News

James Stokoe's Aliens: Dead Orbit returns after a four-month hiatus (woohoo!). We have five preview pages from issue #4, the conclusion to this rad series, to share with our readers. Also in today's Comics Corner: Jughead the Hunger #2, Hack/Slash Vs Vampirella #3, Gravetrancers #1, Harrow County #28, and Witchblade #1, with a special flash forward segment on Kiss/Army of Darkness #1 from Dynamite Comics.

Aliens: Dead Orbit #4: "With one last gambit aboard the space station, Wascylewski finds himself ambushed by two more deadly xenomorphs that will stop at nothing until he's dead.

The conclusion to Orc Stain creator James Stokoe's thrilling and claustrophobic Aliens story!

Creators

Writer: James Stokoe

Artist: James Stokoe

Cover Artist: James Stokoe

Genre: Horror, Action/Adventure

Publication Date: December 13, 2017

Format: Fc, 32 pages; Miniseries

Price: $3.99

Upc: 7 61568 00142 6 00411."

Witness the return of Aliens: Dead Orbit for yourself over on Dark Horse Comics' website!

---------

Jughead: The Hunger #2: "(W) Frank Tieri (A) Pat Kennedy,...

As a nine-year-old kid from Compton, winning an Emmy seemed like a faraway dream for Anthony

...

Read More >...

Actress and former Scientologist Leah Remini sets out to expose the controversial religious organization in her A&E series “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath,” which has been nominated for an Emmy for Best Informational Program. But if she thinks it’s tough taking on the house that L. Ron Hubbard built, wait until she faces Anthony […]...

Watch behind-the-scenes footage from Star Wars: The Last Jedi here.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson showed behind-the-scenes footage from his upcoming December tentpole and brought some of his stars on to the stage at D23 in Anaheim, California, on Saturday.

Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro joined the director and Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn.

Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman are producing Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with J.J. Abrams, Tom Karnowski and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. The film is set to open in Us on December 15.

Horn brought Kevin Feige to the stage for a sequence on Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War, which opens on 4, 2018, and is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.

The release will mark Marvel Studios’ tenth anniversary and Feige unveiled the official 10th anniversary logo before ushering on to the stage Robert Downey Jr., [link...

Conde Nast Entertainment recently released a long-awaited incubator project called The Big Script, but that wasn’t the media company’s only major news of the week. It also announced the hire of Anthony Galloway, a content executive who comes to Cne after previously working at Vice Media.

At Cne, Galloway’s official job title will be executive producer of programming for digital video. In that role, he’ll be tasked with overseeing the production of content across multiple brands and platforms. Cne’s owned-and-operated publications, including GQ, Glamour, and Vanity Fair, share videos on the company’s propietary video platform The Scene while also utilizing YouTube, Facebook, and Snapchat. Vogue, for example, is one of the brands with a spot in Snapchat’s coveted Discover section.

Galloway will report to Cne Svp of programming Croi McNamara. “Anthony is an Emmy-winning producer with extensive experience creating engaging content for all platforms,...

Next year’s SXSW may still be months away, but the annual multi-pronged festival and conference gathering has already started rolling out a slew of impressive announcements. Next up, their third wave of Keynotes and Featured Speakers, plus 700 planned sessions for the 2017 event. Conference Keynotes now include filmmaker Gareth Edwards (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Godzilla” and “Monsters”); Adam Grant, author of “Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World”; Creative Director and L.A. Anchor for Beats 1, Zane Lowe; and Mt. Everest photographer Cory Richards. They join previously announced Keynotes, including Lee Daniels, Jennifer Doudna and Jill Soloway.

Featured Speakers now include “Transparent” actor Kathryn Hahn and global design icon Marc Jacobs, along with business and tech influencers Whitney Wolfe and Padmasree Warrior, covering subjects that range from user privacy to next-generation entertainment options.

Read More: SXSW and White House To Throw Special One-Day Festival For Creators and Innovators

“The...

When you play husband and wife day in and day out for as long as Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross have as Black-ish's Dre and Rainbow, a little bit of that pretend relationship is bound to seep into your real one. In honor tonight's season three premiere, we decided to put the two actors to the test with a little game we like to call "Married-ish." (Think The Newlywed Game.) Would Anthony remember how Tracee takes her coffee? And could Tracee recall Anthony's favorite snack from the craft services table? Who really knows their on-screen spouse best? You better watch that video above to find out. The new season of the Emmy-nominated comedy kicks off with the Johnsons taking a family trip...

Jeffrey Tambor knows a thing or two about winning awards – but that doesn't mean the excitement ever wears off.

"It never gets old," the Transparent star told People on Sunday night after becoming a back-to-back Emmy winner for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series.

"I didn't think I was going to win – I thought either Mr. [Anthony] Anderson or Mr. Aziz [Ansari] would, and I would have been fine with it!"

. Get the latest on everything entertainment now at People/Entertainment Weekly Network. It's free! Available on connected and mobile devices or just download the Pen app on your iOS or Android.

At the 2015 Emmy Awards, Anthony Anderson had a supercute night out with his teenage son, Nathan. This year, however, he gave his gorgeous daughter, Kyra, and his adorable mom, Doris, the chance to own the red carpet. The trio arrived at the Emmys ready to have fun, flashing big smiles and wrapping their arms around each other for photographers. Kyra, 20, looked absolutely gorgeous in a lacy, floral gown, while Doris wore an elegant black dress with a printed hat and coat. Anthony, who shares Kyra and Nathan with estranged wife Alvina Stewart, later had some picture-perfect moments with his Black-ish costars before partying the night away with Doris and Kyra at HBO's star-studded afterparty. Of all the cute interactions at the Emmys, we feel like the Anderson family takes the cake. Related Stories:Emmys: Here's the Complete List of 2016's Big Winners23 of the Best Pictures From Emmys Night!Hold Up,...

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War (Blu-ray)

Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson

Running Time: 2 hr 27 mins

Rating: PG-13

Due Out: September 13, 2016

Plot: (courtesy of Marvel) The most explosive clash to ever rock the Marvel Cinematic Universe ignites a firestorm of conflict in the game-changing epic, Captain America: Civil War. In the wake of collateral damage, government pressure to rein in the Avengers drives a deep wedge between Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), causing a catastrophic rift that escalates into an all-out feud. Against a backdrop of divided loyalties, their fellow Avengers must deal with the fallout. Pick a side in this spectacular adventure, packed with mind-blowing action, suspense and exclusive bonus content!

Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” is directed by Emmy Award-winning directors Anthony and Joe Russo from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely.

At the top of this morning's Horror Highlights is a Q&A with Kathryn F. Taylor, the director of The Evil Gene. We also have an excerpt from Zac Thompson's Weaponized and acquisition details for Hunting Grounds.

Q&A with Kathryn F. Taylor, Director of The Evil Gene: "Supernatural’s Richard Speight Jr. and Murder in the First’s Cameron Richardson encounter The Evil Gene this September!

Writer-director Kathryn F.Taylor’s unique carafe of suspense and spook premieres on VOD and DVD 9/6 from Uncork’d Entertainment.

FBI Agent Griff Krenshaw (Speight Jr) is sent to a top-secret prison and research facility where the U.S. government has segregated federal inmates possessing the so-called "evil gene," a rare genetic defect that triggers violent, psychotic breakdowns in those who carry it. As Griff attempts to investigate the death of the facility's head researcher, he becomes convinced that there's an evil...

Forget an Emmy Award, can give Diana Ross an Mommy Award? The R&B legend congratulated her daughter, Tracee Ellis Ross, on her first-ever Emmy nomination with an adorable ad. "Congratulations to my daughter Tracee Ellis Ross on her nomination for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on black-ish. So proud of you," the message reads in the latest issue of The Hollywood Reporter before closing with "Love, Mom and the Ross family."When Tracee, 43, was nominated last month, her beloved mother was the first person she called. "I got up and I ran and danced weirdly around my dining room,...

