Netflix Funds New Fellowship for Filmmakers with Disabilities (Netflix)
Netflix is funding a new fellowship aimed at helping writers and filmmakers with disabilities break into the entertainment industry.
The streaming service is funding a year-long program to provide filmmakers with funding, mentorship and community with the goal of helping creators develop short films into debut features.
Participants will receive $55,000 to produce a short film with an experienced crew and support themselves as part of a program called the Visionary Fellowship, which also provides health insurance, marketing support, and travel and access costs.
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Netflix will fund the fellowship opportunities through its Creative Equality Fund, but the program will be run by the Inevitable Foundation, a nonprofit that invests in writers and filmmakers with disabilities.
According to Netflix, Fellows will participate in mentorship and workshops from industry leaders, have the opportunity to collaborate with other filmmakers and participate in a short film showcase that brings together creative executives, agents and managers.
“This investment in a writer-director with a disability marks a powerful expansion of our pipeline of support for creators with disabilities and speaks to the core of our mission to help creators with disabilities reach positions of influence in the industry,” Inevitable Foundation co-founders Richie Siegel and Marisa Torelli Pedevsca said in a statement. “Netflix’s commitment across their shows is the largest from any studio to date and is a powerful endorsement of our barrier-breaking approach to developing the next generation of creators with disabilities.”
Applications for the fellowship program will be accepted until July 31st.
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