Women in Media - CAMERAderie Initiative: Act One Finalists Announced

    LOS ANGELES, CA, November 11, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Women in Media announced their 2020/21 CAMERAderie: Act One screenplay Finalists at a virtual live streamed event Friday, November 6th. Opening the event were Women in Media (WiM) Executive Director and CAMERAderie Producer, Tema Staig, WiM Secretary/Treasurer and CAMERAderie Producer, Allison Vanore, and CAMERAderie Producers Annika Hylmö and Jeff Vespa.

Actress Tamlyn Tomita (Star Trek: Picard, Man in the High Castle) made the much-anticipated announcement:

Six CAMERAderie: Act One FINALISTS

Ziyao Liu is a Chinese writer/director/editor who creates films of a personal nature to generate empathy and understanding in people who are otherwise very different in both Chinese and American society.
Daisy is Gone - An anthrophobic Chinese poet tries to return a cloned fish, which he believes to be a botched imposter of his lost pet and best friend.

Erin Neumeyer is an actress, writer, director and social activist best known for the digital series Your Neighbors the Neumeyers and the short film Everything Has Carbs who is an active member of several female empowerment groups including Women in Media.
I'm a Hero - One woman's heroic fantasy of gun ownership is so strong that it pulls her anti-gun sister into her hyper-realistic imagination where they fight for their beliefs and their lives in this genre shifting action comedy.

Toy Lei is a multi-award-winning writer/director, actor, and fight choreographer who also Instagrams her dog, Wilfred, between pandemic Zoom meetings.
Moon - Two friends remember their childhood tree fort pacts and discuss their current lives, while having a lovely lunch on the moon.

Nagham Osman is an Egyptian writer/director, born and raised in Dubai who moved to New York to fulfill her dream to study at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts graduate film program. Her work draws on personal and family bonds and the sacrifices they make.
Never Talk to Strangers - A child makes a matter of life and death choice but doesn't know it.

Sarah Leibman is a writer/director whose short films have been shown at prestigious festivals throughout the U.S (including New Orleans Film Festival and Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival) and who has developed screenplays for Andrew Lauren Productions.
Stale Air - When a reclusive older woman's husband dies, she begins having strange visions that make her believe she is dead too.

Krista Amigone is a writer-director-actress best known for her film The Dancer, chosen by Apple for its first Short Film Challenge, and for her short film Julian Got the Part.
The Instinct - A pregnant waitress takes her co-worker's bullying in stride. But when the harassment turns physical, the waitress's Mama-Bear instincts take over and she defends her and her child's life to a grizzly end.

Tema Staig spoke on the influence that Women in Media has had on the industry, "It's no coincidence that careers for women storytellers, above and below the line have been on a trajectory since we gained your support as a member fueled organization in 2017. We are seeing a healthy rise in representation at film festivals, on panels, and indeed on the big and small screen."

Celebratory speeches were made by Women in Media Advisory Board members, initiative mentors, program guest speakers and educators including cinematographer Nancy Schreiber, ASC (P-Valley, Station 19), producer & executive director of Hollywood Shorts Film Festival Kimberley Browning, director Mary Lou Belli (NCIS: New Orleans, Bull), producer/director Martha Cotton (Faith Under Fire), director Rachel Feldman (Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds), director Rachel Raimist (Nancy Drew, Queen Sugar), writer Karen Janszen (Mars, Dolphin Tale), producer Fran Kuzui (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), director Maggie Greenwald (Madame Secretary, Nashville), writer Evette Vargas (Echoes, Dark Prophet), writer/director Christina Kallas (The Rainbow Experiment, 42 Seconds of Happiness), as well as YJ Meira, the 2019 CAMERAderie Initiative producer of finalist Grand Prize winning film, Blood & Glory.

CAMERAderie Mentor, Maggie Greenwald, echoed the sentiment heard throughout the event, "One of my dreams coming up was that someday women would be for each other and be providing a sisterhood to support each other while we make our work and change the world." She spoke directly to her mentee, Nagham Osman, "More than anything, I just want you to feel the support and the arms around you that you'll have moving forward. You're not going to be alone. You're going to have this group of women and many other groups of women there for you going forward."

Producer, YJ Meira, spoke on the multiple positive career trajectories that have resulted from her 2019 CAMERAderie Initiative participation, including her work with last year's semi-finalist Jenn Shaw: "Jenn and I partnered up and ended up bringing so many of the amazing crew that we had on Blood & Glory to shoot Afro. The relationships that we built; this truly is a sisterhood. I get emotional every time I start to talk about it, because my life, I wouldn't have imagined it to look like it looks now and it truly is thanks to this program."

Finalists will be awarded with custom director's chairs from Filmcraft LA and a virtual Celebrity Table Read of their scripts taking place on November 14, 2020 at 4pm PST. The Celebrity Cast consists of actors Tamlyn Tomita (Star Trek: Picard, Man in the High Castle), Amy Hargreaves (13 Reasons Why, Homeland), Julie Ann Emery (Bosch, Preacher, Better Call Saul), Kelsey Scott (How to Get Away with Murder, Insecure, 12 Years a Slave), Peggy Miley (Stranger Things, Star Trek: Insurrection), Dan Bucatinsky (Web Therapy, Scandal), and Sadie Burns (Dark/Web). Women in Media's intention is to progress towards production in the new year, with a focus on safety and aligning the necessary resources to accommodate challenges surrounding Covid-19.

The 2020-21 CAMERAderie: Act One program began with a stiff screenplay competition judged by an outside panel from which 16 Semi-Finalist scripts were chosen. These Semi-Finalists took part in a rigorous two-day virtual Writers Convention over the weekend of Oct 24th & 25th and were each paired with an industry mentor, before completing a final script polish. Semi-Finalists were also awarded with a portrait session with Celebrity Photographer Jeff Vespa.

The CAMERAderie Initiative is a platform for the emerging voices, creative talents, and untapped potential of women, women-identifying, and gender non-conforming filmmakers. Women in Media launched its second CAMERAderie Initiative with Women in Media's CAMERAderie: Act One, a short form screenplay competition for 2020/21. Women in Media VIP and Student Members of all experience levels were invited to participate. Through Women in Media's CAMERAderie: Act One, their community has the opportunity to gain experience and support through networking, mentorship, and professional development, including online classes, a comprehensive weekend workshop, and celebrity table readings. CAMERAderie: Act One is sponsored by Cinelease, She Angels Foundation, and Ramo Law.

Women in Media promotes gender balance in the film and entertainment industries through networking, professional development, and advocacy for women, women-identifying, and gender-nonconforming filmmakers who work above and below the line and the people who love to collaborate with them. They are known for their online Women in Media Crew List, #HireTheseWomen lunches, and the CAMERAderie Initiative. For more information about Women in Media, visit womennmedia.com.

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