Cassian Elwes independent screenwriting fellowship enters 2nd year with Black List
From the Black List:
LOS ANGELES, CA (July 27, 2014) — This morning, producer Cassian Elwes and Black List founder Franklin Leonard launched the second year of the Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship, wherein one unrepresented writer with lifetime writing earnings not exceeding $5,000 with a screenplay of indie sensibility will receive an all-expense paid trip to the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and mentorship from Elwes himself.
Inaugural fellow Matthew Hickman, a retail employee at the UPS store in Santa Monica selected on the basis of his script AN ELEGY FOR EVELYN FRANCIS is now represented by Circle of Confusion. “Winning the fellowship last year changed my life and attending Sundance was only the top of the iceberg. I now have representation and a writing deal, not to mention a script that Cassian himself is producing. I also know of several other finalists whose scripts he has optioned. The opportunity accomplishes very concretely what the Black List originally set out to do: level the playing field so that anyone with a good script has got a chance.”
Said Cassian Elwes, “I am so grateful to the Black List for their incredible work in finding last year’s fellow and the quality of all of the scripts I read. I was so happy with my experience with Matthew at Sundance last year. He now has a manager and a deal to write a new script. We have become friends, and I’m going to make the movie of ELEGY FOR EVELYN FRANCIS. I couldn’t be more excited to continue this Fellowship and look forward to meeting its next recipient.”
“Suffice it to say that Matthew was an ideal first recipient of this extraordinary opportunity from Cassian and the prospect of someone else finding similar success in this way has us even more excited for the Sundance Film Festival than we already are, which is remarkable,” said Black List founder Franklin Leonard.
For this year’s fellowship, writers with scripts on the Black List or who have had scripts on the site since its launch will be able to opt into consideration for the opportunity until November 7, 2014, at which time a short list of writers will be shared with Elwes who will decide on one writer to make the trip.
Cassian Elwes
After beginning his producing career with Oxford Blues and Men at Work, Cassian Elwes headed William Morris Independent for 15 years, where he arranged financing for 283 films including multiple Oscar nominees Sling Blade, The Apostle, and Monster’s Ball. Since leaving William Morris Independent four years ago, Elwes has been involved in arranging financing and distribution for 30 films including Lawless, The Paperboy, and Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. Elwes also produced Lee Daniels’ The Butler and executive produced Dallas Buyers Club and All Is Lost, all presumptive 2013 Awards season contenders.
The Black List
The Black List is an online community where moviemakers find scripts to make and writers to write them and screenwriters find moviemakers to make their scripts and employ them. Google for screenplays, if you will.
Begun in 2005 as an annual survey of several dozen executives favorite unproduced screenplays, the Black List has grown to survey over 500 executives each year (virtually 100% of Hollywood’s studio system’s executive corps.) Over 250 Black List scripts have been produced into films grossing over $16 billion in worldwide box office. Black List scripts have won 30 Academy Awards — including three of the last five Best Pictures (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, THE KING’S SPEECH, and ARGO) and seven of the last twelve screenwriting awards (JUNE, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, THE KING’S SPEECH, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, THE DESCENDANTS, ARGO, and DJANGO UNCHAINED) — from 159 nominations.
In October 2012, the Black List launched an online database of every screenplay circulating Hollywood and all those submitted by English language screenwriters from around the world. Since its launch, it has hosted more than 7,500 screenplays and completed more than 10,000 script evaluations. More than 40 writers have found representation at major agencies and management companies and more than 20 writers have sold their screenplays as a direct result of introductions made via the site.
At any given moment, more than 1600 screenplays are actively hosted for perusal by over 2000 film industry professionals ranging from agency assistants to studio chairs.
And the beat goes on, the Black List continuing to open doors into Hollywood.
For background on the first year of this particular initiative:
“Cassian Elwes Endows New Indie Writer Fellowship Via The Black List” (October 29th, 2013)
Five questions with Cassian Elwes about the Black List Fellowship (November 5th, 2013)
Matthew Hickman: Reflections of an Independent Screenwriting Fellowship Winner (January 12th, 2014)
Matthew Hickman: Reflections on 2014 Sundance Film Festival (January 30th, 2014)
The complete roster of Black List initiatives:
Cassian Elwes / Sundance Film Festival — Black List
Hasty Pudding Institute Screenwriting Fellowship — Black List
Martin Katz/Toronto International Film Festival — Black List
Walt Disney Studios — Black List
And don’t forget the 2014 Black List Screenwriters Lab. That submission period is now open and if it’s anything like last year’s session, which I was fortunate to be a part of, it should be another phenomenal experience for a select group of writers.
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