Interview - Screenwriter Jesuan Do Amaral

Jesuan Do Amaral is the writer of Sci-Fi competition winning screenplay AIDEN: Genesis.

After the competition win, we spoke with Jesuan Do Amaral about the story and the journey to this win.

How did you first become interested in a career in screenwriting?
I’ve always been a big-time lover of movies. It’s something I grew up with. My whole family enjoyed film, so it was just part of the air I breathed. In my mid-20s I started writing on my own. I wrote my first script without any real knowledge, without reading books or studying the craft… I just sat down and did it. Then, in 2012, I finally took a course, and that became the first real step forward.

But because I followed a musical path for about a decade, screenwriting stayed more like a side hobby. I was writing music, composing, traveling as a musician, doing events… life moved that way for a while. After COVID, I published my first children’s book, and that moment kind of reopened the door. It brought the old dream of screenwriting back to life and pushed me further along the path again.

Who or what inspired you to write this particular story?
Ideas come and go… and I’m a man of many. But some ideas stay, and this was one of them. The first spark was a moment I saw in my mind: one of the main characters dying at the end of the story. The way it happened, the emotional weight of it just stayed with me for over ten years.

When screenwriting came back into my life and I started learning more about the craft and the business side of things, I took courses an etc. And I realized this idea had something special: a small, minimal cast, yet set inside a huge sci-fi world. That contrast pulled me in again. I knew I could build something big and visionary, while keeping the heart of the story grounded in the personal relationships between three characters on a distant planet.

I’m a massive sci-fi fan, and honestly, creating a world that’s completely fake yet feels like it could be real is one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done. In the end, I decided to write something I would truly have fun with.

What movies or filmmakers would you consider your greatest influences as a screenwriter?
I like great stories, period. I might enjoy big VFX-heavy sci-fi worlds, but a good story will always beat special effects for me. Growing up through the 90s and 00s, films like Forrest Gump, A Beautiful Mind, Notting Hill - all kinds of genres - they each played a part in shaping my love for cinema.

But if I had to keep it simple and objective, one movie sits at the very top for me, and maybe two filmmakers stand out above the rest.

I saw The Matrix when I was thirteen, in a movie theatre, and it absolutely blew me away. The story was sharp, the themes were deep, the effects changed cinema, and the mix of philosophy and spiritual undertones made the whole experience unforgettable. Matrix, part one, is still my number one. (And yes… we don’t need to talk about the rest of the trilogy, and we definitely won’t mention part four.)

As for filmmakers, I won’t go into long explanations because their works speak for themselves. Their storytelling, directing, producing, writing, and overall vision have shaped the collective imagination of moviegoers around the world. For me, the two giants are Robert Zemeckis and Christopher Nolan. Still, I could easily add or switch in names like Spielberg, Scorsese, Abrams, Snyder, and others and be just as happy. And one of my favorite writers, responsible for some of the films I love most, is Andrew Niccol.

How much planning and outlining went into your process of writing this script?
I’d say it’s always a healthy mix of planning, outlining, and just letting things happen. That’s usually how I approach the daunting task of writing a screenplay. I normally know how I want the movie to begin, and most of the time I also know how it will end. Having those two anchors gives me a sense of the boundaries, that is, the opening spark and the closing moment. If I have those in place, the rest starts to form in my mind as a whole.

Of course, in that early stage there are plenty of plot holes and empty spaces, and that’s where outlining helps a lot. Once I sit down with pen and paper, I try to make sure the first act is tight and clearly bullet-pointed, and that I have a solid vision for the final scenes of the third act.

The second act, though… I give myself more freedom there. I outline, I check the pacing, but I also let the characters and the story breathe and grow. Because I’ve already set a beginning and an end, their choices naturally move in that direction. And if the story ever surprises me and pulls toward a different path, I’m open to it… but most of the time, those boundaries give me the right kind of room to play. Freedom within confinement… if that makes sense.

What advice would you give to aspiring screenwriters who are working their first script?
Get it done. Honestly… just get it done. If you’re an aspiring screenwriter working on your first script, that’s the only real advice: finish it. Because once you finish that first one, you can start the next one, and there’s no shortcut around that. The craft only grows when you write.

You might have endless ideas, whole worlds in your imagination, all these emotions and characters living in your head… but translating that into actual words on a formatted, screenplay page is a completely different ball game. Seeing the movie in your mind is one thing; trying to capture it on paper, so that others see it too, is something else entirely. And the only way to get better at that is by doing it again and again and again.

So yes: finish the script. Then write another one.

Learn from people who’ve done it longer and better. Specially from those who have actually sold scripts and have made a career from screenwriting. There are plenty of gurus out there with no movies made, so be aware who you listen to. And find the tools and rhythms that work for you. Some writers need music, some need silence; some write early in the morning, others late at night. Whatever helps you to sit down and actually create - do that. Productivity matters, but so does growth. If you can keep those two things together, you’re on the right path. And once your stories are done, get them out there. No one will buy a script they’ve never seen. Knock on doors. Look for representation. Find ways to let people know your work exists.

Keep your head up. Have faith. Have fun. And enjoy the worlds you build.