In a milestone achievement for local Belizean creative storytelling, veteran broadcast and production professional Rick Romero of Greater Belize Media has earned a tied second-place finish in the 2026 Belize International Film Festival’s prestigious Short Screenplay Competition, for his original work *Along Came a Canoe*.
This year’s competition drew 16 total submissions from emerging and established writers across the region. After an initial jury selection that narrowed the field to six finalists, three scripts advanced to the final evaluation round. First place was awarded to Rasheed H. Palacio for his screenplay *Wanaragua*, while Romero’s *Along Came a Canoe* shared the second-place honor with Chelsea Vernon’s *Checkout*.
Romero’s narrative centers on a young newlywed couple navigating their honeymoon along Belize’s Sibun River, where their trip takes an unexpected turn when they spot a drifting canoe holding a man who appears to be unconscious. Beyond its suspenseful core premise, the screenplay weaves nuanced explorations of universal human themes: greed, interpersonal tolerance, and the power of forgiveness within romantic relationships.
The idea for the project emerged organically during a two-week work break for Romero, who chose to dedicate his unstructured free time to developing the story from concept to finished script. Though Romero has built a 35-plus-year career in the broadcast and production space, with hands-on experience spanning videography, post-production editing, and live event production, dramatic screenwriting has long remained a deeply personal passion project rather than a professional focus.
Speaking after the competition results were announced, Romero shared his lifelong connection to all corners of film craft: “My passion is filmmaking, movies, and everything about movies, from cinematography, to editing, to directing, to screenwriting.” Over the course of decades, he has quietly written between nine and 10 original short screenplays, honing his craft outside of his full-time media work.
For Romero, short-form screenwriting and anthology projects represent critical stepping stones to larger, more ambitious creative work. His long-held ultimate goal remains to write and produce a full-length feature film, a dream he has nurtured through years of consistent, deliberate practice. “I’ve been doing it for quite a number of years, and hopefully one day I get to do a feature-length film,” he said.
The recognition at the Belize International Film Festival marks one of the first major public honors for Romero’s personal writing work, shining a spotlight on the depth of creative talent hiding within Belize’s established media industry.