Gender Equity Monday - WiFT - Streep Writer's Lab Held in September. Writers to watch in 2016

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​On Mondays we look for news in the media, animation and film world that rings the bell for gender parity for women.

News from earlier this spring about Meryl Streep's Writers' Lab was a double whammy of opportunity for women and for women over 40.  Last month, in September, the lab was held for 3 days.  We are waiting excitedly for the result of the lab, so in honor of this groundbreaking endeavor, here's some news from that project, and the list of women selected so you can check out their work over the coming year(s)!  

Go forth, be equitable and make movies!

From IndieWire!

http://www.indiewire.com/article/meryl-streeps-writers-lab-selects-12-female-screenwriters-20150810

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and IRIS, a collective of women filmmakers, have announced the selected screenwriters to participate in the inaugural year of The Writers Lab. The program is the only kind in the world devoted to providing script development for women writers over the age of 40 and is fully funded by Oscar winner Meryl Streep. The Writers Lab is presented in collaboration with the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE).

Receiving over 3,500 submissions and overwhelming praise from women writers across the globe, the program has decided to expand the number of total participants from eight to twelve. Members of the WGAE were active participants in the judging process. Other support for The Lab came from Final Draft.

The 12 chosen participants for the The Writers Lab 2015 are:

Sarah Bird, "Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen"
Vanessa Carmichael, "The American"
Tracy Charlton, "Raised Up"
Kellen Hertz. "Ashburn"
Anna Hozian, "Anchor Baby"
Lyralen Kaye, "St. John the Divine in Iowa"
Jan Kimbrough, "The Glastonbury Cow Party"
Billie Mason, "The Cargo"
Peres Owino, "Basketweaver"
Gretchen Somerfeld, "Face Value"
Janet Stilson, "Jaguar Trail"Kim Turner, "It Goes Like This"

The eight mentors attached to The Lab include: Jessica Bendinger ("Bring It On," "Aquamarine"), Caroline Kaplan ("Time Out of Mind"), Meg LeFauve ("Inside Out"), Darnell Martin ("Cadillac Records"), Lydia Dean Pilcher ("Darjeeling Limited"), Gina Prince-Bythewood ("Beyond the Lights"), Mary Jane Skalski ("Win Win") and Kirsten Smith ("Legally Blonde").

The 2015 Writers Lab will take place September 18-20.

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