The minds behind “Insecure” and “Freaks and Geeks” are teaming up to bring audiences the next great coming-of-age comedy. Issa Rae and Paul Feig are seeking pitches for features. “Rae and Deniese Davis of Color Creative are partnering with Feig and Laura Fischer of Powderkeg on a teen movie contest and are asking for submissions of feature film pitches for projects that exemplify the modern teen experience,” The Hollywood Reporter writes.
“The stakes are high (or at least feel high) and the high school experience is so varied but somehow universal,” the contest’s prompt reads. Submissions should offer “fresh and inclusive perspectives on the lives of high schoolers.”
Two projects will be chosen as finalists. They’ll be given “$25,000 to produce a proof of concept short film. A final pitch will then be selected to produce as a feature-length film. Both Color Creative and Powderkeg will produce and then set the film up for distribution,” THR explains.
The clock is ticking: submissions are now open and close August 9.
Rae and Feig are both outspoken proponents of a more inclusive entertainment industry. “There is an expectation that people really want [‘Insecure’] to address every black issue and save the race,” Rae has said. “I can only tell the stories I’ve experienced and try to do that the best I can, if anything we need to empower other storytellers to create other shows, other movies, other media so that the onus isn’t on me.” She joked that “even white people are tired of seeing white people shows.” Feig, who has publicly acknowledged that he faced pressure to make fewer female-led films, often brings attention to the lack of opportunities for women directors.
“Insecure” will return for its fourth season on HBO in 2020. Rae has a number of other projects in the pipeline, such as two Stella Meghie films and an HBO limited series about real-life riots caused by Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. Feig’s slate includes “Last Christmas,” a holiday romance penned by Emma Thompson and Bryony Kimmings that’s set to bow November 8. Thompson stars alongside “Game of Thrones'” Emilia Clarke and “Crazy Rich Asians” castmates Michelle Yeoh and Henry Golding.
