Travis Wood: Celebs Rumors

William Earl Variety and Indeed present a night of cocktails and conversation on June 16 in New York City with this year’s 10 Rising Voices finalists from across the United States.Participants include Jalmer Caceres, “Empty Bases”; Leon Cheo, “The 25th Filial”; Shanrica Evans, “Amina”; Justin Floyd, “Malleable”; Georgia Fu, “Maps”; Gbenga Komolafe, “Tofu”; Cara Lawson, “Crooked Trees Gon Give Me Wings”; Tara Motamedi, “Before Dawn Kabul Time”; Urvashi Pathania, “Beast” and Travis Wood, “Black Santa.” The conversation will be moderated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis.Established in February 2021 and now in its second season, Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Indeed partnered on Rising Voices to provide resources to the selected BIPOC filmmakers to create the short film that will have premiered earlier in the day at the Tribeca Festival in New York City. The finalists were selected from 900 applicants based on their submitted screenplays.

Leading job site Indeed, Emmy winner Lena Waithe (Master of None, Twenties) and her company Hillman Grad Productions have today named Cara Lawson, Gbenga Komolafe, Georgia Fu, Jalmer Caceres, Justin Floyd, Leon Cheo, Shanrica Evans, Tara Motamedi, Travis Wood and Urvashi Pathania as the 10 filmmakers selected for the second edition of their Rising Voices program.

Wilson Chapman editorLena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Indeed have announced the 10 filmmakers selected for season two of Rising Voices, their initiative to support the work of filmmakers of color.Established last February, the program provides resources for BIPOC filmmakers across the United States to create a short film that will premiere at the Tribeca Festival, planned for June 8-19 in New York City.“Indeed’s Rising Voices not only levels the playing field for BIPOC creators in Hollywood by creating opportunities for individuals to be seen, heard and represented, but also empowers the next generation of storytellers, providing access to funding, on-site skill, career development and mentorship,” Waithe said in a statement. “Our continued mission at Hillman Grad Productions is to ensure that program mentees are truly set up for success as they continue to grow within their individual careers.” The ten selected filmmaker teams for the 2022 edition of Rising Voices are Cara Lawson, Gbenga Komolafe, Georgia Fu, Jalmer Caceres, Justin Floyd, Leon Cheo, Shanrica Evans, Tara Motamedi, Travis Wood and Urvashi Pathania.The finalists were selected from 900 applicants based on their submitted screenplays.