On Friday, Nov. 10, 21st Century Fox Global Inclusion hosted a breakfast to honor the 25 participants of 20th Century Fox’s inaugural Fox Filmmakers Lab, a highly selective lab designed to help increase the number of female directors working in the industry. The breakfast also celebrated the 40 women directors whose films are showcased in the 31st Annual AFI Fest, which runs Nov. 9-16, 2017, in Hollywood. Over 100 guests, including female filmmakers and Fox executives, networked and continued to forge relationships that started through the Fox Filmmakers Lab.
MyKhanh Shelton, SVP of 21CF Global Inclusion, welcomed the guests at the iconic Hotel Roosevelt and thanked AFI for its partnership. Moira Griffin, Executive Director of Production and Creative Labs for 21CF Global Inclusion, moderated a panel discussion with Joey Ally, alumnus of the Fox Filmmakers Lab and director of the short film “Joy Joy Nails”; and Rosie Haber, alumnus of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) and director of the short film “House of Jaxn.” “Joy Joy Nails” and “House of Jaxn” are both showing at this year’s AFI Fest, among 40 films directed by women.
Joey and Rosie discussed their directing styles, on-set highs and lows, and experiences in the Fox Filmmakers Lab and in AFI DWW.
“The Fox Filmmakers Lab was a really cool, unique experience,” said Joey. “In the Filmmakers Lab and DWW, I was able to hone my skills writing treatments. In the Lab, I was able to meet, interface with and pitch to high-level creative executives.”
“DWW was great because I was able to meet so many amazing women directors whom I now call my friends and who are part of my network,” said Rosie.
21CF Global Inclusion is committed to supporting and developing the next generation of diverse, unique storytellers. Programs like the Fox Writers Lab, the Fox Television Directors Lab and the Fox Filmmakers Lab are designed to nurture writers, directors and content creators who have unique voices, backgrounds and life experiences while creating a strong pipeline of diverse talent for the entertainment industry.
