It’s a whole new world out there for filmmakers today — and the AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) is changing to reflect that fact.
This year’s DWW program, sponsored by Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation and NBCUniversal, among other donors, will mentor up to eight participants in directing not only shorts, but also content for the web or streaming services.
The 40-year workshop is a tuition-free training program for mid-career women in the arts. It includes “classroom learning, hands-on production experience, and the opportunity to direct a project and advance their careers as visual storytellers,” according to Variety.
AFI noted, “While great strides have been made to lessen the gap of working female directors in the film community, there are still limited training opportunities for directors with diverse visions who want to work in the changing landscape of episodic storytelling across multiple platforms. AFI’s DWW will provide aspiring female directors the opportunity to develop their skills as storytellers across multiple platforms, working in an environment where they can gain insights from accomplished mentors working in the field of directing.”
Last year’s mentors included Kimberly Peirce, Petty Jenkins, and Jamie Babbit.
The DWW application is available at AFI.com.
[via Variety]