In the span of just over a month, Lena Waithe has graced the cover of Vanity Fair and been named by TIME as one of the most influential people of the year. In January her Showtime series, “The Chi,” was renewed for a second season. It’s only spring but the Emmy winner’s year is off to a hell of a start, and she’s set to share some of the wisdom she’s collected on her journey towards becoming a major presence in the industry.
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Waithe will deliver the opening keynote at the annual AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) Showcase. Launched in 1974, DWW is a training program intended to increase the number of women directing on-screen.
The event is scheduled to take place May 3 and offers the program’s 2018 participants the opportunity to “showcase their work to an invitation-only audience of representatives and working artists from throughout the creative community.”
Waithe made history as the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing on a series. She received the honor for co-writing “Master of None’s” “Thanksgiving” episode, an unconventional coming out story about her character, Denise. She created “The Chi,” a Chicago-set ensemble drama that concluded its first season in January. Production on Season 2 is expected to start later this year. Waithe also has a series in development at TBS. “Twenties,” a comedy about a queer woman and her straight BFFs, has received a pilot order from the network. Her film work includes producing “Dear White People” and “Step Sisters.”
In an effort to build a more inclusive media industry, Waithe has teamed up with financing and production company Sight Unseen Pictures to support indie projects by underrepresented voices.
“I am tired of white folks telling my stories,” the multi-hyphenate has said. “We gotta tell our shit. Can’t no one tell a black story, particularly a queer story, the way I can, because I see the God in us.”
The DWW Class of 2018 filmmakers in attendance at the event will be Beth de Araújo, Georgia Fu, Milena Govich, Tiffany Johnson, Katrelle Kindred, Nancy Mejía, Gandja Monteiro, and Lorraine Nicholson.
The event will also mark the introduction of the the newly selected DWW Class of 2019: Parisa Barani, Jessica Kaye, Shilpi Roy, Amber Sealey, Siyou Tan, Carly Usdin, Marielle Woods, and Talia Zucker.
