Gina Prince-Bythewood News

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and The Writers Lab co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon are pleased to announce the return of The Writers Lab for 2019. Now in its fifth year, the groundbreaking program provides exclusive mentorship opportunities with leading filmmakers to women screenwriters over the age of 40, increasing opportunities for content made by women. The program has been supported every year since its inception by Academy Award winner Meryl Streep, fostering work written by and about women, with 48 writers having completed the program to date. The Writers Lab offers a unique and nurturing experience for 12 talented female screenwriters. Selected writers will attend a four-day retreat with outstanding female film mentors, engaging in panels, peer discussions and one-on-one meetings October 2-6, 2019, at the Guest House Retreat Center in Chester, Connecticut. This year the Lab is proud to welcome two new mentors, Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-nominated screenwriter Robin Swicord (The Promise, Wakefield, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Memoirs of A Geisha) and Pulitzer playwright nominee and multi award-winning screenwriter Theresa Rebeck (355,Smash, THE FAMILY of Mann, NYPD Blue, The Bells).

Freeform announced today the second annual Freeform Summit, a network and industrywide event featuring some of the biggest names at the forefront of the network's 2019 programming slate, to be held in Hollywood on THURSDAY, MARCH 28. The summit will also spotlight key influencers, tastemakers and pop culture titans who have dedicated their voices to creating culture and effecting change. This year, the theme for the event will be a reimagined beauty pageant, providing “a stage for everyone” to have a voice, be ambassadors of change and tell stories that matter. Panels will deliver candid conversations surrounding representation, authentic storytelling, inclusion and mentorship, and emphasize how far young adults have pushed society to reexamine cultural norms.

From Thursday, February 14 through Thursday, February 21, BAM presents Programmers' Notebook: On Love, the first in a new recurring series in which BAM's film programming team responds to a thought-provoking theme. This wide-ranging survey presents some of cinema's most perceptive portraits of this fundamental emotion in all of its disparate forms-romantic, familial, fraternal, self-love, love of nature, love as passion, love as pain, and everything in between.

The Athena Film Festival (AFF) at Barnard College announced today its film slate, including opening night, closing night, and centerpiece films, as well as additional programming for the 2019 festival. The ninth annual festival, co-founded by the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College and Women and Hollywood, will take place February 28 to March 3, 2019, at Barnard College in New York City. AFF showcases films, television and content that tell the extraordinary stories of fierce and fearless female leaders from all walks of life. Stories of ambition, courage, and resilience amplify the voices of strong, bold women, curating a public discourse on gender equality, and changing the cultural conventions surrounding leadership.

Thirteen new independent feature projects from the U.S., Cuba, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, and Palestine have been selected for the 2018 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs. At the Directors Lab (May 28-June 21), filmmakers will rehearse, shoot and edit key scenes from their scripts, working closely with industry advisors, actors, and production crews to help drive creative growth via an immersive and hands-on experience at the Sundance Resort in Utah. The Screenwriters Lab from June 23-28  fosters a similar environment of dynamic inspiration as participants focus on the art and craft of screenplay writing with one-on-one support from Institute advisors . Overseen by Feature Film Program Founding Director Michelle Satter and Labs Director Ilyse McKimmie, the Labs begin a year-round continuum of customized support for Fellows, which can include creative mentorship, granting, and guidance from industry professionals. 

The executive producers and cast of Freeform's highly anticipated new original series “Marvel's Cloak & Dagger” attended WonderCon on Friday, March 23, in Anaheim, California, where fans in attendance got a special sneak peek at the premiere episode. Immediately following the screening, cast members Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph, along with Joe Pokaski (executive producer and showrunner) and director Gina Prince-Bythewood participated in Q&A session moderated by Jeph Loeb (executive producer, Head of Marvel Television).

The cast and crew of Freeform's highly anticipated new series “Marvel's Cloak& Dagger” attended the world premiere watch party at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, March 11, an event which marked Freeform and Marvel Television's first presence at the popular festival. “Marvel's Cloak & Dagger” is the story of Tandy Bowen (Olivia Holt) and Tyrone Johnson (Aubrey Joseph) – two teenagers from very different backgrounds, who find themselves burdened by and awakened to newly discovered superpowers which are mysteriously linked to one another.

Freeform, Disney's young adult television network, today announced “Marvel's Cloak & Dagger” will have its world premiere watch party during South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, on March 11, as partner programming. The premiere will mark Freeform and Marvel Television's first presence at SXSW. “Marvel's Cloak & Dagger” is the story of Tandy Bowen (Olivia Holt) and Tyrone Johnson (Aubrey Joseph) – two teenagers from very different backgrounds, who find themselves burdened by and awakened to newly discovered superpowers which are mysteriously linked to one another.

Uptown Ventures Group, the parent company of UPTOWN Magazine, is proud to announce its celebration of “Women Directors in Television and Film” at its annual, black-tie, invitation-only “Uptown Honors Hollywood” pre-Oscar gala on Wednesday, February 28, 2018 in Los Angeles. The magazine will be doling out accolades to Dee Rees for her Oscar nomination on Netflix's critically-acclaimed film “Mudbound.” Making history, she is the first African American woman to be nominated for writing an adapted screenplay. Rounding out the quartet of honorees are award-winning directors Gina Prince Bythewood (Fox's “Shots Fired” and “Beyond the Lights”), Stella Meghie (“Everything, Everything”) and actress/director Chandra Wilson (ABC's “Grey's Anatomy).” “Uptown Honors Hollywood” will be hosted by writer/producer Chris Spencer of BET's “Real Husbands of Hollywood.”

Alfre Woodard will have a recurring guest-star role on EMPIRE, playing “Renee,” Cookie's mother, who comes back into her life with a turbulent reunion. EMPIRE Returns with All-New Episodes beginning Wednesday, March 28 @ 8/7c on FOX

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and IRIS are pleased to announce that Academy Award, Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winning actor Nicole Kidman has joined Meryl Streep in supporting The Writers Lab.

Freeform Announces MARVEL'S CLOAK & DAGGER Panel For First Ever Freeform Summit

Freeform, Disney's young adult television network, announced today the latest additions to the Freeform Summit, a first-time event for the network, featuring a series of panel discussions addressing activism, social change, representation in television and various other important issues defining modern youth culture today.

The winners of the 49th NAACP Image Awards in the non-televised categories were announced during a gala dinner celebration that took Sunday, January 14, 2018, at the Pasadena Conference Center the event was hosted by The Real's Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai and Tamera Mowry-Housley.

Thirteen new independent feature projects from Cuba, Chile, Kenya, the UK and the U.S. have been selected for the 2017 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs in Utah's Wasatch Mountains. These Labs are the centerpiece of the nonprofit Institute's year-round support for independent artists.

Freeform has released the first trailer from the upcoming series MARVEL'S CLOAK & DAGGER. The 10-episode season is set to premiere early 2018.

Freeform and Marvel today announced six new series regulars for its highly anticipated series, MARVEL'S CLOAK & DAGGER a live-action adaptation of the popular Marvel comic.

Freeform and Marvel today announced the cast and creative team for its highly anticipated series, MARVEL'S CLOAK & DAGGER, a live-action adaptation of the popular Marvel comic.