The Fellows Program
Creating a significant impact in the entertainment industry is realized not only through networking and building key relationships, but also through innovative educational programs.
Since 2015, The Blackhouse Foundation has sponsored ten (10) current MFA students as Fellows from schools across the country to intern with the Blackhouse Foundation during the Sundance Film Festival. For two years, 2017 and 2018, the Program was generously sponsored by BET Networks.
The Blackhouse Fellows Program offers an excellent opportunity for students at prominent film schools across the country to get hands-on experience at one of the world’s premiere film festivals.
Fellows assist the Blackhouse Foundation with events and programming throughout the festival.
Our curriculum gives fellows the opportunity to:
- Gain a keen understanding of the film business;
- Interact with experienced and seasoned filmmakers;
- Get insight on the festival submission, selection and distribution process;
- Learn about future trends in the industry;
- Collaborate with other future leaders in the industry.
- Teaching to Produce Mastery
- We are committed to the development of future filmmakers, producers, and behind-the-scenes professionals.
Teaching to Produce Mastery
Producer’s Program
In 2019, The Blackhouse Foundation teamed with The Independent Filmmaker Project (“IFP”) to launch the IFP-Blackhouse Multicultural Producers Lab, sponsored by HBO Corporate Social Responsibility Department.
The program brings together a cohort of five (5) producers of innovative fiction and non-fiction projects across film, television, and digital media. Selected by IFP, The Blackhouse, and HBO, the producers will take part in a year-long, collaborative program designed to:
- Expand the number of multicultural production companies;
- Increase the pipeline of content; and
- Support the sustainability of mid-career independent producers and the scale at which their projects and businesses operate.
The first cohort of participating producers are all women, signaling each partner organization’s focus on supporting female filmmakers.
Applications for 2021 will be Available Fall 2020.
International Screenwriter’s Program (Pilot)
The Blackhouse Foundation Screenwriter’s Fellowship is a creative accelerator whose core mission is to support emerging storytellers, globally, in the early stages of development of compelling film, television, and digital native projects. We will launch our international pilot in Kenya, home to a robust and evolving entertainment industry. The Pilot will launch in the Spring of 2021 in partnership with VentureLift Africa and additional partners to be announced.
Designed for a curated group of five (5) writers residing in Kenya, the pilot program will include: 1) a 4-6 week virtual “residency” that includes state-of-the-art distance learning, 2) being matched with an experienced program mentor as well as guidance from industry insiders including executives of The Blackhouse Foundation, PMF Media Group, Inc. and VentureLift Africa and, if possible, a one-week intensive bootcamp in Los Angeles, CA.
Applicants may be asked to submit a writing sample along with additional information about a project or idea they would like to develop throughout the program. If selected, the Fellow will work collaboratively with their mentor and other Fellows to bring their creative idea to life. The bootcamp and online learning will further assist in the development of projects by giving participants access to information and experts in idea & concept development, marketplace analysis, research, bible and treatment development, and script analysis and writing. Existing intellectual property and ideas will, at all times, remain the sole property of each Fellow. It is our intention to facilitate eligible projects to be pitched to financiers, studio or production partners for development, financing and/or distribution.
Applications and additional criteria and requirements will be available in Early 2021. Please join our mailing list for updated information or please visit this site again in a few months. Email addresses will be governed by our privacy policy.
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