I am proud to announce I have recently entered an agreement with the author Fred Goldstein to adapt his book From Bedside into a feature film screenplay.

From Bedside is a non-fiction account of Fred’s real life experience tutoring Steven Estep, an amazing young man suffering from a rare form of cancer. Here’s our short log line description:

Fred is a young teacher already jaded with the system and reconsidering his career choice. But when he agrees to tutor Steven, a teenager suffering from a rare form of bone cancer, they forge a unique bedside bond causing Fred to reevaluate his capabilities and reinvest himself in teaching. Based on the true story.

Mark Violi to adapt Fred Goldstein’s book “From Bedside” as a screenplay.

And from the book cover:

What do Philadelphia sports legends Vince Papale, Julius Erving and Mike Schmidt have in common with Clarence Kelly (former director of the FBI), Bill Bradley (former US Senator) and Richard Nixon?

How did the first Ms. Sloan Kettering Competition come about? How did a telephone become and important educational tool? Why would a teacher want to write a book?

These questions are answered in From Bedside, a non-fiction account of the two and one half year relationship between a fourteen-year old boy with a rare form of bone cancer and his teacher.

After only a few pages into the book, I knew this was a project I simply had to be a part of. Fred and I were introduced through mutual friends and share a common vision for the material. I am very excited to begin writing this amazing story for the big screen.

The book has thus far seen only limited release. But look here soon for news about how you can get a copy.

Key figures with an interest in the story are already in place and hopes are high that From Bedside will soon be in a theater near you.

I have previously adapted the true story: ROEBLING: The Story of the Brooklyn Bridge for the stage.

One Response

  1. I have already read this amazing book and from the very beginning, thought it would make a wonderful film. Good luck with this project and my best to both you and Fred. He is a very special guy!!!