![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTc1N2I3ZjMtODI2Yy00NjhlLTk2N2YtNWFiMGZiMDIxYTZjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
In partnership with Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland, SeriesFest has awarded its 2022 Women Directing Mentorship to Gia-Rayne B. Harris.
The program first launched in 2018 and pairs rising female directors with established episodic directors on Shondaland-produced series. Previous winners include Jennifer Morris (2021), who recently finished shadowing on ABC’s “Station 19,” and Tamika Miller (2020), who has since directed two “Station 19” episodes.
Harris, a writer-director from Mississippi, is a graduate of the AFI directing program and has directed 12 short films, premiering several at Outfest, the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), NewFest, AFI Fest and the Pan African Film Festival. She was named a finalist for the HBO Short Film Award at ABFF, and her short film “Pens and Pencils” will debut on HBO in spring 2023. Additionally, she has been set to make her TV directing debut on “Chicago Pd” in 2023 after joining the NBCULaunch Female Forward Program.
Harris is repped by Heroes and Villains Entertainment.
The program first launched in 2018 and pairs rising female directors with established episodic directors on Shondaland-produced series. Previous winners include Jennifer Morris (2021), who recently finished shadowing on ABC’s “Station 19,” and Tamika Miller (2020), who has since directed two “Station 19” episodes.
Harris, a writer-director from Mississippi, is a graduate of the AFI directing program and has directed 12 short films, premiering several at Outfest, the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), NewFest, AFI Fest and the Pan African Film Festival. She was named a finalist for the HBO Short Film Award at ABFF, and her short film “Pens and Pencils” will debut on HBO in spring 2023. Additionally, she has been set to make her TV directing debut on “Chicago Pd” in 2023 after joining the NBCULaunch Female Forward Program.
Harris is repped by Heroes and Villains Entertainment.
- 12/8/2022
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjYxYzAyMTMtOWNjZC00ZjE3LWEzMmQtZmJmN2VjMWY1ZDNiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Exclusive: Los Angeles and Oslo-based management outfit Inner Voice Artists has added three new writer-director clients to its roster, including two Student Emmy and Student Academy Award winners.
Shayla Racquel’s credits include The Riverment, a short film about a grandmother and granddaughter’s cross-generational approaches to activism, which was acquired by Magic Johnson’s ASPiRE TV and Sean ‘P.Diddy’ Comb’s Revolt TV. She has screened her work at more than 40 film festivals and has awards include a Student Emmy. Upcoming, she is the lead director of the digital series Southern Fried Rice, and has several projects in development including the coming-of-age feature The Off Brands, and TV pilot Robyn Hood.
John Sayage’s films have won numerous awards, including a 2016 Student Academy Award and a 2017 Student Emmy for his debut It’s Just A Gun. He also won another Student Academy Award in 2018 for Esta Es Tu...
Shayla Racquel’s credits include The Riverment, a short film about a grandmother and granddaughter’s cross-generational approaches to activism, which was acquired by Magic Johnson’s ASPiRE TV and Sean ‘P.Diddy’ Comb’s Revolt TV. She has screened her work at more than 40 film festivals and has awards include a Student Emmy. Upcoming, she is the lead director of the digital series Southern Fried Rice, and has several projects in development including the coming-of-age feature The Off Brands, and TV pilot Robyn Hood.
John Sayage’s films have won numerous awards, including a 2016 Student Academy Award and a 2017 Student Emmy for his debut It’s Just A Gun. He also won another Student Academy Award in 2018 for Esta Es Tu...
- 2/19/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDI0NmY1MTktNjVlZi00YjBmLTk3ZjUtMDg5NzVkZmQ2NmEyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
SeriesFest and Shondaland have announced Tamika Miller as the winner of their annual Women Directing Mentorship.
The Women Directing Mentorship was first launched in 2018 as a partnership between SeriesFest and Shondaland, founded by Shonda Rhimes who is a champion of inclusion in front of and behind the camera. The mentorship offers a unique opportunity for a rising female director to shadow an already established episodic director on a Shondaland produced series. The recipient of the inaugural 2019 Women Directing Mentorship, Rachel Myers (Wendy’s Shabbat), shadowed director Tessa Blake on Episode 306, Ice Ice Baby of the Shondaland series, Station 19 which airs on ABC.
“From her application video to her film reel, Tamika Miller was an exceptional choice for this year’s prestigious mentorship,” said SeriesFest CEO, Randi Kleiner. “Both the SeriesFest team and our partners at Shondaland were blown away by her as a director, a visionary, and an artist...
The Women Directing Mentorship was first launched in 2018 as a partnership between SeriesFest and Shondaland, founded by Shonda Rhimes who is a champion of inclusion in front of and behind the camera. The mentorship offers a unique opportunity for a rising female director to shadow an already established episodic director on a Shondaland produced series. The recipient of the inaugural 2019 Women Directing Mentorship, Rachel Myers (Wendy’s Shabbat), shadowed director Tessa Blake on Episode 306, Ice Ice Baby of the Shondaland series, Station 19 which airs on ABC.
