Denise Cruz-Castino is a Latina screenwriter who writes strong female characters and stories about people searching for their place in the world. Her first produced feature, 5 Weddings, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 and starred Bo Derek and Candy Clark before playing in 52 countries.
She has sold animated children's horror shorts to DreamWorksTV, which streams on Peacock's Spine Chilling Stories, and sold the live-action short The Fountain to Disney. Her additional produced shorts include Imaginary Friends and Things Look Grim. In 2025, she made her directorial debut with the dramedy short Going Home, featuring a strong female lead.
Denise and her occasional writing partner, Johnny Harrington, currently have a family feature comedy in development with a major Latino director attached that is being packaged for A-list talent. She also has a romantic comedy, Love Study, in development with a producer.
Her work has been recognized by the Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest, the Fade In Screenwriting Contest, and the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.
How She Landed Her First Opportunity
“I think my biggest opportunity was my feature film that got made, 5 Weddings. What did I learn? That things in Hollywood take much, much longer than we hope. But that you have to always start on the next project and not worry about when things will get made. I learned about speaking up when you think the script isn't getting stronger from feedback. And that you don't take every note. If you feel strongly that something should be written a certain way, definitely speak up. I've found if you're willing to fight for something and you have a reason, people will listen.”
The Turning Point
“I think I'm still figuring that out! I've sold things and had things made but I'm still trying to open so many doors. Until the industry is ringing my phone off the hook, I'll say I'm still working on it.”
A Game-Changing Piece of Advice
“Just to get out and meet people. You never know what relationships will lead to the next opportunity. Just sitting at home writing won't make a career. You have to meet people too. I've also learned that networking isn't as scary as it sounds if you just think about it as going to mixers and just think of it as being engaged and chatting with other writers as people. Ask them questions. Find out what they're working on. People like talking about themselves. So come and ask questions. Use each event to build relationships. Before you know it, you're building a community.”
What Made A Difference
“Just taking the TV writing courses with Script Anatomy. My writing group I had years ago had all taken from it and they all swore I had to too. And once I signed up, I was like ah! That's why they wanted me to take them.”
Daily Habits
“It's just always writing even if you're busy. Even if it's 10 mins a day, as long as you make the time, you'll have scripts and pages written. You can't let being busy get in the way of writing. If you make writing your priority, other people in your life will respect that time too. If you don't think you have the time, start with one day a week. Then when that becomes a habit, add another. Before you know it, you'll find you're writing every day!"
Pushing Through Resistance or Self-Doubt
“I remind myself that if someone wants to meet with me or read my work, they're trusting me that I can do the job. I remind myself, I've done this many times. I know how to write. I just have to get my work in front of the right people. My scripts might not always be what they're looking for. But if I find the right people, they will be. Executives, producers, directors, they're looking for projects and writers to fill a need, to make their lives easier. It's important to just write what you know, use your know-how and skills, because it's going to be the answer to someone's problem, and you have to just believe in yourself and your writing to make things happen.”
What Inspires Her
"Promising Young Woman. That movie was so inspiring to me. The way Emerald Fennell told that story was just so powerful to me. I heard her speaking on a podcast about it afterwards, and it inspired me to write a short film, and then a producer wanted to produce it, and I told him and his team that I would direct it. I didn't ask. I knew I had to direct it. We're in post-production now. I loved directing. This all happened because of her and that movie. I look forward to getting to direct my next thing now. It was a fun new skill that I look forward to doing more and getting better at."
📍 Connect with Denise:
Instagram: @denisecruzcastinofilmmaker
X: @cruzwriter
Bluesky: @cruzwriter.bsky
Threads: @cruzwriter
Substack: @denisecruzcastinowriter
Website: https://www.denisecruzcastinoscreenwriting.com/
