Two wins in one weekend
September 26–27, 2026
The pilot script of 12:37 — The King David Hotel won the Leo Award for Best Screenplay at the DaVinci International Film Festival in Los Angeles on September 26, 2026. Actors read scenes from the script live at AMC The Grove as part of the festival’s Writers’ Corner.
One day later, on September 27, the Richmond International Film Festival in Virginia awarded the script its 2026 Grand Jury Prize for Best Teleplay.
12:37 is a five-part limited drama series about the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem on July 22, 1946. Ninety-one people died. Three warnings were phoned in. The building was never evacuated. Each episode follows the same morning through different people: the cell, the hotel staff, the British administration, the city. The timeline is real. The lives inside it are fictionalized. All five episodes are written.
The festival’s screenplay prize, awarded through Storyline, its script competition. Scenes from the pilot were read live by actors at The Writers’ Corner, AMC The Grove, with the pages on the cinema screen.
Laurel, white PNG ↓ Black PNG ↓
One of the festival’s top Grand Jury awards, announced at the close of its 15th edition, September 22–27, 2026.
Laurel, white PNG ↓ Black PNG ↓Stage 32 Period Piece Screenwriting Contest · Finalist
Austin Film Festival Script Competition · Second Round
- VideoAge International · October 2, 2026DaVinci Film Festival Concludes Eighth Edition“The Leo Award for Best Screenplay was ultimately presented to 12:37 The King David Hotel.”
- Brave New Hollywood · October 1, 2026DaVinci International Film Festival Celebrates Randall Wallace and Shohreh Aghdashloo as 8th Edition Sets Sights on Global Expansion“The Leo Award for Best Screenplay went to 12:37 The King David Hotel.”
- Richmond International Film Festival · Official announcementAnnouncing the 2026 Top Grand Jury and Audience Choice Award Winners“2026 Grand Jury Prize Best Teleplay: Michael John Fedun for 12:37: The King David Hotel.” PDF.
The live reading at The Writers’ Corner. AMC The Grove, Los Angeles, September 26, 2026.
- Format
- Five episodes, approximately 50 to 60 minutes each
- Languages
- English, Hebrew, Arabic and French
- Created & written by
- Michael John Fedun and Nick Schönfeld
- Produced by
- Veronika Lencová, Martin Šebík and Rick McCallumFilm United, Prague
- Legal affairs
- Harris Tulchin & Associates
- Status
- In development. Five episodes, fully scripted.
One-page summary of the series, for printing or forwarding: logline, the five episodes, the team, the awards and the contact.
Open the PDF → Download ↓Poster. Photograph: unknown photographer, 1943. NTBs krigsarkiv, Riksarkivet – National Archives of Norway. Public domain.
Poster, 2400 × 3200 JPG ↓
Michael John Fedun is a Canadian-Dutch writer and producer based in the Netherlands. His producing credits include The Devil’s Double (Sundance Film Festival, 2011) and Emperor. He was named one of European Film Promotion’s Producers on the Move at the Cannes Film Festival.
Founded by producer Veronika Lencová, Film United is a Prague-based production company working across international film and television. Selected credits: Blade Runner 2099 (Amazon), Get Millie Black (HBO), Army of Thieves (Netflix) and Britannia (Sky).
Press and industry enquiries: inquiries@twelvethirtyseven.com
Industry members can read the pilot on the Black List. Read Episode 1 →
The historical record: The morning of July 22, 1946 →