell, teaching both undergraduate and graduate-level courses in Media Communication and English. Nasfell was the screenwriter for feature films such as Moms’ Night Out, Mr. Manhattan, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, and more.

The Asbury University Media, Journalism, and Digital Storytelling department offers majors in Media Communication and Multimedia Journalism. Online majors include Digital Content Creation and Instructional Design & Media. Graduate programs include the MFA in Screenwriting; the MFA in Film & Television Production; the M.A. in Communication; the M.A. in Digital Storytelling; and the M.A. in Instructional Design, Innovation & Leadership.