When Tracee Ellis Ross found out she was nominated for her very first Emmy award, the black-ish actress made sure her first phone call was to mom Diana Ross. "I got up and I ran and danced weirdly around my dining room," Ross tells People. "Then I opened my front door and I don't know where I thought I was trying to go, so I closed the door and I called my mom. She was really cute and we screamed for a little bit."In addition to her first Emmy nod, Ross, 43, has plenty to celebrate since her costar Anthony Anderson...

When Tracee Ellis Ross found out she was nominated for her very first Emmy award, the black-ish actress made sure her first phone call was to mom Diana Ross.

"I got up and I ran and danced weirdly around my dining room," Ross tells People. "Then I opened my front door and I don't know where I thought I was trying to go, so I closed the door and I called my mom. She was really cute and we screamed for a little bit."

In addition to her first Emmy nod, Ross, 43, has plenty to celebrate since her costar Anthony Anderson...

[Youtube "7uOgxfIIx"] Anthony Anderson is up for the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series - and his hilarious antics during the nomination ceremony is proof that the nod is well deserved. The 45-year-old Black-ish star helped Lauren Graham read off the names of those who were dubbed television's best and brightest this year, and the actor couldn't hold back his emotions - especially when his own comedy was tapped. Anderson reacted to many of the nominees with cheers, but it when he read his name for lead actor in a comedy series nomination, he really lost it. "Woo!" he screamed,...

Anthony Anderson is up for the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series – and his hilarious antics during the nomination ceremony is proof that the nod is well deserved.

The 45-year-old black-ish star helped Lauren Graham read off the names of those who were dubbed television's best and brightest this year, and the actor couldn't hold back his emotions – especially when his own comedy was tapped.

Anderson reacted to many of the nominees with cheers, but it when he read his name for lead actor in a comedy series nomination, he really lost it.

"Woo!" he screamed, slamming the podium as Graham,...

Burbank, Calif., July 1, 2016 — Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War has conquered both audiences and critics, debuting to $179.1 million—the fifth-biggest domestic opening of all time—and earning a 90% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. “Captain America: Civil War” is the highest-grossing film of 2016 domestically, internationally and globally, earning more than $1.14 billion at the worldwide box office. It also continues Marvel Studios’ winning streak as the 13th consecutive film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (McU) to debut at #1 at the domestic box office.

When Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War arrives early on Digital HD, Digital 3D and Disney Movies Anywhere on Sept. 2 and on Blu-ray™ 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand on Sept. 13, viewers can join the nonstop action and pick their side—Team Cap, commanded by Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), or Team Iron Man, led by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).

Rogers and Stark are joined by a star-studded...

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War has conquered both audiences and critics, debuting to $179.1 million—the fifth-biggest domestic opening of all time. When it arrives early on Digital HD, Digital 3D and Disney Movies Anywhere on Sept. 2 and on Blu-ray™ 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand on Sept. 13, viewers can join the nonstop action and pick their side—Team Cap, commanded by Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), or Team Iron Man, led by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). And don’t miss the 60+ minutes of in-depth bonus features that take viewers behind the battle lines with their favorite Super Heroes!

Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” has earned a 90% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. “Captain America: Civil War” is the highest-grossing film of 2016 domestically, internationally and globally, earning more than $1.14 billion at the worldwide box office. It also continues Marvel Studios’ winning streak as the 13th consecutive film from the Marvel Cinematic...

Those in the running for this year’s Emmys will hear their names read by a Gilmore mom and a black-ish dad.

Lauren Graham and Anthony Anderson will announce the nominees on Thursday, July 14, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The event will take place at 11:30/10:30c at the Saban Media Center in North Hollywood. This is the second year that the ceremony will happen at 8:30 am local time, instead of its previous 5:30 start.

Anderson was nominated last year for his portrayal of Dre in the ABC comedy. Gilmore Girls‘ Graham, as we recently noted, has never been nominated.

“Black-ish” star Anthony Anderson and “Parenthood” star Lauren Graham will announce the 2016 Emmy nominations on Thursday, July 14, the Television Academy announced Tuesday. “Television is enjoying the most spectacular run in its history with breakthrough creativity, emerging platforms and dynamic new opportunities for our industry’s storytellers,” said Television Academy Chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum in a statement. “We are thrilled to have Anthony and Lauren on board to help kick-off what promises to be an extraordinary Emmy season.” Rosenblum will join Graham and Anderson onstage to reveal the nominees for the 68th Emmy Awards from the Wolf Theatre at the.

Even though he isn't quite as well known in America as he is in the U.K., Ricky Gervais is one of the biggest names in comedy. Lately, he has had a good string of luck both as producer and actor with Netflix, having had multiple projects find a home there. As it turns out, Netflix seems to love him as well, because they have just closed another deal and it's a big one.

Gervais took to his Twitter to make the announcement today that Netflix had bought the rights to David Brent: Life on the Road, which is based on his character from the original British version of The Office. He also noted that the film will be playing in select theaters in the U.K. come August. Gervais went on the Opie and Anthony radio show to share the news with them, and he had some very kind words for Netflix. Here is what he had to say.

"This is exciting news and this is top secret so I'm gonna say it now. Netflix have bought out the rest of the world again. So everyone's gonna see it. Which is great for me because I'd rather 20 million people see it than half a million people see it in cinemas. Do you know what I mean? Because I want to do tours off the back of it. So for me it's great."

Back on April 7, Gervais released a trailer for the upcoming mockumentary that will see his character from The Office going on the road to perform in a band. The brand of humor from the trailer is right in line with what fans have come to expect from Gervais and more specifically what fans of The Office know and love about the character of David Brent. Life On The Road will likely draw some inspiration from the YouTube videos Gervis did in which he would make instructional guitar videos as Brent.

Netflix has worked with Gervais several times in the past, most recently on the movie Special Correspondents which starred Eric Bana. Though that wasn't particularly well received, he also did his show Derek for Netflix, which was nominated for an Emmy at one point. There is no word on how much Netflix paid for the rights to Life On The Road, but lately they have been dropping some serious money on exclusive movies, so odds are Gervais just got a pretty decent payday.

The original British The Office became a smash, cult TV hit after it was co-created by Gervais and his long time collaborator Stephen Merchant. The show found new life after the American version took off and wound up running for nine seasons, and Steve Carell took up Brent's mantle as Michael Scott for seven seasons, for which he was nominated for several Emmys. No word yet on when David Brent: Life On The Road will hit Netflix, but based on the U.K. cinema run being scheduled for August, we can guess you can expect it around that time.

You can only see #LifeOnTheRoad in the UK & Australia in Cinemas, this August. Netflix have it for the rest of the world from next year.

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) June 14, 2016

Exclusive: First teaser trailer for #LifeOnTheRoad. #BrentsBackhttps://t.co/UMsWL1Upqy

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) April 7, 2016...

“I’ve made a huge mistake.” Nah, this was most certainly on purpose. The Russo Brothers buried a pretty obscure Easter egg in Captain America: Civil War, and for fans of the late, great series Arrested Development, it was a sight to behold. A Twitter user named Janel Drewis spotted the Bluth’s famed stair car during the superhero movie in the only place it wouldn’t be noticed…on the airport tarmac. The Russo brothers, who directed Civil War, also directed a few eps of Arrested Development so pic.twitter.com/lj0EYCfenG — Janel Drewis (@the_jan_man) May 17, 2016 Anthony and Joe Russo together directed the pilot of the Emmy-winning series. Separately they directed more than 10 episodes of the show. Perhaps the Russos will sneak in G.O.B.’s Segway into their next project, Avengers: Infinity War? Dare to dream.

For over 30 years Sundance Institute has been an iconic organization providing opportunities and resources to independent filmmakers and those that want to support them. Their two flagship programs are the renowned Screenwriters Lab and the Directors Lab, which allow up-and-coming artists to interact and receive mentorship from successful and acclaimed members of the film industry. To say that being part of one these programs is a once in a lifetime opportunity is an understatement. The proof is in the undeniable quality of the projects that are shaped during the labs and that eventually become part of the cinematic conversation.

