WGA East and FilmNation Entertainment Announce Fellows for the Third New York Screenwriting Fellowship

NEW YORK, NY (June 11, 2025)— The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and FilmNation Entertainment announced the fellows for the third New York Screenwriting Fellowship.

The New York Screenwriting Fellowship is for early-career, greater New York City-based screenwriters who are underrepresented in the film industry and have demonstrated a rigorous commitment to their craft.

The 2025 fellowship class includes Emily Everhard, Fedna Jacquet, Aditya Joshi & Sid Gopinath, Alexandra Joyce, Thaddeus McCants, Zuri Rice and Naya James Sonnad.

Please find full bios and honors of this year’s fellows here.

The fellows will be provided with both a screenwriting mentor and an executive mentor, as well as seminars, receptions, and other introductions, as they develop a new feature length screenplay during the Fellowship period.

The screenwriting mentors for this year’s fellows include Michael Arndt (STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE), Stuart Blumberg (THANKS FOR SHARING, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT), Anna Boden (CAPTAIN MARVEL, HALF NELSON), Scott Frank (GET SHORTY, LITTLE MAN TATE), James V. Hart (CONTACT, BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA), Mary Harron (THE MOTH DIARIES, AMERICAN PSYCHO) and Thomas McCarthy (SPOTLIGHT, WIN WIN).

The executive mentors include Rae Baron (Slow Pony), Anne Carey (Pebble Pictures), Meredith Duff (Wayward Films), Caroline Kaplan (Independent Producer), Lizzie Shapiro (Independent Producer), Jayne Sullivan (Cinetic Media) and Rebecca Wyzan (Present Company).

“We congratulate the gifted writers accepted into this year’s New York Screenwriting Fellowship,” said WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. “The Writers Guild of America East is so grateful to have a partner in FilmNation, which — along with all the writing and executive mentors — shares our commitment to lifting up underrepresented voices in film.”

Glen Basner, CEO of FilmNation Entertainment, said “We are thrilled to once again partner with WGA East and officially welcome this year’s incredible cohort of fellows. Their creativity and passion are an inspiration for the team here at FilmNation. We’re also deeply grateful to the mentors, whose generosity and guidance play a vital role in nurturing the next generation of storytellers.”

Final Draft is serving as the sponsor of the 2025 Fellowship and will provide Fellowship participants with Final Draft 13 screenwriting software and other promotional materials.

ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA EAST
The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) are labor unions of writers in motion pictures, television, news, podcasts and online media. The Guilds negotiate and administer contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of their members; conduct programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to writers; and present writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America East, visit wgaeast.org. For more information on the Writers Guild of America West, visit wga.org.

ABOUT FILMNATION ENTERTAINMENT
FilmNation Entertainment is a leading independent entertainment company that produces, finances, and distributes award-winning films, television series, podcasts, and theater productions that combine strong creative voices and global appeal. Recent FilmNation productions include Sean Baker’s Academy Award-Winning Anora, starring Mikey Madison, which won five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actress; Edward Berger’s Academy Award-Winning Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini; and Pablo Larraín’s Academy Award-Nominated Maria starring Angelina Jolie. The company also produced award-winning box office hits that include Promising Young Woman, Arrival, and The Big Sick. FilmNation is the home of Infrared, a new film production label focused on mainstream genre films with franchise potential. Infrared’s first production, Novocaine starring Jack Quaid, will be in theaters March 2025.

Since its founding in 2008, the company has expanded beyond its film roots. FilmNation launched its television division with I Know This Much is True for HBO, for which Mark Ruffalo earned the 2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. Recent releases include Small Town, Big Story for Sky. With teams in both Los Angeles and London, FilmNation’s television division is currently developing multiple new projects with global appeal.

FilmNation’s podcasting division is the home of non-fiction storytelling for the company, featuring character-driven storytelling and original voices uniquely suited to the medium. Popular podcasts include the Signal Award-Winning SNAFU with Ed Helms. The new podcast-inspired book Snafu: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups will hit shelves April 2025.

FilmNation’s theater investments include 2024 Best Play Tony-Winner Stereophonic. Additional theater credits include the Tony Award-Winning productions Prima Facie, The Sound Inside, and The Band’s Visit.

ABOUT FINAL DRAFT
For over 25 years Final Draft has been the industry standard and market leader in screenwriting software. Used by 95% of film and television productions, Final Draft is the first choice for both professional and aspiring screenwriters, producers, directors, and industry professionals. In addition to its flagship software product, Final Draft offers the annual Big Break Contest – a screenwriting competition that launches careers, and awards over $80,000 in cash and prizes. To learn more about Final Draft and its products and services, visit: www.finaldraft.com.

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