Spike Lee and The Gersh Agency have announced the inaugural class of Spike Fellows, a new program aimed at supporting emerging screenwriters of color. The program was created to help address the lack of diversity and representation in the film industry.
The 12 selected fellows will receive a $10,000 stipend, mentorship, and networking opportunities over the course of a year. The program is open to writers who have not yet had a feature-length film produced or distributed. Fellows were chosen from a pool of over 600 applicants.
In a statement, Lee emphasized the importance of supporting underrepresented voices in the industry. “It is my honor to present the first class of Spike Fellows,” he said. “The film industry must be more inclusive of diverse voices, and these 12 Fellows represent the next generation of storytellers.”
The Gersh Agency co-president David Gersh added, “We’re thrilled to have partnered with Spike to create a program that we hope will support talented writers of color, and provide an opportunity to bring their unique stories to a wider audience.”
The Spike Fellows program is part of a larger effort by Lee to promote diversity and inclusion in the industry. In 2020, Lee launched the “Da 5 Bloods” screenwriting competition, which was aimed at promoting diverse voices in the film industry. The competition was open to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) screenwriters.
Lee’s latest film, “Da 5 Bloods,” was released on Netflix in 2020 to critical acclaim. The film follows a group of Vietnam War veterans who return to the country in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader and the treasure they buried.