PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Maine woman has won the Rhode Island International Film Festival screenplay competition with a story about a childless older couple and their adopted Newfoundland dog.

The screenplay “Raising Rufus: A Maine Love Story” by Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold of Brunswick was selected as the winner in the main competition category. The Flickers film festival calls it a tender, tragic story about a couple in a troubled marriage of 40 years who adopt a dog named Rufus and set out on a series of adventures that help them heal.

Winners were also chosen from among the 364 entries in several other categories, including New England Focus, Horror, and Gay and Lesbian. Officials said the number of screenplays entered was the largest in the competition’s history.


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