While fostering talent is what Sundance Institute does best, they are one of the institutions that most diligently reinforces their commitment to provide opportunities for new voices that represent an eclectic array of backgrounds and experiences. In order to cast their net of support even wider, the institute offers numerous exciting programs beyond those that are already well-known in the filmmaking community. As part of Sundance Institute's Diversity Initiative, the Screenwriters Intensive is an invaluable resource that focuses on stories outside of the homogenous fare.

The program is a 1 1/2 day workshop for writers whose work has been encountered by the institute as part of their outreach for the Labs and which they find especially promising. The writers of 10 projects take part in a program whose elements include a hands-on writing workshop led by creative advisor Joan Tewkesbury (“Nashville”), a screening of a recent Sundance film followed by a candid conversation with the filmmaker, a reception with Sundance staff and the extended Sundance community, and one-on-one meetings with two creative advisors to get feedback on their script. With the Intensive, the Sundance Institute aims to present participants with creative tools that they can take back to their own work, provide a space for dialogue and information sharing about the creative process of making a film (and all of the joys and challenges therein), and foster community among storytellers and an ongoing connection with Sundance.

The screening this year was Andrew Ahn's "Spa Night," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January and has now been picked up for U.S distribution by Strand Releasing. Centered on the conflicted son of a Korean immigrant couple in Los Angeles, Ahn's subtle yet poignant narrative deals with issues of identity both sexual and cultural. For the second day of the workshop, the fellows had one-on-one meetings with celebrated figures in independent cinema: Miranda July, Jennifer Salt, Deena Goldstone, Patricia Cardoso, Pete Sollett, Dana Stevens, Tanya Hamilton, Ligiah Villalobos, Scott Neustadter, and Kyle Patrick Alvarez

The Screenwriters Intensive fellows come from uniquely different backgrounds, and their projects bring original stories that are sure to showcase new and inventive perspectives on the world. Get to know them and their stories as they are on their way to giving us a great batch of new independent films.

The application for the 2017 January Screenwriters Lab is currently open with a deadline of May 3. Applicants for the Screenwriters Lab are also considered for the Screenwriters Intensive, Sundance Institute Asian American Fellowship, and the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program Latino Fellowship, as eligibility allows. To learn more about the Sundance Institute's programs visit Here.

Khalik Allah

Project: "Kareem"

Khalik Allah is a self taught filmmaker and photographer. His work has been described as visceral, hauntingly beautiful, penetrative and profoundly personal. Photography and filmmaking are two overlapping circles that form a venn diagram in Allah’s mind; the area where they overlap is the space he inhabits as an artist. Allah’s cinematic vignettes document hardscrabble life at the corner of 125th Street and Lexington Avenue in Harlem (New York City), most recently in his award-winning documentary Field Niggas, which screened at festivals worldwide.

Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.

My project is in an incredibly early stage. I'm basically taking the last four years of my life as a photographer on 125th and Lex and adapting it into a fiction narrative.

Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?

The most important thing was the mutual inspiration we gave each other. The lab advisors helped us dig deeper into ourselves. Their faith in us was tremendous. I took away a new lease on my future.

Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?

I met with Miranda July on day two of the lab. Wow she was incredible. She read my entire script and gave me many productive notes. I was impressed that she gave me so much time. Plenty of useful information I can implement.

Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?

I must keep writing.

Zia Anger

Project: "Despues De"

Zia Anger is a filmmaker and music video director. Her most recent short, "My Last Film," premiered at the 53rd New York Film Festival. In 2015, her short "I Remember Nothing" had its world premiere at New Directors/New Films and its international premiere at Festival del film Locarno. Other screenings include: AFI Fest, Denver Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Basilica Soundscape, Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, and Vienna Independent Shorts. She has made music videos for various independent artists, including Angel Olsen, Julianna Barwick, and Jenny Hval, the latter of whom she also tours with, projecting live video and participating as a performer. Her music videos have been featured in various online publications including: Pitchfork, the Guardian, and NPR. In 2015, Anger was included in Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film" issue. She was a 2015 fellow in film/video from the New York Foundation for the Arts. In 2008, she was the recipient of the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant for her short film "Lover Boy." She holds a BA/Bs from Ithaca College and a Mfa from The School of the Arts Institute of Chicago.

Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.

"Despues De" is about a missing white woman, a mother and daughter who try to find her, and the days leading up to her disappearance on a sorority vacation. It dissects the very particular mythological figures created by our tabloid crazed culture, white women's obsessions with themselves and each other, and the people and places who are alienated in their wake. I would say the project is creatively at the point where it's similar to someone in their late twenties, when you think "wow I know a lot, but fuck there is so much more and I'm open to that," as opposed to "I just turned 21 and I literally know it all." Artistically it calls for a certain amount of precision where high and low brow filmmaking techniques kind of collapse on to each other and end up smooching.

Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?

Joan seems to have figured out a really simple way to help even the most stubborn of (non) writers reenter their work at a time when it might seem impossible. What's cool is that once you do it it's really easy to do again. I'm thinking that having this point of access will be crucial to the continued creative development of the piece, beyond writing and moving in to those difficult creative moments onset, in the editing room, all those places you normally forget everything you've already figured out.

Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?

Immediately it's exciting to sit the the same room with someone who speaks the same alien language as you but who has had the experience deal with people who don't. I think it was Bergman or someone who talked about how inadequate a script can be, considering it's just this middle step. I find myself so disillusioned with this middle step and constantly questioning what exactly it's supposed to function as. It's a good exercise to talk through what is important and what should be more developed and also where you can cut the fat.

Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?

Probably keep learning.

Chris Benson

Project: "Death of Innocence"

Christopher Benson, a journalist and lawyer, is an associate professor of Journalism and African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has worked as a city hall reporter in Chicago for Wbmx-fm, as Washington Editor for Ebony magazine, and as a speechwriter for Washington, D.C. politicians, including former Congressman Harold Washington and Eeoc Chair Clarence Thomas. He also has written for Chicago, Savoy, Jet, and The Crisis magazines, and has contributed to the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Chicago Sun-Times. Most recently, he has written commentary on justice, race and media for the Chicago Reporter and the Huffington Post. His Chicago Reporter series on the wrongful murder conviction of Anthony Dansberry contributed to Dansberry’s release from prison (after serving 23 years) and earned Benson a Peter Lisagor Award for exemplary journalism. Benson also was a co-writer and associate producer of the Wttw Channel 11 documentary "Paper Trail: 100 Years of the Chicago Defender," and was named on two of the documentary’s three regional Emmy Awards, as well as another Lisagor Award. Benson is co-author with Mamie Till-Mobley of "Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America," the account of the 1955 lynching of Mrs. Till-Mobley’s son, Emmett Till, and the winner of the 2003 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award Special Recognition. The feature adaptation of the book will be executive produced by Chaz Ebert and Shatterglass Films

Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.

Our project is titled "Death of Innocence" and it is the screen adaptation of a book I co-authored with the late Mamie Till-Mobley about the life and tragic death of her son, Emmett Till. Through this project that focuses on the brutal 1955 lynching of a 14 year-old kid, we want to help people make connections between the violent enforcement of racial segregation and the shooting deaths of young African American males by people who still are getting away with it in our contemporary moment. We also want to show how one person—in this case, Mamie Till-Mobley—can make a difference in the struggle for social and legal justice in America. This clearly is a challenge we still face and we need to learn lessons from some of the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. That is what we are trying to show with this picture.

Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?

One of the many things I have taken away from the first day of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab is that I have to take ownership of the characters who populate this story—even this story based on true events and real people. As a professional journalist, I have spent years trying to keep a distance from the issues I write about and the people who humanize those stories, who breathe life into them. Despite cynical public opinion, journalists do go after the truth. In screenwriting, we are going after the essential truth. What is the meaning of everything that appears on the screen? So, even in stories based on real events, we are not simply cataloguing a series of facts in a sequence of scenes. We are supposed to find the story that rises from all those facts. The essential truth. The true meaning. That will affect my screenwriting for some time beyond the successful completion of this project.

Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?

