Screenwriting Labs & Competitions
In an effort to discover and nurture talented writers with unique voices and diverse backgrounds, The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau is partnering with major entertainment studios/production companies to develop a series of day-long labs in Los Angeles designed to advance Muslim screenwriters in their careers.
As the entertainment industry works toward inclusion, this series is an opportune time for writers to get your material in front of decision-makers who are looking to increase diversity in writers rooms.
Each lab is focused on a specific genre and led by top writers in that genre. Our labs are designed to be small and intimate to allow instructors to give you the most one-on-one attention. Participants workshop their scripts with industry executives, receive invaluable feedback, gain tools to refine their projects, and network with fellow participants.
We have held labs in partnership with Disney/ABC Television Group (TV Comedy), Wise Entertainment (TV Drama), Wayfarer Entertainment (Feature Film), Practice Wonder (Children’s Media), Familiar Stranger (Features & TV Pilots), and The Blackhouse Foundation (TV/Black Muslim Writers). We collaborate with The Black List and Pillars Fund on the annual “Muslim List”.
Previous Labs & Competitions
PRESENT
Screenwriting Lab for TV
For mid-level writers with at least one TV writing credit
.MEET THE WINNING WRITERS.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC®) and Endless Media are presenting a virtual lab, in which three selected screenwriters with at least one TV writing credit will work with experienced producers to develop a ready-to-be-packaged pilot script.
Congratulations to our three selected writers, who will receive notes and guided feedback to take their work to the next level. Click on their photos below for their biographies.
The 2021/2022 Muslim List
.DISCOVER THE PEOPLE + PROJECTS.
The Black List has partnered with the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC®) and Pillars Fund to create The Muslim List, highlighting the very best unproduced scripts written by at least one Muslim writer. See the synopsis from the 10 selected scripts:
Congratulations to all selected, and thank you to our partners for your collaboration in making this possible!
TELEVISION SCREENWRITING LAB FOR BLACK MUSLIM WRITERS
Congratulations to the inaugural cohort of Black Muslim Television Writers: Maram Ahmed, Desha Dauchan, Aiman Mimiko, Thembisa S. Mshaka, Malikah A. Shabazz, Maria Warith Wade, Nadra Widatalla, and Sekinat Jumai Yusuf for completing the lab and generating industry interest in their scripts!
The Television Screenwriting Lab for Black Muslim Writers was created to begin to open a pathway for writers who have not been represented in television, but whose perspectives and stories are needed now more than ever. While the scripts are written from the lens of Black Muslims, their stories about life, love, adventure, work and family are universal.
We are so grateful to Participant, who supported the lab, our partner The Blackhouse Foundation, and the talented industry instructors, Qasim Basir, Hanelle Culpepper, DMA, and Fanshen Cox, for seeing the value of these creators’ voices and stories.
Script Competition: The Muslim List
In partnership with
.CONGRATULATIONS TO.
.THE INAUGURAL "MUSLIM LIST".
The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau partnered with The Black List and Pillars Fund to create The Muslim List, highlighting the very best unproduced scripts written by at least one Muslim writer.
Filmmakers and content creators were invited to submit a script for consideration by uploading it to The Black List last fall. Over 220 submissions were received! The partner organizations reviewed the submitted TV Pilot and Feature Film scripts to select the finalists, who are:
Zubaira Ahmed
Shireen Alihaji
Nabeel Arshad
Jenna Mahmoud Bosco
Saleem Nasir Gondal
Idrissou Mora-Kpai
Mike Mosallam
Khurram Mozaffar
Nijla Mu’min
Nadra Widatalla
Congratulations to the inaugural class of Muslim List writers! We believe that in the right hands, these stories have the power to change the minds and hearts of audiences around the world. We look forward to continuing The Muslim List and will announce the next round this fall!
The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau Writing Fellowship
We are so excited to announce The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau’s new Writing Fellowship in partnership with Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Independent Spirit Awards! The fellowship will provide a $10,000 grant to a writer who identifies as American Muslim and is accepted into one of Film Independent’s upcoming 2022 programs: Screenwriting Lab, Episodic Lab or Project Involve, the organization’s long-running signature diversity and mentorship program.
Film Independent and MPAC have a long relationship and a shared commitment to nurturing talented filmmakers from the American Muslim community. We’re thrilled to build on that relationship with the launch of The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau Writing Fellowship.” Josh Welsh, FI President
Film Independent has championed the inclusion of Muslim creative voices for over a decade, from our Hollywood Summits to this partnership which is a key step in institutionalizing our screenwriting labs. Visit the Film Independent website to learn more about their work and the MPAC Hollywood Bureau Writing Fellowship, and please spread the word to your networks!
Film Independent Partners With Muslim Public Affairs Council On Writing Fellowship For American Muslim Writer→
Screenwriting labs
TV Comedy, TV Drama, Feature Film, and Children’s Media
In Partnership with Disney/ABC Television Group, Wise Entertainment, Wayfarer Entertainment, Practice Wonder, and Familiar Stranger
Congratulations to the 49 talented screenwriters who were selected to participate in our TV Comedy, TV Drama, Feature Film, and Children's Media Labs led by talented executives and showrunners at Disney/ABC Television Group, Wise Entertainment, Wayfarer Entertainment, Practice Wonder, and Familiar Stranger. In the words of one participant, "I learned more in this one day than in any other writing program.”
Screenwriters
Ali Albedawi, Malik Aziz, Reem Edan, Iman Hamid, Aleem Hossain, Nesa Huda, Mariyam Mahbub, Ayser Salman, Ziyad Saadi, Amin Aaser, Shireen Alihaji, Rusteen Honardoost, Nisha Khan, Jehan Madhani, Atif Myers, Aisha Rupasingha, Tarek Albaba, Maleeha Mohsen, Asil Moussa, Aziz Tazi, Ali Abbas, Zeshawn Ali, Faisal Ansari, Gillian Muller, Iman Saleh, Ali Imran Zaidi, Najla Zaidi, M.K. Ansari, Nabeel Arshad, Zaki Barzinji, Mariam Abd-Allah, Preacher Moss, Yasmeen Mughal, Kashif Pasta, Yusuf Zakir, Heba Al-Abyad, Ayesha Ali, Muna Deria, Pema Gakyil, Adel Kamal, Ruman Kazi, Akifa Khan, Salma Khan, Sofie Khan, Lori Margaret, Fahima Mohamood, Omar Rashed, Zayn Razi, and Yousef Syed.
COVID-19 Limited Series
Screenwriting Competition
New York-based screenwriter and filmmaker Ziyad Saadi got to workshop his TV Pilot script with Grainne Godfree, an Executive Producer on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, where she is proud to have helped create the first Muslim superhero on television!
We believe that stories reflecting the best in humanity are born in hardship and adversity, and that sharing these stories can provide solidarity and connection. That is why The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau held this competition seeking scripts set in the current pandemic. We all have stories about how each of us, our families, friends, and communities have been impacted by COVID-19 and how we are getting through this challenging situation.
FAQs
Do I have to be Muslim to apply?
Yes. These competitions and labs have been designed in partnership with major entertainment studios and production companies who have created these unique opportunities for Muslim-identifying creatives to advance in Hollywood. If a writing team applies, one member must identify as Muslim and only one member of the team will participate in the lab.
What are your fees?
Out of respect for the economic impact of the pandemic, there have been no application or lab fees for our recent labs and competitions.
