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- By Mikayla Steele
LOS ANGELES — For aspiring Natives looking to make it big in Hollywood, a new opportunity was just announced by the The Barcid Foundation that may offer a big break. The foundation is now accepting applications for the third Native American Feature Film Writers Lab, a 10-week program taking place online August-October 2020. Five Native American applicants will be selected to participate in the program. The lab will consist of daily workshops with an established screenwriter and peer workshopping sessions. Additionally, participants will attend a series of events and screenings that will expose them to the entertainment industry. The purpose of the lab is to develop the skills of the writers and prepare them for employment in the industry. The early deadline to apply is June 3, 2020. The regular deadline is June 17, Late deadline July 1, 2020. For more information or to submit, visit.
According to a release from the foundation, this program is for seasoned writers capable of writing a feature-length script. The selected participants are expected to complete at least one script by the end of session. At the end of course participants will showcase their work at the 14th Annual LA Skin Fest in November.
Among the high profile sponsors for this program are Comcast, NBCUniversal, Walt Disney Studios, Cherokee Nation Film Office and Sony Pictures Entertainment. “We are thrilled to support another group of Native American writers for this year’s feature film writer’s lab,” said Barcid Foundation Programs Director Patricia Gomes. “Each individual selected will express new, bold and diverse voices as well as provide a powerful vision as screenwriters.” The lab was created in accordance with the Barcid Foundation’s mission to improve media portrayals of Native Americans and to increase the number of Native Americans employed in all facets of the media industry.
According to the 2016 Writers Guild of America report, Native Americans replaced Latinos as the most underrepresented minority group among writers in the film sector.
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