I have to say that the coordinators of the Sundance Lab experience clearly put a lot of care and thought into developing a perfect match of advisors and fellows. The second day discussions with my advisors was phenomenal. As with the Sundance organizers, they had read the script very carefully and approached my sessions with a devotion to maintaining the integrity of the story, and helping fulfill the purpose we had set out to accomplish. It was amazing to listen to the comments that reflected a deep appreciation of the characters, the story and even the potential impact of this piece. I was especially struck by the connection my advisors felt with the main character, Mamie Till-Mobley, and the advice I was given to develop her and her motivation to a level that will result in quite a powerful rendering. I can't wait to get started on the notes.

Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?

My plan is to work with the notes I was given to consider ways to perfect the script. My advisors have indicated an interest in staying in touch on this, so that ongoing conversation will be great. The first step I am taking after the Sundance Lab is to engage in discussions with the other producers on our project to ensure that we all on the same page. Next will be to coordinate with the collaborators on the script to talk about the ideas that have emerged from the lab experience. Finally, I will begin to interpret it all on the page, and I am eager to see where the story takes me.

Shakti Bhagchandani

Project: "Purdah"

Shakti Bhagchandani is a screenwriter/director born and raised in the United Arab Emirates. She grew up in Dubai, in a melting pot of religion and culture, and cultivated her writing abilities with the help of her mother. She travelled to London to pursue a BA in English Literature at King's College London and while there she was awarded the prestigious Jelf Medal for her contributions to art and charity. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she interned at the Vineyard Theatre in New York, the Gate Theatre and National Theatre Studio in London, and the Antenna Theatre in San Francisco. She directed a number of student and semi professional plays, including "Fanny & Faggot" by Jack Thorne and "Pornography" by Simon Stephens. After graduation she moved to New York to pursue an Mfa in Screenwriting & Directing at Columbia University. She is currently in her thesis years, specializing in Screenwriting under advisor Trey Ellis. While at Columbia, she has worked on a number of shorts, and as a writer her last short "Khargosh" screened at Palm Springs International ShortFest and won the Satyajit Ray Award at the London Indian Film Festival. Her first feature screenplay, "Bidoun", was shortlisted for the Sundance Screenwriter's Lab 2015, and her current feature project "Purdah" has been selected for the Sundance Screenwriter's Intensive Lab in La. She recently wrapped production on her short "LostFound" that she wrote and directed, and is currently in preproduction for her next short "Tunisian Jasmine" which is set in the UAE.

Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular. .

'Purdah' is a coming of age drama that follows a 16-year-old British Pakistani girl as she grapples with her burgeoning womanhood and her precarious sexuality in a world built on segregation and coercion. The project is currently in development.

Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?

The first day of the lab included one of the most invigorating writing workshops I've ever been a part of. Joan is a miracle worker! She guided us through a haze of snowploughs, dream sequences and inner monologues, and by the end of it I had somehow come up with about 20 new scene ideas. Characters I had neglected before were suddenly infused with new life and the possibilities for the story feels limitless. Andrew's film and the discussion afterwards was intensely inspiring and the perfect way to round off the day - he helped us believe that the future of our projects is entirely real and attainable.

Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?.

Patricia and Dana are wonderful! It was amazing to sit across from these incredible, passionate women - they were nurturing, encouraging and boundlessly generous with their advice. They talked about their own trajectories and experiences. They motivated me to dig deeper, to fine tune every detail, and to have faith in myself and the project. They came at my script from completely different angles, offering story notes, a ton of production thoughts, and advice on how to move forward with not only the script, but also my career.

Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?

Revise, revise, revise. And then revise again. The lab helped me see how much potential this story has and how much work it still needs. There is so much left to unearth and I'm excited to get started.

Reinaldo Marcus Green

Project: "Monsters and Men"

New York native Reinaldo Marcus Green is a writer, director, and producer. He is currently a thesis student at Nyu Tisch Graduate Film School and writing his first feature narrative, "Monsters and Men." Most recently, he was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film (2015). His latest short film "Stop," which he wrote, produced, and directed, premiered as an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2015. His previous short film, "Stone Cars," shot on a micro-budget in South Africa, had its international premiere as an official Cinéfondation selection at the Festival de Cannes 2014.

Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.

At its core, "Monsters and Men" is a story about perspective.

The film consists of three interlocking stories, each told through the point-of-view of three protagonists -- Manny, a street hustler, Stacey, a female police officer, and Zyric, a high school athlete.

When Manny captures an illegal act of police violence on his cellphone, he unwittingly sets off a series of events that will alter the course of each of their lives...

"Monsters and Men's" three chapters connect narratively and thematically, painting a portrait of modern-day Brooklyn -- a community caught in the crosswinds of crime, police corruption, and social instability.

We’re in the final stage of development, planning to shoot this summer 2016 in Brooklyn, New York. We hope to cast the net wide and far in order to provide opportunities for new undiscovered talent, and new exciting voices. The ideal cast would be a mix of professional and non-professional actors. New York is full of immense diverse talent we can’t wait to work with.

As a filmmaker, my goal is to tell powerful, urgently-needed and authentic stories. I see a unique opportunity to challenge the status quo of independent cinema, to craft entertaining stories with heart and meaning - films which possess social relevance, emotional complexity and thematic resonance.

Ultimately, its my hope to create a highly-compelling narrative feature, entertaining to watch, but one which will add to the social conversation about law enforcement, violence, and justice in America. We want to share that experience with audiences in other places in the world, by giving rise to growing communities who are often marginalized and whose stories are rarely seen in film.

Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?

First and foremost, I felt very lucky to be a part of such an amazingly talented group of filmmakers, with a broad range of diverse projects, across all genres. It was fascinating to see where my script fits in the larger spectrum, and what I realized is that each and every story at the lab was an outlier. Each writer had a singular voice, a unique take on genre, character, story, and structure.

The Lesson: “Come in from the side.”

During Day One at the lab, I felt I threw out any preconceived notions I had about my own script. It allowed me to digress and deconstruct without internally combusting. Joan Tewkesbury, a true master at her craft, went right to the core of who we were as human beings, ultimately going right into the core of who and what our scripts were all about, and what they have the potential to become. I think fear is something that holds most people back, the same fear that the world was once flat and we would sail off the edge. Joan refocused my center of gravity and provided me with tools to “access” that inner child, be playful and to keep digging.

Character is at the core of who we are and what makes us human. The digger we deep, the more we reveal about ourselves. I believe in that if I continue the excavation process, with delicate precision, and a gentle curiosity, it will serve me well in all my writing. I can’t be afraid to find out who I am underneath the surface, although sometime we bury things for a reason — because we don’t want to go there — there’s pain hidden in various forms. In writing, there’s a seemingly impenetrable darkness and then there’s light.

Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?

The opportunity to sit down with Peter Sollett and Tanya Hamilton was truly a special treat for me. Not only did are they both masters of their craft and highly-regarded writers and directors within their own right, I had been a big fan of their work before meeting them. Peter’s short film "Five Feet High and Rising," which he later turned into a feature, "Raising Victor Vargas" are two works that I admire deeply, and they have been a source for inspiration since the genius of the project.

Both Peter and Tanya are so sharp and so astute, it makes for brilliant analysis and conversation.

They have a slightly different approach to story, but essentially meet somewhere in the middle; Character. With both advisors, we really stepped back from the script — taking a birds eye view of what the film really means to me and how and what the best way to achieve telling it would be moving forward. We talked a lot about character, world, and theme.

Tanya and Peter both offered many ideas for “problem solving” — helping me hone in on areas in the script that could be refined and strengthened. It’s evident in their own work how much they care about the craft — both offering truly thoughtful insight and perspective into how each scene could advance the story. We discussed ways to deepen characters and how to build a compelling and complex world without compromising my voice, or the story I want to tell.

Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?

I think the simplest answer is to just keep writing. There’s still a ton of information to digest from the lab but the key is to not get bogged down in semantics, to move beyond the fear and paralysis that we create for ourselves. It’s time to problem solve, lock myself in a room and just write. More coffee please.

