TRIBECA AND CHANEL ANNOUNCE RECIPIENT OF 2018 PRODUCTION FUNDS FROM THROUGH HER LENS: THE TRIBECA CHANEL WOMEN'S FILMMAKER PROGRAM October 19th, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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TRIBECA AND CHANEL ANNOUNCE RECIPIENT OF 2018 PRODUCTION FUNDS FROM THROUGH HER LENS: THE TRIBECA CHANEL WOMEN'S FILMMAKER PROGRAM
Jurors Dianna Agron, Effie T. Brown, Cara Delevingne, Mary Harron, Rachel Morrison, and Paula Weinstein Award ROSA Full Production Funds Along with Support From Tribeca Studios
NEW YORK, NY- October 18, 2018- Tribeca Enterprises and CHANEL concluded the fourth annual THROUGH HER LENS: The Tribeca Chanel Womens Filmmaker Program, announcing the recipient who will receive full production funding for her original short film at a cocktail reception this evening in New York City.
Writer/director Suha Araj and producer Maryam Keshavar were selected by the jury to receive the production grant, along with production support from Tribeca Studios. In addition, the other four writer/directors in the program each received a development grant to support continued work on their respective films to bring them closer to production. A total of $100,000 in filmmaker grants was awarded amongst the five projects.
Following an intensive, three-day workshop, the filmmakers from the five projects selected pitched their projects to a jury comprised of: actor/director Dianna Agron ( Glee, Berlin, I Love You), producer Effie T. Brown (FOX's Star, Dear White People, Project Greenlight ), actor Cara Delevingne (Suicide Squad, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), writer/director Mary Harron (Charlie Says, American Psycho, Alias Grace ), cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Black Panther, Mudbound), and producer Paula Weinstein ( Grace and Frankie, The Perfect Storm, Recount).
THROUGH HER LENS: The Tribeca Chanel Women's Filmmaker Program is where women help women. Through mentorship, through encouragement, through creating a space for women's voices to be heard, said Paula Weinstein, EVP of Tribeca Enterprises. The past three days have been rewarding for all the participants and mentors involved. We congratulate writer and director Suha Araj and producer Maryam Keshavar, and thank all of the women in the industry who generously came together for this program.
This was a very difficult decision. Each of the projects brought us into new worlds and all of them have subject matters that deserve to be seen, said the jury. We selected a project that for us was the most unexpected, that offered a unique vision and cultural perspective. In this climate when the view of the immigrant experience can be so polarizing, this is a story that hit a universal chord. It gives fresh insight into our cultural landscape in a way you haven't seen before.
The winning project, ROSA, is centered on Rosa who, while working at her aunts flower shop, takes her job underground when she begins a side business of shipping undocumented bodies to their home countries for burial.
I'm thrilled and touched. This story comes from a very personal place and I hope to connect with a lot of different communities with this project, said ROSA writer/director Suha Arajwere. These three days with the THROUGH HER LENS program have been so supportive and have helped me sharpen this story and has created an amazing network of women who I hope grow with. I'm so grateful to Tribeca and CHANEL for putting a genuine effort behind new voices.
The announcement wraps up a powerful program, presented by Tribeca and CHANEL, in collaboration with Pulse Films, and facilitated by Tribeca Film Institute (TFI), which offered the participants project support, one-on-one mentorship, peer-to-peer sessions, and master classes on directing, costume design, composing, producing, and the actor/director relationship. The women filmmakers selected for the program were:
Writer/Director Gabriella Moses and producer Shruti Ganguly with El Tiembre de Su Voz
Co-Writers/Co-Directors Francesca Mirabella and Kylah Benes-Trapp with H-E-A-T-H-E-R
Writer/Director Laramie Dennis and producer Jenna Cedicci with Life on sMars
Writer/Director Suha Araj and producer Maryam Keshavarz with ROSA
Writer/Director Jennifer Suhr and producer Carolyn Mao with What Is Your Soul Purpose?
The leadership committee for the program, in addition to the jury, included the following:
MASTER CLASS ADVISORS: Costume designer Stacey Battat (The Beguiled, Still Alice), casting director Ellen Chenoweth (The Goldfinch, No Country For Old Men), writer/director Debra Granik (Leave No Trace, Winter's Bone), composer Laura Karpman (Paris Can Wait, Underground), and cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Black Panther, Mudbound).
MENTORS: Director/producer Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), actor/director/producer Courteney Cox ( Cougar Town, Friends ), producer and TFI Executive Director Amy Hobby (What Happened, Miss Simone?, Secretary), writer/director Stella Meghie (Everything, Everything, The Weekend), writer/director/executive producer Veena Sud ( The Killing, Seven Seconds ), and producer Christine Vachon (Carol, Far from Heaven).
WRITING MENTORS: Producer Stephanie Allain (Beyond the Lights, Dear White People),writer/executive producer Janine Sherman Barrois ( Claws, Criminal Minds ), writer/director Susanna Fogel (The Spy Who Dumped Me, Life Partners), writer Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married, Untitled Monsters Franchise for Universal Studios), and writer/executive producer Marti Noxon ( Sharp Objects, UnREAL ).
About the recipients:
Suha Araj creates films that e
