Tag: black screenwriters

BACK TO NEWS & EVENTS

The BTFC presents the DGA Assistant Directors Training Program Info Session

On Thursday, August 18th at 2:00 PM PT | 5:00 PM ET, join us for a virtual informational session with the DGA Assistant Director Training Program!

RSVP for FREE to learn about how you can advance your film and TV career as an Assistant Director through the DGA Assistant Director Training Program!

We will discuss the program and its opportunities, how and when to apply, best practices for applications, and answer audience questions.

About the Program

The Assistant Directors Training Program recruits a diverse group of applicants from across the United States and provides selected candidates with education, training, and paid experience in professional settings, facilitating their development into successful Assistant Directors.

The Training Program’s ultimate goal is to provide the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers with Assistant Directors of the highest quality and professionalism. Upon completion of the Program, graduates are qualified to join the DGA (Directors Guild of America) as Second Assistant Directors.

Meet Our Panelist

Lila Mayes is a Texas native (California-raised), has a diverse background in Human Resources, Event Logistics and Artist Relations. Having studied Business Administration at San Diego State and receiving her Human Resources certification from the University of Phoenix, Lila currently serves as the Program Administrator for the Directors Guild-Producer Training Plan.

This program was created in 1965 to offer access to those who might not otherwise have entrée to the motion picture and television industry. The program provides productions with trained, professional Assistant Directors.

Lila is also a founding Board Member of the nonprofit organization, Black Women Lead. This organization was formed in Los Angeles, CA in an effort to amplify the leadership and voices of black women and underrepresented communities.

#MakeYourWork

If you’re looking to gain skills and grow in the Film & TV industry this info session is for you! Join us for this informational session and get the knowledge and inspiration you need to Make Your Work!

Interested in becoming a member? Sign up for our BTFC Membership!

Questions? Contact [email protected].

BACK TO NEWS & EVENTS

Office Hours: Get Help On Your Project

Producers, this one’s for YOU! Need some extra support to help you #MakeYourWork? Let’s go!

Chat with BTFC Board Member and writer, director, and Emmy-nominated producer (UnladyLike 2020) Okema T. Moore about your project! During Office Hours we do our best to offer insight and feedback that can help push you forward!

During BTFC Office Hours we’ll answer general production questions and provide an environment where you can get advice and feedback on your projects from industry professionals.

How can we better describe them? It’s an open door for any member who would like to just come in and ask a question. Get a second pair of eyes on a rough cut, get some help on budgets, have your script reviewed…Remember back in the day when our professors had office hours and you would just go in to ask a question or get some help? That is what these office hours are like.

Join us to talk about your projects and ideas, so that you’re better equipped to move them forward. It’s all-time well spent.

NOTE: 40-minute slots will be assigned on a first RSVP basis. A Zoom link and form will be sent to you 48 hours before your session. Please block out 4:00 – 6:00 PM ET on your calendar until your slot is received.

 

About Okema T. Moore

 

Okema T. Moore is an EMMY nominated, PGA producer as well as a director, writer and actor. She has worked on projects for OWN, Netflix, FOX, Food Network, TLC and more. Most recently she produced on BET’s Klutch Academy, Showran and Directed BRIC TV’s first late-night talk show and was featured in Variety Magazine speaking on the need for Black Producers to have access to finances to support their work. Okema serves on the board of both NY Women in Film & TV and The Black TV & Film Collective and has committed to lifting while she climbs these industry ladders.

 

This event is exclusive to BTFC MEMBERS ONLY.

Members, make sure to use your code to access this event!

Interested in becoming a member? Visit www.blacktvfilmcollective.org/join

BACK TO NEWS & EVENTS

The Download featuring Deondray Gossfield and Quincy LeNear Gossfield, Directors (“Flames,” “The Chi”)

On Wed. August 10th at 4:30 PM PT | 7:30 PM ET, join us for another edition of The Download – a special VIRTUAL guest conversation series featuring impactful filmmakers who provide insider knowledge to help Black creatives make their work.

This edition we are in conversation with married directing duo Deondray Gossfield & Quincy LeNear Gossfield, Directors (“Flames,” “The Chi”). Deondray and Quincy will be discussing their work on The Chi as well as their journey as Black directors and the continued importance of diversity in the industry.

Meet the Gossfield’s

Dubbed the “Godfathers of LGBTQ+ TV”, real-life married couple, Deondray & Quincy LeNear Gossfield are the creators, writers and directors of the iconic GLAAD award-winning anthology series, The DL Chronicles.