Jessie Kahnweiler

Project: "Meet My Rapist"

Jessie Kahnweiler has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, TMZ, People, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Magazine, Mashable, Buzzfeed, Elle, The Daily Beast, Jezebel, Indiewire, La Weekly, The Huffington Post, and The Independent. At the University of Redlands, Kahnweiler quickly began ditching class in order to make documentaries. For her thesis film, Little America, she hitchhiked across the country to explore the world of America’s truck drivers. After getting dumped, she wrote and co-directed the comedic short "Baby Love," co-starring alongside "Anchorman’s" David Koechner. Kahnweiler was selected for the 6 Points Artist Fellowship which inspired her comedic web series entitled "Dude, Where’s my Chutzpah?" Her short "Meet my Rapist," a dark comedy about running into her rapist at the Farmers’ Market, inspired her live show "The Rape Girl." Kahnweiler confronted her own white privilege in her viral hit "Jessie Gets Arrested." Her latest project, for which she serves as writer, director, and stars, is "The Skinny," a dark comedic series based on her 10 year relationship with bulimia. It premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and is produced by Refinery29 and Jill Soloway’s Wifey.tv Kahnweiler lives in La with her plants.

Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.

Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular. My project is called "Meet My Rapist" and it is loosely based on a short film I made of the same name a few years ago. After the short had it's 15 minutes online I was moving on to other projects but I felt this gnawing at my gut. I tried to ignore it, popped some advil, and went to yoga but that gnawing just wouldn't stop. That annoying painful gnawing was the beginnings of this script. I've been working on the script on and off for about a year. I'm at the stage where I need to take out most of the flippant jokes and get to the real meat of the matter - the heart, the pain. I need to live and cry this story out. Because the project is so personal it is easy for me to get lost in it. Sometimes I forget where I end and my characters begin. So being at the Sundance lab is great timing. I feel totes blessed.

Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?

That I can't hide behind my jokes. After writing in a feeling state all day our amazing teaching Joan looked at me and was like "Your movie is a song and you gotta hit the bass notes." I was like Mic Drop. I love the challenge of making something that is a comedy based in the tragedy of human reality. That is my north star for this movie. I'm not sure if I will get there but that's where I'll be heading.

Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?

It was incredible to take a deep dive into the script with women who so deeply understand screenwriting from the inside out. The feedback was never like "do it My way" it was more about ripping open the guts of the script and getting to that deeper level. Okay this happens but Why? Screenwriting can be so daunting like "I need write the perfect thing so I can get an agent so I can get hired etc. " and the process can be so lonely and daunting . But in both my sessions we just talked about human behavior and what makes people tick and it reminded me that filmmaking is magic and I'm really lucky to be here. Also a woman, it was inspiring to meet with other women who are living my dream. Who are feeling for a living. In both my sessions I laughed, cried, and go to ask as many questions I wanted it. It was basically my ideal Tinder date.

Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?

I'm going to keep working on drafts of the script, keep sharing it with people I trust, keep begging Sundance to let me come over and eat bagels, keep pitching it to anyone who will listen, keep crying, keep feeling, keep making my movie.

Allison Lee

Project: "Jawbone"

Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Los Angeles, Allison Lee studied English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. She received her Mfa in Film and Television Production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Upon graduation, she worked in development and production at DreamWorks and NBCUniversal. Lee has received grants from the Media Action Network and the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences. She was also named a Project Involve fellow, and her short The Grizzly was produced by Film Independent. In 2015, she was one of five screenwriters who received a residency through the inaugural Hedgebrook Screenwriters Lab, where she was mentored by Jenny Bicks and Jane Anderson.

Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.

"Jawbone" is about a Korean woman who undergoes drastic plastic surgery as a means to achieve what she and her peers view as success. After she gives birth to a daughter who looks nothing like her, her life begins to unravel and she’s forced to confront her past.

I am currently grappling with rewrites while meeting with potential producers and crew.

I see "Jawbone" as a hybrid of Korean cinema and American independent film. Korean movies relish the tension in tightly wound familial and social relationships. I think my personal connection to this fabric helps me discern and explore where the similarities and differences to American culture begin and end. I also think the best American independent films underscore the universality of specific personal stories, and I aspire to follow in this tradition.

Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?

I felt transformed by the sessions with Joan Tewkesbury. She pushed us to bare our souls and delve into our histories to deliver stories that were truthful and specific. My biggest fear about "Jawbone" is that a few extreme events in the plot would read as absurdist melodrama. Relating these events back to some of my own crises helped me re-center the emotional truth of my characters and their journeys.

Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?

It was crucial to work with filmmakers who knew the Sundance aesthetic and had weathered the challenges before us. I knew the script needed improvement but had a hazy vision of what it required. Tanya Hamilton’s notes were both encouraging and precise about galvanizing and concretizing the protagonist’s journey. Patricia Cardoso, with her directorial and producerial expertise, reminded me that my artistic flights of fancy should still be grounded in reality and be economical and pragmatic. The breadth of their approaches made me feel like I was getting the best of all worlds.

Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?

I am hustling on a rewrite ready to be seen by producers and representatives. Ultimately, I want to direct "Jawbone," and I am also working on a short film version.

Eliza Lee

Project: "A Beautiful Lie"

Educated in Canada and the Czech Republic, Eliza Lee began in Asia as a Dp trainee before returning to her first passion: screenwriting. She takes great pride in world building for her complex women characters. Lee’s feature, Maybe Tomorrow, about rock legend Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, is being produced by Michelle Sy ("Finding Neverland") and Sophia Chang (former artist manager for Wu Tang Clan), with Academy Award nominee Steph Green ("Run & Jump") attached to direct. Lee’s screenplay, "A Beautiful Lie," about crime novelist Patricia Highsmith, was honored at the 2015 Athena Film Festival, and was also selected for the 2015 Outfest Screenwriting Lab. In addition, she was a Cape 2015 Film & Television Fellow and was mentored by various executives from Sony, Paramount, and Fox, among others. Lee has several features and television projects in development. She is the 2016 Sundance Institute Asian American Fellow.

Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.

When Strangers on the Train was published in 1950 and with the anticipation for it to be turned into a film by Alfred Hitchcock, Patricia Highsmith was catapulted into the literary spotlight. Here she thought was her opportunity to break free of the crime genre and finally write her Great American novel. Except, it was at the height of McCarthy’s witch hunt, and her Great American novel would become the iconic lesbian tale, The Price of Salt. In the book, Patricia defiantly gave her lesbian main characters a happy ending together, but faced with the real threat of being blacklisted, she is forced to publish it under a pseudonym. This decision would send her down a path of alcoholism, promiscuity and loneliness as she realized she would not have the happy ending she wrote.

With this story, I knew it had to come from the seminal moment in her life. And for me, it is when she braved writing The Price of Salt at a time where being who you are and believing in what you do can land you in jail, exile or financial ruin. She had to deny her nature, and coupled with a growing rage it would breed the infamous “monster” that would come to define her in her later years.

While her male peers have enjoyed forgiving, pedestal descriptors like "troubled", "complex" or the genius "l'enfant terrible", Highsmith was shown no such generosity.

On top of that, I am struck how often pictures of her old age are published displaying her alcohol and anger ravaged face. We made that. Juxtapose those with photos of Highsmith at 21, so full of hope, vitality and ready for all the wonders of love, and it is clear - she was born this way. "A Beautiful Lie" is about a woman’s quest for love when it was a crime.

Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?

Specifically, I learned I hide behind fiction or through my characters and not have to admit the narrative comes from a personal place. Through an incredibly safe and nurturing environment on the first day, Joan Tewksbury led us through a series of spontaneous and revelatory writing exercises that at first seemed random, but without time to allow the self-censor to kick in, the writing showcased how many more complex layers we can apply to our characters through our uninhibited sharing of our personal experiences. As a result, because the stories come from us, they are inherently going to be personal. It was like sleight of hand for the imagination.

Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?

