UPDATE: Anna Martemucci won the $75,000 Tribeca Chanel grant to make her short, “One Cambodian Family Please for My Pleasure.” The deciding jury included Julianne Moore, Patricia Clarkson, Mary Harron, Mynette Louie and Rebecca Miller.
Tribeca and Chanel have teamed up to create a new three-day program for women filmmakers. Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program will offer burgeoning female writers and directors of short-form narrative films industry mentorship and artistic guidance, with workshops focusing on peer review, script-to-screen development, story structure and casting.
The inaugural program is set to take place in New York on October 26–28.
Six projects — and the seven filmmakers behind them — have been chosen for the program and will receive support from the industry-leadership committee, a jury comprised of actors, directors, producers and other figures in the entertainment industry, including Julianne Moore, Catherine Hardwicke, writer-director Anna Boden (“Mississippi Grind”), Patricia Clarkson, producer Lydia Dean Pilcher, casting director Ellen Lewis and more.
The program will culminate in a pitch presentation to take place before the jury. One filmmaker will be awarded $75,000 towards making her film. Pulse Films and Tribeca Digital Studios will produce the project.
“As women, we have been underrepresented in the stories that are written, produced and directed. We need to support one another, and I am proud that with Chanel we can cultivate, support and empower women storytellers,” said Jane Rosenthal, CEO of Tribeca Enterprises and Co-Founder of Tribeca Film Institute.
Check out the projects and bios of the female filmmakers below, courtesy of a press release:
JEZEBEL. Written by Numa Perrier
In the last days of her mother’s life, Tanya, a young woman, crashes with five family members in a Las Vegas studio apartment. In order to make ends meet, her sister introduces her to the world of internet cam girls.
Numa Perrier is a Haitian-born actress, writer, and filmmaker. Perrier co-founded Black&Sexy TV in 2011, home to several popular series, including “The Couple”, currently in development at HBO, and “RoomieLoverFriends” on BET.
THE LAST SHIFT. Written by Roja Gashtili and Julia Lerman
A young nurse grows obsessed with a locked door in the ward where she works, as a revolution unfolds beyond the hospital walls.
Roja Gashtili and Julia Lerman were 2014 fellows at AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women. Their short, RITA MAHTOUBIAN IS NOT A TERRORIST, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The feature adaptation was selected for Sundance’s Creative Producing Labs.
MA. Written by Vera Miao
A seemingly “perfect” Chinese daughter, Mona loves her sternly loving Ma more than anything. But when a handsome neighbor moves in next door, Mona discovers just how far Ma will go to keep her home.
Vera Miao is an actor/filmmaker born to working class immigrants from Taiwan. Her first feature, BEST FRIENDS FOREVER, is an apocalyptic road trip story (Hulu/Amazon/iTunes and DVD). She’s excited about several, not-your-typical projects in development.
ONE CAMBODIAN FAMILY PLEASE FOR MY PLEASURE. Written by Anna Martemucci
A young mother living in the bleakest of American landscapes seeks to help a refugee family despite her own hardships and through her desire, reveals truths about herself, America, and the nature of the word “freedom.”
Anna Martemucci is a filmmaker, writer, and actor. Her debut as a writer/director, the coming-of-age film HOLLIDAYSBURG, was unanimously praised by top film critics and its screenplay was honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
VALENTINE. Written by Christina Voros
A runaway girl encounters a stranger in the West Texas desert. They secrets they keep will change the course of their lives forever.
Christina Alexandra Voros is a Brooklyn and West Texas based writer, director, producer and cinematographer. Her film work has spanned the equally diverse worlds of fashion, medicine, horsemanship and pornography.
WIG SHOP. Written by Kat Coiro
“Wig Shop” is a dark comedy centered on an Orthodox Jewish woman who, over the course of getting her wigs styled, discovers that her African American hairdresser might be her husband’s lover. Based on the personal experiences of producer Jessica Neuman, the short explores a particular stretch of Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles where people from varied backgrounds co-exist, mingle and, sometimes, intertwine
Kat Coiro is currently developing a semi-autobiographical comedy for ABC and adapting a novel by Victor LaValle into a series. Kat has previously directed three theatrically released features, including Tribeca competitor WHILE WE WERE HERE.
