Gina Prince-Bythewood News

FOX is announcing premiere dates for new comedy MAKING HISTORY, new unscripted series KICKING & SCREAMING and new event series SHOTS FIRED and PRISON BREAK.

The 20th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival (www.urbanworld.org), presented by REVOLT with founding sponsor HBO, announced additions to its schedule including HBO's 'Insecure' and Fox's 'Shots Fired' that will happen during the anniversary events that will take place from September 21-25, 2016 at Manhattan's AMC Empire 25 on 234 West 42nd Street.

Sundance Institute today announced that filmmaker Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed) and theatre artist Lisa Kron (Fun Home) have joined its Board of Trustees.

Sundance Institute today announced a significant expansion of its signature artist development programs to include targeted support for second-time feature filmmakers, addressing a growing need in the field of independent storytelling, especially for women and filmmakers of color. The new FilmTwo Initiative, led by the Institute's renowned Feature Film Program, with generous support from Founding Partner NBCUniversal, will offer selected directors specialized creative and tactical guidance in navigating the unique challenges of making their second feature films. The Initiative's inaugural Fellows announced today participated in a Screenwriters Intensive in March and continue to receive customized creative and tactical support and participate in select FFP activities.

Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group, today will unveil the FOX primetime slate for the 2016-2017 television season to the national advertising community during its annual Programming Presentation at the Beacon Theatre.

Academy-, Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress Helen Hunt ('As Good As It Gets,' 'The Sessions,' 'Mad About You'), Academy- and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss ('The Goodbye Girl,' 'Jaws,' 'Madoff,' 'Mr. Holland's Opus') and Stephen Moyer ('The Bastard Executioner,' 'True Blood') have been cast in lead roles in SHOTS FIRED.

Actor Stephan James ('Race,' 'Selma') has been cast in a lead role in SHOTS FIRED, a dramatic new event series from Gina Prince-Bythewood ('Beyond the Lights,' 'The Secret Life of Bees,' 'Love & Basketball') and Reggie Rock Bythewood ('Beyond the Lights,' 'Notorious'), that examines the dangerous aftermath of racially charged shootings in a small town in Tennessee.

Established for women screenwriters over the age of 40 byNew York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and IRIS, The Writers Lab returns in 2016 once again with funding provided by Oscar winner and NYWIFT Muse honoree Meryl Streep. The Writers Lab 2016 has selected seasoned filmmakers to provide exclusive mentorship and increase opportunities while cultivating more content made by women.

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the LA Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, announced the guest speakers and program today for the 15th annual Film Independent Directors Close-Up series

Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) has ordered SHOTS FIRED, the dramatic new event series from Gina Prince-Bythewood (“Beyond the Lights,” “The Secret Life of Bees,” “Love & Basketball”) and Reggie Rock Bythewood (“Beyond the Lights,” “Notorious”), that examines the dangerous aftermath of racially charged shootings in a small town in Tennessee.  The event series will debut in 2016. 

Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) is developing an explosive new event series from Gina Prince-Bythewood (“Beyond the Lights,” “The Secret Life of Bees,” “Love & Basketball”) and Reggie Rock Bythewood (“Beyond the Lights,” “Notorious”), that examines the dangerous aftermath of a police shooting when an African-American cop kills a white teen in Tennessee. 

New York Women in Film & Television and the Iris film collective have announced the12 screenwriters for the inaugural Meryl Streep's Writers Lab

Oscar winner Meryl Streep has funded a screenwriters lab for women writers over the age of 40, which will be conducted by New York Women in Film and Television and IRIS, a collective of women filmmakers.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today it will air the star-studded primetime television event the “Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards,” featuring exclusive backstage interviews, red-carpet highlights and intimate reflections from some of the most extraordinary African-American women in film and television.

Barnard College's Athena Center for Leadership Studies and Women and Hollywood are honored to announce that Academy Award® -winning actress and filmmaker Jodie Foster will receive the Laura Ziskin Lifetime Achievement Award

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, announced the guest speakers and program for the 14 th annual Film Independent Directors Close-Up series

Nominations have been revealed for the 46th annual NAACP Image Awards. The event will take place on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015, and be broadcast live on TV One.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 271 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy's membership in 2014.

There's still time to become the next top filmmaker. On November 1 st, ESSENCE invited aspiring filmmakers to showcase their own inspiring images reflecting the truths and triumphs of Black women's lives

Queen Latifah, winner of Grammy, Golden Globe and SAG awards, has partnered with leading multichannel retailer HSN for the exclusive launch of the Queen Collection, her first-ever lifestyle brand.