The advisors were there to help us tell the story we want to tell. And the one-on-one sessions were focused solely on the writing, and was intended to be a dialogue. It was humbling to learn the tremendous amount of time they took to burrow deep into our scripts. I was thoroughly empowered by what these writers offered me, and excited that I could challenge such seasoned pros with my perspective and approach to telling a story. Ligiah Villalobos dared me to linger longer in emotional scenes and to take my pursuit for emotional truths for my character even further. While Scott Neustadter and I discussed much about memories as structure, he also pushed me to defy a note i have received that my character is “unlikable” and to allow her to have even more anti-hero moments. i concluded my last day at the Intensive with their voices unifying in the same sentiment: they have a good feeling the film will be made.

Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?

Through the Sundance Intensive, I have a clear idea of what is my next step, and that is to apply another layer of shading to my portrait of Patricia Highsmith. I’m anxious to keep the momentum going, and then take it out to talent. I’m going to realize this film.

Jimmy Mosqueda

Project: "Valedictorian"

Jimmy Mosqueda is a lifelong California resident, the son of two Mexican migrant workers, and a graduate of Stanford University. From an early age he showed a fondness for writing, starting his first journal at the age of five, which developed into a passion for writing short stories, poetry and eventually screenplays. While attending Stanford on a full scholarship, Mosqueda saw how social class and race influenced the experiences of his fellow students, which made him realize just how much the American educational system is intimately tied to those pillars. The intersection of race, class, and education remains an ongoing theme in his works. Today, Mosqueda lives in Los Angeles and writes full-time. His screenplays have placed in numerous contests, including as a finalist in the Austin Film Festival, Script Pipeline and TrackingB competitions, and as a semifinalist in the Nicholl Fellowship. He’s represented by Angelina Chen and Brooklyn Weaver of Energy Entertainment, and is actively developing projects for film and television.

Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.

"Valedictorian" is dark teen comedy in the vein of "Election" and "Heathers." It’s about an ambitious teenage girl who do anything to be crowned valedictorian of her high school, including a little bit of murder. So, you know, just like real high school! I started writing this project about three years ago. It was inspired by my own school experiences, where everyone on the Honors track was super competitive and had their sights set on the Ivy League. Readers respond positively to the comedy and the heightened world of the script, which is great, but one thing I felt got buried underneath the multitude of drafts is the emotional core of the main character. So during the Intensive my main goal was to rediscover who she was and, building out from that, the reason why I wanted to tell this story in the first place.

Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?

The most important thing I learned from the workshop with Joan Tewkesbury is that creative development is not about brainstorming characters or story points. All of us have unique, personal experiences and emotions that can form the building blocks of a story. You really have to look inward and tap that raw data, or else run the risk of your story ringing hollow. A lot of artists understand this intuitively, I believe, but Joan’s workshop laid it out in such clear and simple terms. For my next draft of "Valedictorian," I’m going to use these techniques as a stress test, but in all honesty I want to go back and revisit every project I ever worked on using this approach now.

Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?

My advisors were the bee’s knees, if I can be so blunt. My first session was with Scott Neustadter, who along with his writing partner has written a lot of films with teen lead characters. He very clearly understood what the script was, and gave very specific, actionable notes on how to improve what’s already there. I love how he was able to cut through and really get at the core issues of script, which were mostly the same issues I had going in. Scott is killing the screenwriting game right now. His insights were invaluable.

My second session was with Kyle Patrick Alvarez. We spent a lot of time talking about the main character, her motivation, her relationships, and how she “earns” the big moments/twists in the script. We also spent some time talking bigger picture about the industry and how to build a career in Hollywood, which was very much appreciated. Additionally, it was great getting the perspective of another Latino in the industry.

Both men were truly gracious with their time. I left both sessions feeling inspired!

Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?

After stepping off Cloud 9, it’s back to the computer and working on a new draft of "Valedictorian." In addition, I will also be tackling a new draft of the pilot version. It’s the same world and characters, but with a different engine that is geared towards episodic narrative. Many of the notes I got from Scott and Kyle apply to the pilot version as well, so it’s like getting two for the price of one!

Finally, I just want to thank everyone involved with putting together the Intensive: Ilyse McKimmie, Michelle Satter, Anne Lai, Shira Rockowitz and everyone at the Sundance Institute who made this possible. I am forever grateful for the experience.

Lotfy Nathan

Project: Untitled Bouazizi Project

Lotfy Nathan’s first film, the documentary "12 O’Clock Boys," played over 50 film festivals worldwide, including SXSW, Sundance Next Fest, Lincoln Center, Viennale, Hot Docs, London, and Copenhagen in 2013. It was ranked 7 in the BFI list of top 20 documentaries of 2013, and garnered Nathan an HBO Emerging Artist award. "12 O’Clock Boys" was subsequently picked up by Oscilloscope for a North American release in theaters, acquired by Showtime for television, and was optioned for a fiction remake by Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment. Nathan is a 2015 grantee of the Creative Capital Foundation, a resident filmmaker at the Cinereach Foundation, and a previous awardee of the Garrett Scott development grant, the Peter Reed Foundation, the Grainger Marburg travel grant, and an Ifp fellowship.

Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.

The film is about Mohamed Bouazizi, the young Tunisian fruit vendor whose act of self-immolation sparked the Arab spring. It’s a love story, apolitical (as the subject of our protagonist was); about a young man’s steady undoing, and his final bittersweet act of defiance. The film will be shot on location, with cast selected locally besides the principles, and filmed with an immersive approach.

Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?

We were encouraged to draw from very specific personal experiences, prompted by Joan It was incredible to learn these tools, which enable you to tap into vast resources from your own life that you can then apply to the writing- and so vividly. I think the writing exercises with Joan actually stirred a very unusual dream for me that night.

Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?

The advisors were very motivating. I left with pages of notes on my writing, tangible pieces of smart advice that will help inform the next draft.

Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?

Before getting back to work on the script I plan to do some other writing on the characters.

Show co-creator D.B. Weiss talks about walking the tightrope of success and braving new narrative territory in the new season of HBO’s Game Of Thrones and Isaac Hempstead Wright sneaks the return of Bran Stark as the fantasy genre takes the spotlight in the new issue of Famous Monsters magazine, featuring new and exclusive interviews with the creative forces behind Captain America: Civil War, Warcraft, The Huntsman: Winter’S War, and Penny Dreadful. Plus, Harry Hamlin exclusively talks Clash Of The Titans, and The Howling director Joe Dante and star Dee Wallace remember their horror classic, on the 35th anniversary of both films.

Excerpts From The All-new D.B. Weiss Interview In FM #285:

The co-creator of Game Of Thrones talks about moving into uncharted narrative territory on the Emmy-winning HBO juggernaut and reveals “how the sausage is made” with learning-curve musings and new details in our exclusive Official FM Interview.

This Sunday, actress Diane Baker will appear at Film Forum in New York to discuss her 50-plus year career in film and television with film historian Foster Hirsch. On Monday at 8:00pm she will again be at Film Forum to introduce a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1964 film Marnie.

Still just in her mid-twenties, actress Diane Baker found herself one morning in the unfamiliar surroundings of Alma and Alfred Hitchcock’s Brentwood kitchen. They ate peaches around the kitchen table and discussed director Hitchcock’s next picture – Marnie. “I was offered the part without reading the script,” Baker told me on the phone from an apparently sunny San Francisco. “I just happily accepted. Whatever it was, I was going to do it.” But looking back who can blame her? This was, of course, the director whose five previous films had been The Birds, Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo and The Wrong Man,...

If you're like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don't worry; we've got you covered. Here's the best of what happened last night on late night.

On Monday night, Josh Groban sang Donald Trump tweets. Tuesday night, Kelly Clarkson sang real Tinder profiles on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." The original "American Idol" winner can sing the heck out of anything, and she really Sold those wacky profiles. (Go for the girl who loves her hairless cat, baking cookies, and smoking blunts!) Over on "The Tonight Show," Taraji P. Henson and Jimmy Fallon played a crazy game of "Fast Family Feud." The "Empire" star got a little buzzer-happy -- she was happy in general and very energetic. Love her answers. And remember, hide the drugs when guests come over! (Someone tell that Tinder girl who loves smoking blunts.