“From her application video to her film reel, Tamika Miller was an exceptional choice for this year’s prestigious mentorship,” said SeriesFest CEO, Randi Kleiner. “Both the SeriesFest team and our partners at Shondaland were blown away by her as a director, a visionary, and an artist...
- 10/14/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s that time again: We need your vote for Project of the Year.
Our Project of the Year alumni include Justin Simien’s “Dear White People,” which won our inaugural contest in 2012 (and went on to become a hit movie and soon, a Netflix series). The 2014 contest winer, Amy Jo Johnson’s “The Space Between,” is set for a theatrical release later this year. “Almost Adults,” our 2015 winner, played at various festivals including Outfest, and is now available on demand. On many of those platforms, you can also watch 2013 winner, “Know How.”
Now we need to select another winner to join that group, and that’s where you come in.
Below, we’ve gathered information on all 12 Project of the Month winners in 2016. At the bottom of the page, there’s a poll where you can select your favorite.
The 2017 Project of the Year winner will earn a spot...
Our Project of the Year alumni include Justin Simien’s “Dear White People,” which won our inaugural contest in 2012 (and went on to become a hit movie and soon, a Netflix series). The 2014 contest winer, Amy Jo Johnson’s “The Space Between,” is set for a theatrical release later this year. “Almost Adults,” our 2015 winner, played at various festivals including Outfest, and is now available on demand. On many of those platforms, you can also watch 2013 winner, “Know How.”
Now we need to select another winner to join that group, and that’s where you come in.
Below, we’ve gathered information on all 12 Project of the Month winners in 2016. At the bottom of the page, there’s a poll where you can select your favorite.
The 2017 Project of the Year winner will earn a spot...
- 2/16/2017
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
![Shayla Racquel](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjEyZjVmYzMtYWQ0ZS00OWIzLWE1NjEtZDU2NDQ4ODkwZjM4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDM3MDEyOTA@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Shayla Racquel](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjEyZjVmYzMtYWQ0ZS00OWIzLWE1NjEtZDU2NDQ4ODkwZjM4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDM3MDEyOTA@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
2016 has been a year for listening to the past. In both our modern political climate and in the world of entertainment, we’ve been forced to confront the actions of recent generations and select what parts of that example to carry into the future.
That dialogue between past and present is a cornerstone of Shayla Racquel’s “Riverment,” a short film detailing the relationship between a budding activist and her grandmother, a woman who herself fought for civil rights. Set in DC, where Racquel is an Mfa candidate at American University, the film is currently in production. But it took a dedicated effort to help bring the film to its current state.
As a post on the film’s Facebook reads: “Remember – A movement that isn’t evolving, isn’t moving.” While the film was in its fundraising stage, that message resonated with IndieWire readers, who voted it both Project...
That dialogue between past and present is a cornerstone of Shayla Racquel’s “Riverment,” a short film detailing the relationship between a budding activist and her grandmother, a woman who herself fought for civil rights. Set in DC, where Racquel is an Mfa candidate at American University, the film is currently in production. But it took a dedicated effort to help bring the film to its current state.
As a post on the film’s Facebook reads: “Remember – A movement that isn’t evolving, isn’t moving.” While the film was in its fundraising stage, that message resonated with IndieWire readers, who voted it both Project...
- 10/17/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
![Shayla Racquel](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjEyZjVmYzMtYWQ0ZS00OWIzLWE1NjEtZDU2NDQ4ODkwZjM4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDM3MDEyOTA@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Shayla Racquel](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjEyZjVmYzMtYWQ0ZS00OWIzLWE1NjEtZDU2NDQ4ODkwZjM4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDM3MDEyOTA@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress — at the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
Riverment
Logline: A former civil rights activist copes with her traumatic experiences by sharing her stories with her granddaughter by the river. With her granddaughter wanting to continue the fight, will generational differences push them apart?
Elevator Pitch:
Civil Rights activist Maureen was no stranger to racial injustices and traumatic events while fighting for equal rights. To cope with what she’s encountered, Maureen spends her time in her favorite place of peace, the riverbank, where she shares stories about her past to her granddaughter Tyna. Now 19 years old, Tyna has become a freedom fighter in her own right, tackling inequalities...
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
Riverment
Logline: A former civil rights activist copes with her traumatic experiences by sharing her stories with her granddaughter by the river. With her granddaughter wanting to continue the fight, will generational differences push them apart?
Elevator Pitch:
Civil Rights activist Maureen was no stranger to racial injustices and traumatic events while fighting for equal rights. To cope with what she’s encountered, Maureen spends her time in her favorite place of peace, the riverbank, where she shares stories about her past to her granddaughter Tyna. Now 19 years old, Tyna has become a freedom fighter in her own right, tackling inequalities...
- 7/27/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
imdb.1eye.us, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.