Indeed, Lena Waithe & Hillman Grad Set Filmmakers For Third Cycle Of ‘Rising Voices’ Program

Matt Grobar
·3 min read
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Indeed, actor Lena Waithe and her company Hillman Grad, and 271 Films have named the filmmakers chosen to participate in the third season of their program, Rising Voices.

Those set for Rising Voices Season 3 are Ana Verde, Candace Ho, Hannah Bang, Jackie! Zhou, James Rogers III, Joey Xuetong Zhao, Justin Kim WooSŏk, Larry Owens, Maria Alvarez and Miguel Angel Caballero.

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Through the program, created to uncover, invest in and share stories created by BIPOC filmmakers across the U.S., each will be given a production budget of up to $100,000 to create a short film that will go on to premiere at the Tribeca Festival in June. The theme for this year’s films, The Future of Work, comes at a time of immense change within workplaces across the globe, in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

Participants will be compensated $5,000 for writing their original script and $5,000 for directing. They’ll be guided throughout the filmmaking process by Waithe and other notable directors including Destin Daniel Cretton, Diego Velasco, Anthony Hemingway, Tiff Johnson and Naima Ramos Chapman, also having the chance to connect with Indeed CEO Chris Hyams, Hillman Grad CEO Rishi Rajani, and 271 Films founders Constanza and Doménica Castro during a Filmmaker Bootcamp in Los Angeles.

“We are thrilled to continue this special partnership with Indeed to support diverse filmmakers,” said Hillman Grad’s Waithe and Rajani. “This year marks season three of Rising Voices, and we are blown away by the amazing talent featured in this class and we can’t wait to see the intentional stories they will bring to the screen. We look forward to working with these amazing filmmakers and providing them with everything they need to succeed.”

“Indeed’s mission is to help people get jobs. Together with our incredible partners, Lena Waithe, Hillman Grad Productions and 271 Films, Rising Voices makes it possible to not only open doors for BIPOC filmmakers, but creates a window for all of us to see the world of work through a different lens,” remarked Indeed’s CEO, Hyams. “We believe talent is universal, but opportunity is not. With Season 3, we look forward to seeing new stories that offer that new lens to reimagine the future of work.”

Added Indeed’s SVP, Environmental, Social & Governance, LaFawn Davis: “It’s such an honor to hit the three-year milestone of the Rising Voices initiative as we once again open the doors to opportunity for underrepresented BIPOC creatives. The filmmakers not only get to bring their vision to life on screen, but they receive mentorship and the ability to make new connections and inspire others. With the workforce completely transforming over the last few years, we look forward to seeing what the future of work looks like through the eyes of these very talented and creative filmmakers.”

Rising Voices and its filmmakers have received recognition from such prominent film festivals as Tribeca, Sundance, the Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, AFI Fest, Pan African Film and the 45th Asian American Film Festival, among others. Those who have completed the program have also gone on to direct episodes of The Chi (Showtime) and Chicago Fire (NBC), also becoming Netflix Netflix staff writers, directing commercial TV work for Jeep and Oakley, and securing nominations for NAACP Image Awards. The initiative has also notably led to the creation of more than 1,000 jobs to date.

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