From Star Wars and Captain America to Pirates Of The Caribbean and Alice Through The Looking Glass, Disney, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm presented their live action film slates this morning at the D23 Expo 2015 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.

The presentations, which revealed exclusive news and details about the upcoming live action films, were aided by live and video appearances from talent and filmmakers. Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn hosted the highly anticipated biennial event.

“It’s quite something to be able to have Disney, Marvel and Lucasfilm all on the same stage, and it’s tremendously gratifying to unveil our upcoming projects to our most dedicated fans first,” said Alan Horn, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. “We always have an incredible time at the D23 Expo.”

After welcoming the crowd to D23 Expo 2015, Horn introduced Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, and Sean Bailey, President...

Anthony Anderson (ABC)

"Black-ish" star Anthony Anderson scored his first Emmy nomination on Thursday, and despite being on a layover when he learned the news, he was beyond elated.

"I am completely over the moon right now," he told Access Hollywood on his London Heathrow stopover as he reacted to his Emmy nom for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, for playing family patriarch Andre "Dre" Johnson in ABC's "black-ish."

Anthony will resume production on his hit comedy's second season later this summer, but he's already received a hearty congratulations from his co-stars, who ...

Copyright 2015 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

"Black-ish" fans, did you miss any of our exclusive chats with the cast and crew of ABC's freshman hit comedy? We've listed them all below for your viewing pleasure, including our interviews with stars Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross and producers Kenya Barris and Jonathan Groff. -Break- Watch almost 200 video chats with 2015 Emmy contenders Anthony Anderson on how his life inspired "Black-ish": "Kenya is from Inglewood, California. I'm from Compton, California. Both are inner-city hoods here in Los Angeles. We're both first-generation successful, all of our children being in private school, being the only African-Americans in our neighborhood … So we shared these stories with one another, and six weeks later, Kenya came back to me and said, 'Anthony, I think I have a show for us to do.'" Tracee Ellis Ross on playing more than the stereotypical sitcom wife: "This is not the old-sc..."...

Welcome to the fourth installment of our summer trip through "The Sopranos" season 1. When I revisited early seasons of "The Wire," as well as the whole run of "Deadwood," I did separate versions of each review for newcomers and veterans, but over time realized that the newcomers weren't commenting much, if at all, and that it therefore made sense to simply do one review. Any significant spoilers for episodes beyond the one being reviewed will be contained in a separate section at the end of the review; so long as you avoid that, and the comments, you should be fine. Thoughts on the fourth episode, "Meadowlands," coming up just as soon as I take a five minute cool down period... "Here we go: the War of '99." -Big Pussy Later seasons of "The Sopranos" would wax and wane in their interest in the mob stories — particularly in comparison to many...

The next time General Hospital‘s Luke leaves town, it’s going to be for good. (No, really.)

Gh vet Anthony Geary will exit the ABC soap for good when his current contract is up, he tells TVInsider.

Geary will shoot the daytime drama through late June; his episodes will air through late July.

“I’m just weary of the grind and have been for 20 years,” says the Emmy winner, who has won eight trophies for playing Luke Spenser since 1978. “I really don’t want to die, collapsing in a heap, on that Gh set one day. That wouldn’t be too poetic.

Hollywood is ready to invade President Barack Obama's house! Your favorite stars from the big and small screen are ready to pack their bags and travel to Washington D.C. to attend the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner—aka "the Nerd Prom"—on April 25. While many media companies are still finalizing their star-studded guest lists, we've learned of a few organizations who have invited quite a variety of famous faces. After all, where else can you get an NFL player, Sports Illustrated supermodel and an Emmy winner at the same meal? ABC will welcome Modern Family stars Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet. Anthony...

A Marvel comic book movie as a serious contender for a Best Picture Oscar nomination? My reaction when the idea was recently pitched to me by a top publicity firm floating the April 4 release Captain America: The Winter Soldier was that this publicist must be on crack.

Don’t they know the Academy is basically made up of snobs? The Imitation Game, The Theory Of Everything, Boyhood, Yes, but c’mon, Comic Book movies have no place in the Best Picture race. That became painfully obvious when The Dark Knight was egregiously overlooked as a Best Pic nominee in 2008.

That led the Academy the next year to expand the number of possible Bp nominees from five to ten in an effort to include deserving popular fare like Knight. However to date the expansion has only resulted basically in a larger number of the usual suspects that normally get recognized among the year’s best.

You don’t have to go to The Louvre or The Guggenheim to see incredible art — at least not from May to August. And at least not as long as Fox doesn’t enter the 2015 Emmy race for Outstanding Boneheadedness in Scheduling by pulling the plug on the life-affirming, visually thrilling and utterly sublime So You Think You Can Dance.

Related The Mindy Project Casts Shonda Rhimes (Yes, Shonda Rhimes) to Play [Spoiler]

Among other things, tonight’s Season 11 performance finale allowed a pair of gorgeous contemporary dancers to sprout wings, take flight and possibly/maybe save some lives in the...

Day 3 of Sdcc '14 marks the end of an era with "True Blood's" last panel. It's joined by fellow fangers "The Vampire Diaries," the witches of "Salem" and "Ahs: Coven," "Grimm," Sin City, "Constantine," Troma, and lots more.

Per usual, we have the horror highlights along with info on a few other panels that should be of general interest (plus a couple of things for the kids). Be sure to visit the official 2014 San Diego Comic-Con website for the full lineup.

Day 3: Saturday, July 26, 2014

10 Am - The Simpsons

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Simpsons-no gifts please-with creator Matt Groening, executive producer Al Jean, supervising director Mike Anderson, and director for life David Silverman. Topics include the new Treehouse of Horror, Simpsorama, a visit from Homer Simpson and much, much more.

Saturday July 26, 2014 10:00am - 10:45am - Ballroom 20

10 Am - Idw: Summer Blockbusters!

Idw...

If you grew up or were an adult in the 80s or 90s, then you likely remember the southern bell show Designing Women. It followed the lives and business of these business women who worked in interior design. However, they also had a great friend and co worker in Anthony Bouvier-played by Meshach Taylor. Now we are sad to report this once upon a time Emmy nominee has passed away. He died over the weekend from a terminal illness according to his PR people. Here is the official statement they released on Meshach’s death.

t is with love and gratitude that we sorrowfully announce that our darling, amazingly brilliant and dynamic, Meshach, the incredible father, husband, son and friend has begun his grand transition, Our friends who know and love us, please offer your prayers for his peace and blazing light as he ascends to the heavens. Those who...

Mesach Taylor, Emmy-nominated star of the long-running TV series "Designing Women," died Saturday after a year-and-a-half-long struggle with colorectal cancer. He was 67. “It is with love and gratitude that we sorrowfully announce that our darling, amazingly brilliant and dynamic, Meshach, the incredible father, husband, son and friend has begun his grand transition," his family posted on Facebook. "Our friends who know and love us, please offer your prayers for his peace and blazing light as he ascends to the heavens. Those who need to call the family please do. Those who desire to post memories, we are open and graciously accepting all gestures of peace. Love, the Taylor Family." Best known for playing falsely-accused ex-inmate Anthony Bouvier on the '80s and '90s sitcom, Taylor kicked off his acting career in the Chicago theater (his first professional job was on a national tour of the blockbuster musical "Hair...

Meshach Taylor, who died Saturday, was most well known for his role as the lovable assistant Anthony Bouvier on the hit CBS sitcom “Designing Women.” He earned an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor while showing his comedic chops playing against Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Annie Potts and Jean Smart — and always gave as good as he got. Also read: Meshach Taylor, Star of TV's ‘Designing Women,’ Dead at 67 Taylor was mainly a TV actor, but his big-screen role as the flamboyant Hollywood Montrose in the 1987 cult favorite movie “Mannequin” was a classic. Here a few of his most memorable comedic.

