I Am Virginia Read the Screenplay
I Am Virginia cover
Historical Drama • 1641–1670 • Colonial Virginia

I Am Virginia

Screenplay by Giovanni Vines • Story by Bradley L. Bartz

Love, law, and identity collide at the dawn of America — a provocative re‑telling of the intertwined lives of Virginia Johnson, John Casor, and Anthony Johnson.

Read the Screenplay (PDF) View the Storyboard Mobile Opening
“Virginia’s first legally recognized slave was enslaved by a Black man to protect him from slavery.”
— Logline
John Casor artwork

About the Screenplay

Set across 29 years, I Am Virginia traces a love story entangled with law and power. When John Casor seeks freedom, a paradoxical legal decision binds him to Anthony Johnson — enabling a forbidden marriage to Virginia, while foreshadowing the rise of race‑based slavery.

Format

Feature screenplay (~107 pages). Streamer‑ready as a 4‑part limited series.

Storyworld

Colonial Virginia — plantations, courts, riverbanks, battlefields — rendered with grounded historical references.

Themes

Love vs. law • Power & property • Identity, hypocrisy, and the birth of an institution.

Read & Explore

Shareware script, image storyboard, and mobile opening.

Script cover

Screenplay (PDF)

Full shareware script by Giovanni Vines.

 Storyboard

Storyboard

Image‑driven scene explorer.

 Opening frames

Mobile Opening

Auto‑advance frames with dialogue — great on phones.

Coverage, Comments & Awards

Industry reactions and recognition.

Jason Piette — Executive Producer

“A racy blend… brave and moving… the twist — Casor’s choice — is ingenious and works well.”

Energy Entertainment — Story Exec

“The writing is amazing… characters and dialogue are both amazing… a strong and necessary arc in Anthony’s character.”

Julia Verdin — Rough Diamond Productions

“The era is hardly touched upon in film… If the right talent were attached, this could do well.”

Screenplay Readers

“Unique and ambitious… shines a spotlight on an untold era with modern appeal.”

Official Selection — Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards (2021)

Santa Barbara Screenplay Awards

Timeline (1619–1670)

A loose historical arc that informs the narrative.

  1. 1619: First Africans recorded in Virginia; a complex mix of captive status and indenture.
  2. 1621: Anthony Johnson arrives in Virginia and survives the 1622 attack; later becomes a free landowner.
  3. 1641: Johnson household acquires John Casor; relationships and tensions begin.
  4. 1648: Johnson reportedly discharges Casor from servitude; conflicts continue.
  5. 1655: Court ruling returns Casor to Johnson — a precedent in lifetime servitude.
  6. After 1655: The family relocates to Maryland; property disputes and legal setbacks follow.
  7. 1670: Colony hardens racial lines; era of fluid status gives way to codified slavery.

Creative Team

Built by founders, crafted for film.

Giovanni Vines

Screenwriter. Author of the final screenplay for I Am Virginia, shaping a provocative, character‑forward narrative.

Bradley L. Bartz

Story by / Producer. Entrepreneur and author bringing historical research, publication, and production energy to the project.