Author and creator Ben St. James has been named a finalist in the California International Children’s Film Festival (CICFF) for the screenplay adaptation of his award-winning book, “Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town,” a recognition that places the Sugar Creek, MO based storyteller on an international stage in a bi-annual competition celebrating excellence in children’s media.
In the screenplay adaptation, Ben St. James expands his original story, following Cowboy Cooper as his misadventures lead him toward an important lesson about preserving history and protecting historical sites. The screenplay opens in Independence Square, a local landmark once frequented by a young President Truman, grounding the narrative in a familiar setting before expanding into a broader story about heritage, responsibility, and community memory.
The project has previously received attention within the screenwriting community, including feedback from the Missouri Stories Scriptwriting Fellowship, and was also named an Official Selection at The American Story Showcase, which recognizes scripts, books, short stories, and stage plays that reflect stories capturing the American spirit. The most recent honor from the CICFF put him in the top tier of most selected projects on the Film Freeway platform.
Ben St. James is best known for his children’s book “Guinea Pig Power,” but his recent work has expanded into screenwriting and social media, where he continues to build a growing audience as a digital creator on TikTok, recently surpassing 50,000 followers.
For more on Ben St. James visit his website.
You can get a copy of Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town on Amazon.
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