The WGA East and FilmNation Entertainment announced that applications are now open for the second New York Screenwriting Fellowship, which is designed to support underrepresented, early-career screenwriters based in New York City.
The NY Screenwriting Fellowship is a weekly intensive that will run from early April through August 2023. Eight or more writers will be provided with both a screenwriting mentor and an executive mentor, as well as seminars, receptions and other introductions, as they develop a new feature-length screenplay throughout the length of the Fellowship. At the end, the Fellowship will culminate with table reads of the participants’ works, along with a dinner with leaders of the New York film industry. One of the main priorities of the Fellowship is to diversify the pool of writers who can have regular access to meetings and projects that offer them long-term career sustainability.
“The New York Screenwriting Fellowship, and our partnership with FilmNation Entertainment, demonstrate our long-standing commitment to championing an inclusive industry and fostering communities of writers here in New York,” said Lowell Peterson, executive director of WGA East.
Confirmed mentors for the Fellowship include Alexander Dinelaris (“Birdman”), James V. Hart (“Contact,” “Hook”) and Peter Hedges (“Pieces of April,” and “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”).
“We look forward to another exciting year of engaging with the next generation of screenwriters along with our friends at the WGAE,” said Liz Siegal, FilmNation’s director of physical production for FilmNation. “Experiencing the talent and commitment from writers in our workshop has been a true inspiration, and we can’t wait to get started with this session.”
Applicants must be referred to the program by organizations including Almanack Screenwriters, Austin Film Festival, The Black List, The Dramatists Guild, Ghetto Film School, Reel Works, Urbanworld Film Festival, WGAE Indie Caucus and The Writers Lab. The program will accept up to 100 applications, until November 30, on a first come first served basis. Applicants who do not have relationships with any of the referring organizations can apply to the program through the Lottery Application — a limited number of submissions will be randomly selected to ensure accessibility to all.
Final Draft serves as sponsor for the 2023 Fellowship and will provide Fellowship participants with software and other promotional materials. Applications can be submitted through the Fellowship’s website.