Meshach Taylor, best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Anthony Bouvier, the assistant to the Sugarbaker interior-design firm on Designing Women, passed away in hospice care last night. He was 67. Born in Boston to two college professors, Taylor grew up in New Orleans. After graduating from Florida A&M, he got his first break on a national tour of Hair. His role on Designing Women was originally supposed to be a one-shot deal, but he told Wendy Williams in 2011 that the energy between him and Delta Burke and Dixie Carter was so good that they kept him on.In 1983, he married General Hospital veteran Bianca Ferguson, with whom he had four children. In a Facebook post on Friday, his family wrote, "It is with love and gratitude that we sorrowfully announce that our darling, amazingly brilliant and dynamic, Meshach, the incredible father, husband, son and friend has begun his grand transition.

Meshach Taylor, who earned an Emmy nomination for playing Anthony Bouvier, the falsely-accused ex-con delivery man-turned-partner at the Atlanta-based Sugarbaker interior design firm on Designing Women, has died at the age of 67.

Reruns of Designing Women currently air on Logo (there’s a marathon today, June 29, through 3 p.m. Et). Below are just a few of our favorite Anthony moments.

Anthony and Suzanne get stranded together, and it’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship (start at 13:00):

Anthony and Suzanne perform as Mickey & Sylvia at a talent show:

Anthony graduates, after Suzanne shoots him thinking he’s a...

The Emmy-nominated actor passed away surrounded by love ones in his California home.

Emmy-nominated actor Meshach Taylor, best known for playing Anthony Bouvier on the hit CBS sitcom Designing Women, died Saturday after a long battle with cancer. Taylor was 67.

According to a statement released by Taylor's son to the Los Angeles Times, the actor – who had been in hospice care – passed away surrounded by his loved ones in his Altadena, California home late Saturday night.

Born in Boston in 1947, Taylor's first foray into acting was in a national stage tour of the hippie musical Hair, after which he continued to develop his talents at the legendary Goodman Theatre in Chicago.

In 1978 he moved to Los Angeles where his career in film and television really took off. His screen debut came in the horror film Damien: Omen II, followed by a series of bit parts before landing a recurring role on the sitcom Buffalo Bill in 1983.

In...

Meshach Taylor, who played a lovable ex-convict surrounded by boisterous Southern belles on the sitcom "Designing Women" and appeared in numerous other TV and film roles, died of cancer at age 67, his agent said Sunday.

Taylor died Saturday at his home near Los Angeles, according to agent Dede Binder.

Taylor got an Emmy nod for his portrayal of Anthony Bouvier on "Designing Women" from 1986 to 1993. Then he costarred for four seasons on another successful comedy, "Dave's World," as the best friend of a newspaper humor columnist played by the series' star, Harry Anderson.

Other series included the cult favorite "Buffalo Bill" and the popular Nickelodeon comedy "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide."

Taylor's movie roles included a flamboyant window dresser in the 1987 comedy-romance "Mannequin" as well as "Damien: Omen II."

He guested on many series including "Hannah Montana," ''The Unit," ''Hill Street Blues," ''Barney Miller," ''Lou Grant,...

"Designing Women" star Meshach Taylor died Saturday night ... after a long battle with cancer.Taylor's family says he passed away at his home in California while surrounded by loved ones.Meshach is best known for the role of Anthony Bouvier on the popular late 80's show ... and he was nominated for an Emmy in 1989. Read more...

Emmy-nominated actor Meshach Taylor passed away on Saturday, June 28. The star of the hit '80s and '90s sitcom Designing Women, who played Anthony Bouvier, was on hospice care at his family's home in California after a long battle with cancer, TMZ reports.  Taylor, who was 67 at the time of his passing, was also famous for his role as Hollywood Montrose in the 1987 cult classic film Mannequin with Kim Cattrall and Andrew McCarthy. He also had a recurring role on the Nickeldeon show Ned's Declassified [...]...

Meshach Taylor, best known for his Emmy-nominated role as eccentric assistant Anthony Bouvier on Designing Women, died Saturday evening after battling a terminal illness, his agent confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 67.

The actor’s family took to Facebook earlier on Saturday to say, “It is with love and gratitude that we sorrowfully announce that our darling, amazingly brilliant and dynamic, Meshach, the incredible father, husband, son and friend has begun his grand transition,” the family wrote. “Our friends who know and love us, please offer your prayers for his peace and blazing light as he ascends to the heavens.

Meshach Taylor, best known for playing Anthony Bouvier on Designing Women, died on Saturday. He was 67.

Meshach Taylor Dies

Taylor lost his battle with a terminal illness at his Los Angeles home surrounded by his family, his agent Dede Binder told CNN. During his last days, Taylor's health declined rapidly.

"It is with love and gratitude that we sorrowfully announce that our darling, amazingly brilliant and dynamic, Meshach, the incredible father, husband, son and friend has begun his grand transition," the family said in a statement.

Before his breakout in Designing Women with Dixie Carter and Annie Potts in 1986, Taylor had made appearances in small roles in a number of movies and on a variety of TV programs. After Designing Women wrapped in 1993, Meshach worked regularly on TV, including as Shel Baylor in Dave’s World, in Ned’s Classified School Survival Guide, Hannah Montana and others. His last TV...

Beverly Hills: Jai Khanna, talent manager and producer at Brillstein Entertainment Partners is selected as a recipient of the 2014 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award. This event will be held on 19 June at Cipriani Wall Street in New York.

The 2014 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award is presented by the Asian Americans Business development centre. The Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award not only recognizes entrepreneurs for their role in driving the U.S. economy, it also provides corporations with the opportunity to honor top Asian American executives within its ranks.

Jai Khanna is a 16-year veteran at Brillstein Entertainment Partners (Bep). Formed in 1975, Bep operates as one of the premiere entertainment companies. The company manages a diverse roster of A-list talent including Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Aniston, Vin Diesel, Adam Sandler, Irrfan Khan, Ajay Devgan, Amy Adams to Anthony Zuicker (creator of the hit franchise “CSI”), directors Seth Gordon...

Just like last year, the 2014 Daytime Emmy acting reels are being made available for public viewing online. The roundup of episode submissions continues with Best Younger Actress. I've watched all five; will defending champ Kristen Alderson ("General Hospital") repeat? -Break- Daytime Emmy nominees reveal episodes submitted to judges Length of Reel: 10:49 Synopsis: After tending to the wounded following a car accident, Starr Manning (Alderson) finds out what caused another accident, the one the killed her boyfriend and baby daughter. Johnny Zacchara (Brandon Barash) admits to shooting out the tires of his mobster father Anthony, which caused the crash with Starr's family. Analysis: Alderson is the defending champion, and she won last year for scenes involving the same storyline: at the cemetery, she vowed to take revenge on whoever was responsible for the death of her family. In this episode, she learns the truth,...

Anthony McCartney, AP Entertainment Writer

Los Angeles (AP) - Mickey Rooney, the pint-size, precocious actor and all-around talent whose more than 80-year career spanned silent comedies, Shakespeare, Judy Garland musicals, Andy Hardy stardom, television and the Broadway theater, died Sunday at age 93.

Los Angeles Police Commander Andrew Smith said that Rooney was with his family when he died at his North Hollywood home.

Smith said police took a death report but indicated that there was nothing suspicious and he had no additional details on the circumstances of his passing. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office said it was not their case because Rooney died a natural death.

There were no further immediate details on the cause of death, but Rooney did attend an Oscar party last month.

Rooney started his career in his parents' vaudeville act while still a toddler, and broke into movies before age 10. He was still racking...

We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes details on a Wes Craven art exhibition, the first sighting of Megafoot, a 100 zombie films graphical print, first photos from Australian Horror film, Barrow, an interview with actor, writer, and filmmaker Sean Stone, and much more:

The Horror Legacy of Wes Craven Exhibit Details: “Wes Craven has been feeding our collective horror consciousness since 1972, when his first feature, “The Last House on the Left,” debuted. That film was gritty, raw and terrifying, it still causes a guttural reaction some 40 years later. In his career, Wes has created some of the most memorable moments in horror cinema, from the torture scene in “The Serpent and the Rainbow,” to the Johnny Depp’s explosive scene in “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” to the first glimpse of Michael Berryman’s savagery in “The Hills Have Eyes.