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The NY Screenwriting Fellowship is a weekly intensive that runs from early April through August 2023. Now in its second year, The NY Fellowship is for early-career, greater New York City-based screenwriters who are under-represented in the film industry and have demonstrated a rigorous commitment to their craft. Eight or more writers will be provided with both a screenwriting mentor and an executive mentor, as well as seminars, receptions, and other introductions, as they develop a new feature length screenplay during the Fellowship. The Fellowship will culminate with table reads of the participants’ works and a dinner with leaders of the New York film industry. The goal of The New York Screenwriting Fellowship is to diversify the pool of writers who have access to the meetings and projects that offer career sustainability.
The NY Screenwriting Fellowship is a partnership between FilmNation Entertainment and the Writers Guild of America, East, as they continue their championing of industry inclusion and fostering communities of writers. The NY Fellowship marks FilmNation’s and WGA East’s commitment to serving diverse, emerging talent and supporting New York City as a thriving hub of the entertainment industry. Final Draft is serving as the sponsor of the 2023 Fellowship and will provide NY Fellowship participants with software and other promotional materials.
Application Process
The NY Fellowship is for early-career, greater New York City-based screenwriters who are under-represented in the film industry and have demonstrated a rigorous commitment to their craft. Up to eight writers will be provided with both a screenwriting mentor and an executive mentor, as well as seminars, receptions, and other introductions, as they develop a new feature length screenplay during the NY Fellowship. The NY Fellowship will culminate with table reads of the participants’ works and an exclusive dinner with leaders of the New York film industry. The goal of The NY Screenwriting Fellowship is to diversify the writers who have access to the meetings and projects that offer career sustainability.
Note: The NY Fellowship is a hybrid program. Applicants accepted to the Fellowship are required to attend virtual and in-person seminars and group writing sessions a minimum of two evenings per week for the duration of the program (April through August). In-person meetings will take place at either the WGA East or FilmNation Entertainment offices in New York City.
The application period is November 1 – December 9, 2022. Fellows will be announced in 2023.
Applicants must be referred by one of the following organizations:
- Almanack Screenwriters
- Austin Film Festival
- The Black List
- Brooklyn College School of Cinema
- The Dramatists Guild
- Ghetto Film School
- Humanitas
- National Black Theatre
- New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT)
- NYU
- Reel Works
- Urbanworld Film Festival
- WGAE Fellow Applicant
- WGAE Indie Caucus
- The Writers Lab