Building on their brand and following their passion of telling Black, LGBTQ+ stories, they created and directed the Amazon Prime spinoff series, The Chadwick Journals. The third season, featuring Jamar Michael (Dear White People), won a 2021 Silver Telly Award and garnered a 2020 Daytime Emmy® Nomination for lead actor, Damian Toofeek Raven (“Chadwick”)

The Gossfields were also tapped to be part of the producing teams for hit shows like, Kocktails with Khloé (FYI), and Sunday Best (BET).

Their short film, Flames Executive Produced by Lena Waithe and Rishi Rajani, starring Deion Smith (Outer Banks) and Dontavius Williams, premiered with critical acclaim at 2021’s Tribeca Film Festival and won two Telly Awards for “Best Directing” and “Best Drama”, several SFAAF awards including “Best Directing” and “Best LGBT Short”, 1st Runner Up for “Best Local Short” and the Jury Award for “Excellence in Cinematography” at Out On Film, Atlanta.

Their short film, Congo Cabaret, highlighting the LGBTQ+ contribution to the Harlem Renaissance, has won numerous awards, and features Parisa Fitz-Henley (Luke Cage), Kevin Daniels (Modern Family), and Darryl Stephens (B Positive).

Their film, Smoke, Lilies and Jade, narrated by Emmy® and Tony Winner, Billy Porter (Pose) premiered at Outfest Film Festival in Los Angeles and went on to win “Best Short Film” at 2021’s Black Alphabet Film Festival in Chicago.

The pair made their TV directorial debut in 2022 on Lena Waithe’s and Showtime Network’s drama, The Chi.

The Download

Offered multiple times a year, The Download is a special virtual guest conversation series hosted by the Black TV & Film Collective. It features impactful filmmakers who provide insider knowledge to help Black creatives do their work.

First, our guest participates in a 1:1 conversation with our host about their journey and current career.

Then, we provide selected BTFC members with an opportunity to take a seat at the table with our guests and ask questions and advice of this industry veteran. In turn, our members are provided with an opportunity to engage in conversation with someone whose career might inspire them. Those who attend are also further encouraged and motivated to make their work! Recent guests on The Download have included Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Charlene Polite Corley, the editing team of A Black Lady Sketch Show and Janine Sherman Barrois. 

#MakeYourWork

Join us at this edition of The Download and get the information and inspiration you need to #MakeYourWork! RSVP today!

Questions? Contact [email protected]. 

Become a member and get discounts for BTFC events! Visit www.blacktvfilmcollective.org/join

BACK TO NEWS & EVENTS

BTFC Member Focus Group (Day 1)

Join us virtually on Monday, August 8th at 3:00 PM PT | 6:00 PM PT to give your personal insights and experience with the BTFC!

 

The BTFC continues to expand and improve its programming offering and organizational pursuits that will best benefit our membership body!

Join us for an opportunity to:

– Give honest feedback about the BTFC

– Brainstorm different ways the BTFC can support our members in their creative endeavors

– Talk through our programming and future events

– Review needs of the BTFC and how members can be a part of the work

 

Don’t miss this opportunity to help us help you #MakeYourWork!

*This event is for Black TV & Film Collective MEMBERS ONLY.

Questions? Contact [email protected]

Interested in becoming a member? Sign up for our BTFC Membership!

BACK TO NEWS & EVENTS

The BTFC presents ScreenCraft Works Mentoring Program Info Session

On Friday, July 22nd at 11:00 AM PT | 2:00 PM ET, join us for a virtual informational session with ScreenCraft Works International Mentoring Program for Film, TV and online work.

We will be discussing the program, the requirements and how to apply! RSVP to get more information and see how you can advance your film and TV career on an international scale!

If you’re looking for a mentor in the Film & TV industry this info session is for you!

About ScreenCraft Works

ScreenCraft Works International Mentoring Scheme provides structured career development with an international outlook, to enrich careers in film, TV and online work.

A not-for-profit career, learning and advocacy network, ScreenCraft Works matches under-represented production and post-production talent with international mentors, to share knowledge and experience, widen employment and peer-to-peer networks and bring new cultural perspectives to the mentoring groups’ local and international co-productions.

Meet Our Panelists

Elizabeth McIntyre is Co-Director of SCREENCRAFT WORKS, a career, learning and advocacy network supporting under-represented ‘behind-the-camera’ talent for a culture-shift in local and international film, TV & online production.

