Film Independent announces expansion of Muslim Public Affairs Council Fellowship

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organisation celebrating 40 years of the Film Independent Spirit Awards, announced the expansion of the MPAC Hollywood Bureau Fellowship, providing a $10,000 grant to a filmmaker who identifies as American Muslim and is accepted into any of Film Independent’s Artist Development programs. The MPAC Hollywood Bureau Fellowship previously focused on supporting American Muslim writers participating in Film Independent’s Screenwriting Lab, Episodic Lab and Project Involve, and has been awarded to Azza Malik, Sarah Mokh and Karina Dandashi.

For over 30 years, Film Independent Artist Development has been supporting talented creators who provide fresh voices and diverse perspectives to independent film and television by connecting filmmakers to the resources and networks they need to advance their projects and build sustainable careers. Film Independent Fellows, who have been selected to participate in Artist Development and Global Media Makers programs, are recognised around the world for their artistry and changing the cultural landscape through their work. Today, we are proud to have built a robust community of over 2,400 Film Independent Fellows, including Mollye Asher, Shane Boris, Elegance Bratton, Linda Yvette Chávez, Jon M. Chu, Siân Heder, Bing Liu, LaToya Morgan, Beth Schacter, Justin Simien, Lulu Wang and Chloé Zhao.

“Film Independent and MPAC have a long relationship and a shared commitment to nurturing talented filmmakers from the American Muslim community,” said Josh Welsh, Film Independent President. “We’re thrilled to build on this relationship with this expansion of the MPAC Hollywood Bureau Fellowship across all our Artist Development programs, encouraging American Muslim filmmakers across fiction and non-fiction – writers, directors, producers, editors, cinematographers and executives – to consider applying to our programs.”

“MPAC’s Hollywood Bureau is thrilled to partner with Film Independent on this fourth annual paid fellowship for a talented Muslim filmmaker. For over ten years, Film Independent has championed the inclusion of Muslim creative voices, from advising our Hollywood Summit delegates to this partnership. We cannot thank them enough for their tireless efforts toward full inclusion of voices that have been historically excluded from their own narratives in the industry,” says Sue Obeidi, Director, MPAC’s Hollywood Bureau. “We hope the eventual recipient of this fellowship will go on to create authentic characters and stories that elevate perceptions of our communities.”