Film Independent Sets Episodic Lab Participants For 2024
EXCLUSIVE: Film Independent on Wednesday named the eight writers selected for the 2024 edition of its Episodic Lab. They are Honey Ahmad, Mayanka Goel, Eunice Lau, Kyle Lau, Christian Moldes, V.T. Nayani, Paige Wood and Pallavi Yetur.
The org also named Goel as the recipient of this year’s Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant, who will receive $20,000 to support the development of their pilot, The Feather Detectivethrough the Lab. Awarded to outstanding writers whose screenplays integrate science or technology themes and characters into dramatic stories, the grant is part of the Foundation’s nationwide film program to advance public understanding of science and technology.
An intensive program designed to provide individualized story and career development for writers with original pilots for television, the Episodic Lab is running in person this year from August 12th through the 23rd. The Lab helps to further the careers of its Fellows by introducing them to industry veterans who offer guidance on both the craft and business of writing episodic content. Through personalized feedback from experienced showrunners, creative producers and executives, they look to gain the tools to revise and refine their pilots and navigate a changing industry landscape. A final networking and pitch event offers them the opportunity to introduce themselves and their work to studio and network executives.
As Founding Sponsor, Netflix supports Fellows by pairing each with a Netflix executive who will serve as their Industry Advisor, also providing them with opportunities to learn from showrunners at the helm of Netflix shows.
Creative Advisors and Guest Speakers for this year’s Lab will include Sheryl J. Anderson, Liliane Bedford, KJ Booze, Cindy Fang, Chuck Hayward, Hieu Ho, Naomi Iwamoto, Sahar Jahani, Henry “Hank” Jones, Kelly Kulchak, Marvin Lemus, Patrick Magill, Nate Matteson, Marc Mounier, Van B. Nguyen, Dawn Prestwich, Loretta Ramos, Beth Schacter, Ellen Shanman, Rebecca Sonnenshine, Sheila Hanahan Taylor, Ligiah Villalobos and Nicole Yorkin.
In a statement to Deadline on the latest iteration of the program, Dea Vazquez, Film Independent’s Associate Director of Fiction Programs said, “We’re proud to welcome these exciting new voices into the Episodic Lab whose work explores varied themes including grief, identity, sexuality and societal expectations in bold and inventive ways. We’re thrilled to be able to support these writers both in the program and throughout their careers.”
For information on the pilots being developed over the course of this year’s Film Independent Episodic Lab, read on.
Title: A-Town Boyz
Writers: Honey Ahmad, Eunice Lau
Logline: When two Asian-American teens in Atlanta turn to petty crime to fund their rap star dreams, they unwittingly get caught up in a turf war between local rival gangs, all while trying to keep up appearances that they are still on board with their parent’s expectations.
Title: Margarita
Writer: Christian Moldes
Logline: Margarita, a cursed spirit conjured up by her grieving mother, is tasked with collecting as many souls as possible in order to become human once again.
Title: Motherland
Writer: Pallavi Yetur
Logline: An Indian-American doctor who dreams of being a Hollywood actor is in over her head when she finally lands a part in a movie…in Bollywood. Now she must juggle dodging her disapproving mother and figuring out this unfamiliar (and musical!) world.
Title: sadboi
Writer: Kyle Lau
Logline: Perpetually in his feelings, sadboi navigates love and life while trying to get over his ex, who cheated on him with his mom’s hot murderer.
Title: Shame
Writers: VT Nayani, Paige Wood
Logline: Shame is a comedy-drama series that follows ANJU, a 30-something South Asian-Caribbean woman, who suddenly develops vaginismus after a pap test gone wrong. Through an obstacle course of comically painful turns, she must navigate the intricacies of sex, shame, and societal expectations, after being diagnosed with a rarely-discussed, quietly-kept medical condition.
Title: The Feather Detective
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship Awardee
Writer: Mayank Goel
Logline: A young woman struggles with 1960s societal expectations till she meets Roxie Laybourne and together they solve the mystery of America’s deadliest aviation disaster.