With a career across conference, exhibition, commissioning and documentary filmmaking, Elizabeth’s work includes curation for OKRE, a Wellcome Trust-supported story ideas platform, and consultancy for ProQuote Film Berlin (UK and Irish speakers). Previous positions include Director of Sheffield Doc/Fest, Head of Masterschool Documentary Campus and Head of Production & Development (UK Factual) for Discovery Networks International, where she commissioned single films and series for local and global markets, including You Have Been Warned, The Great White Silence and Inside the Gangsters’ Code. Documentary credits include The Lost Children of Berlin for Steven Spielberg, Dangerous Love (BBC), No Place Like Home (BBC) and Five Steps to Tyranny (BBC).

Advisory roles include UK Muslim Film and, formerly BAFTA TV/Learning, Inclusion & Talent committees and WFTV trustee. She contributes to mentoring and masterclass programmes such as Wonder Women and ScreenSkills. Elizabeth is based in Germany and the UK.

Rebecca Del Tufo’s career spans film, law, and charity governance, with a focus on cinema exhibition, conference and learning. Rebecca began her career as a solicitor in a City law firm, specialising in international corporate litigation, working in the UK and Hong Kong, before joining and helping establish a start-up law firm. She then developed a new corporate relations role at the University of Cambridge’s Business School, supporting international students in their career choices and working with companies to organise business projects and speaker events.

Rebecca led the team which set up the successful independent cinema Saffron Screen, for many years running and programming the cinema, giving her a deep knowledge of the industry. She has spoken at conferences about aspects of cinema exhibition and hosted Q&As with a range of industry talent including many in ‘behind-the-camera’ roles. She is now combines freelance film production with exhibition roles.

Rebecca is a trustee of the charity Refugees at Home and chair of theatre-in-education charity TIC Box Productions.

Prince May, a mentee of the ScreenCraft Works Program, is an assistant editor working in HETV and short films, with a focus on drama. Prince has participated in a range of schemes to gain knowledge of the film and TV industry such as the workshop with Signature Pictures and the BBC training scheme. Prince went to college to study animation but discovered film as he was studying and fell in love with editing, which he then pursued as his career. Later he attended and studied film practice at South Bank University in London, UK.

Growing up, he attended a youth centre where he could edit and create his own stories. In his free time, he mentored children in the same centre. During the Covid pandemic, he went online and taught himself some VFX. Prince May has recently worked as an assistant editor on TV shows such as The Watch, The Fear Index and Three Pines.

#MakeYourWork

Join us for this informational session and expand your film career on an international scale. Get the knowledge and inspiration you need to Make Your Work! RSVP today! 

Interested in becoming a member? Sign up for our BTFC Membership!

Questions? Contact [email protected].

BACK TO NEWS & EVENTS

Office Hours: Get Help On Your Project

WRITERS, this one’s for YOU! Need some extra support to help you #MakeYourWork? Let ‘s go!

On Tuesday, July 19th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM ET, chat virtually with BTFC Co-Founder and award-winning writer, producer and director Laura Fielder during BTFC Office Hours! She’ll do her best to support you and help you move your project forward!

 

During BTFC Office Hours we’ll answer general production questions and provide an environment where you can get advice and feedback on your projects from industry professionals.

How can we better describe them? It’s an open door for any member who would like to just come in and ask a question. Get a second pair of eyes on a rough cut, get some help on budgets, have your script reviewed…

Remember back in the day when our professors had office hours and you would just go in to ask a question or get some help? That is what these office hours are like.

Join us to talk about your project and ideas, so that you’re better equipped to move them forward. It’s all-time well spent.

Meet Laura

Laura Fielder

Laura Fielder is a writer, director and producer. Her award-winning projects have screened at the Hip Hop Film Festival, the Toronto Black Film Festival, The Katra Film Series, and the American Black Film Festival. Laura’s screenplays have placed in numerous competitions including the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Laura is a working member of The Gotham’s Expanding Communities Summit – a cohort of diverse independent film professionals. She is also a member of NYWIFT. Laura is a graduate of UCLA TFT Professional Screenwriting Program. A classically trained violinist, Laura is an alum of The CUNY Graduate Center (MA, Ethnomusicology).

NOTE: 40-minute slots will be assigned on a first RSVP basis. A Zoom link and information form will be sent to you 48 hours before your session. Please block out 6:00 – 8:00 PM ET on your calendar until your slot is received.

This event is for BTFC Members Only.

Members, please use your access code to RSVP.

Need help? Contact [email protected]!

Want access to this event? Sign up for our BTFC Membership!