Rita Hanner-Ward has won several awards for her writing and screenplays.
(Submitted photo/Rita Hanner-Ward)
Sun City West author and screenwriter Rita Hanner-Ward has received the “Best LGBTI Screenplay” award and is a finalist at the Berlin International Screenwriting Festival for her feature screenplay, “Being Joanna.” This is a psychological suspense drama about identity, envy and the consequences of misplaced trust.
In 2026, “Being Joanna” earned placements and selections from screenplay competitions and film festivals across the United States, Europe and Australia. Hanner-Ward has six screenplays on the festival circuit, including the award-winning shorts “The Pillar,” winner of Best Short Script in the Wiki Screenplay Contest, and “Six Degrees of Ted,” winner of Best Comedy Screenplay at the Oregon Short Film Festival.
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