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When the highlight of a discussion between Dana Walden and Ken Ziffren is how to pronounce the series name 9-1-1, you know the keynote at the UCLA Entertainment Symposium is not going to be a big newsmaker.

But at least the Disney Entertainment co-chair got to show off her wry sense of humor when correcting Ziffren, who referred to the Ryan Murphy drama as “9/11” when asking about Disney/ABC franchises.

“9-1-1,” she responded with a little smile. “Different show.”

Walden also generated laughs when she explained how FX’s John Landgraf encouraged her to filibuster during the Q&a that was part of this year’s “Hollywood ’25: Survive or Thrive” symposium at UCLA. She really didn’t have to; Ziffen had plenty of softball questions to fill the hour that covered green lighting, short-form content, O&Os, and linear ratings. Walden, who clearly recognized that her...

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie directors! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.

Today we speak with the great Andrew Davis, director of The Fugitive (now available on 4K Uhd and Digital). We chat about his favorite days during the production of the iconic Harrison Ford thriller, some of his B-Sides and the trajectory of his career in general.

There’s his debut feature, the bluesy ensemble piece Stony Island. There’s the movie he got to make after his meteoric success: Steal Big Steal Little. And then there’s the Coast Guard action drama The Guardian from 2006, which Davis claims had better test screening scores than any movie in the history of Touchstone Pictures.

His 1998 thriller A Perfect Murder is discussed, and Davis explains why he was never as...

Every week, IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit rounds up the latest in opportunities that can help those looking to advance projects or get a career started in the film industry. The following grants, labs, fellowships, contests and other non-profit opportunities could be a great way to help kickstart your movie and TV dreams.

New Opportunities & Upcoming Deadlines

NBC’s Writers on the Verge

– NBCUniversal’s Writers on the Verge 12-week program focuses on polishing and preparing television writers for a staff writer position on a television series. Writers who are “almost there” but need assistance with their final bit of preparation with their writing and personal presentation skills are encouraged to apply. The program consists of two night classes, which will typically be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 – 10 Pm weekly at NBCUniversal in Universal City, CA. Once accepted, students must attend all classes and turn in all written assignments.

Past...

Tribeca Enterprises and Chanel have announced today the second annual Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program, which brings together industry support, artistic development and funding to assist and help new and emerging U.S.-based female writers and directors of short-form narrative films.

The program has selected five emerging female filmmakers to receive project support, and take part in master classes, one-on-one mentorship and peer-to-peer sessions during a three-day session at the end of this month. At the end of the program, each of the filmmakers will pitch her project to a jury of industry experts, and one filmmaker will be awarded full financing to produce her short film. The four other projects will each be awarded grant funds to continue the development of their films.

Read More: Filmmaker Anna Martemucci Wins First-Ever Female-Focused ‘Through Her Lens’ Grant

“We share with Chanel the goal to bring...

Laura Gabbert, Scott Hamilton Kennedy, Caroline Libresco, Doug Pray, Heather Rae, Eddie Schmidt, Aj Schnack to Serve as Lab Mentors .

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, has launched a new Documentary Lab, sponsored by Latino Public Broadcasting, with 14 filmmakers and 9 projects participating. Documentary Lab is an intensive seven-week program, with a main focus of assisting documentary filmmakers on their works-in-progress and providing creative feedback. All of the Film Independent Labs are designed to support strong, original voices develop their filmmaking careers in a nurturing, yet challenging creative environment. Documentary Lab Mentors include filmmakers Laura Gabbert (No Impact Man), Scott Hamilton Kennedy (The Garden), Doug Pray (Art & Copy), Aj Schnack (Convention),Sundance Film Festival Senior Programmer Caroline Libresco, and producers Heather Rae (Frozen River) and Eddie Schmidt (Troubadours). filmmakers Jen Arnold (A Small Act), Jeff Malmberg (Marwencol), Chicken & Egg.s Julie Benello,...

• Rodrigo Garcia, Keith Gordon, Catherine Hardwicke, and Alfredo De Villa to Serve as Lab Mentors -

Los Angeles (February 10, 2010) - Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, has announced the filmmakers and film projects for its 9th annual Directors Lab, sponsored by Kodak. Taking place in Los Angeles from now until the end of March, the Directors Lab is an intensive nine-week incubator designed to assist directors with strong, original voices develop new narrative feature films, improve their craft, and advance their filmmaking careers in a nurturing yet challenging creative environment. This year's Lab Mentors include Rodrigo Garcia (Mother and Child), Keith Gordon (The Singing Detective, Waking the Dead), Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Thirteen), and Alfredo De Villa (Adrift in Manhattan, Washington Heights).

"It's exciting to have a group of filmmakers in the Directors Lab that not only have such varied artistic backgrounds,...

If you happen to be an aspiring director then this is for you. Film Independent, the non-profit devoted to artists and independent filmmaking is now accepting applications for its 9th Annual Director’s Lab, an eight-week course designed to help directors who are in the midst of prepping films. Sound good? Well, read on to get all the latest details on the program, how to apply and other goodies.

Film Independent Now Accepting Applications

For 2010 Directors Lab

* Deadline is October 5, 2009 -

Film Independent’s 9th Annual Directors Lab is an intensive eight-week incubator designed to help directors who are prepping their feature films, and is sponsored by Kodak.

Taking place in Los Angeles during the winter, the Lab assists directors with strong, original voices develop new narrative feature films, improve their craft, and advance their filmmaking careers in a nurturing, yet challenging creative environment.

To apply, please visit: http://filmindependent.

If you’re an aspiring screenwriter which, let’s face it, you may be, one way to break into the “business” is through a lab where you work with established mentors and advisers on honing your work and getting it in the hands of the right people. One of the most prestigious and famous of these labs is the one sponsored by Film Independent, a non-profit group dedicated to fostering and nurturing creativity that also produces the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Spirit Awards.

Today, they’ve announced a new group of writers who will participate in this year’s lab. Here’s all the info about the lucky 9 participants from the official press release.

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, has announced the screenwriters and film projects selected for its 10th annual Screenwriters Lab, sponsored by the Writers Guild of America,...