Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Join this year's 2 MFA cohorts in celebrating the work of Stephens undergrad alum and Friend of the MFA Tennessee Martin whose short film is one of 6 chosen to premiere at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on August 10th. This is an Oscar-qualifying festival - only films chosen by an Oscar-qualifying festival can be in the running for Oscars, BAFTAs, Canadian or European Film Awards. Meet us there and be ready to cheer! Tickets and more info here:
https://hollyshorts2024.eventive.org/schedule/669058a2e4db9800b75f671f

LA alums can attend two female-themed plays written by mentor Jennifer Maisel in the next few weeks in very different venues. OUT OF ORBIT, about a Mars Exploration Rover Project Scientist and her relationship with her teenage daughter, will be at Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice and there weill be two immersive readings of her play YELLOW WALLPAPER 2.0 2020 at Atwater's Middle Room Art Gallery in conversation with Cindy Craig's phenomenal work next weekend.

The staff of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting couldn't agree more with the executive producers of Sh**un who, upon winning 25 Emmy nominations said: "With the weight of this show and the praise and success of this show, I think too often it gets forgotten [that] it has to stand on the shoulders of the writers. I think all the writers should just share together in the writing awards because everyone puts this show together in a group. That’s the best part about writing. I consider all these awards their awards."

'Shōgun' co-creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo on their 25 Emmy nominations: 'It's surreal' 'Shōgun' co-creators and executive producers Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo say they asked a lot from viewers with their show but were grateful to their writers for its success.

Run - don't walk - to your nearest independent bookseller for a copy of Class of 2024 MFA alum Tiffany Meg Shaffer's newest book "The Lost Story"! (And her other most recent book - The Wishing Game - gained glorious reviews as well!) Congratulations, Tiffany!

During each MFA Residency Workshop in Los Angeles the MFA co-sponsors a panel discussion with the Writers Guild of America focusing on writing quality female characters. On August 9th the topic will be: “Leading The Way: Writing Women in Leadership Roles”. Guest screenwriters include Stephens MFA Class of 2029 alum Alexandra Fernandez (Station 19); Joan Rater (A Small Light); and Zora Bikangaga – (The First Lady). The discussion will be moderated by MFA Executive Director Dr. Rosanne Welch.
The event is both live and viewable online so the Stephens community can join in by RSVP-ing at this URL:

Leading The Way: Writing Women in Leadership Roles — The Writers Guild Foundation The Writers Guild Foundation teams up with Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting for a conversation about writing female characters in leadership roles. We’ll explore how writers develop these strong leads, where they find inspiration for particular characters, and how they draw from variou

Check out the Director of Photography Narrative Reel for MFA alum Sarah Phillips Batchelder (Inaugural Class of 2017). It includes footage from a variety of films, including some written by other Stephens alums (both undergrad and MFA).

Sarah Phillips | Director of Photography | Narrative Reel | 2024 sarahphillipscamera.com

To honor the start of Disability Pride Month the AFI highlighted a film that our MFA candidates watch in our MFA History of Screenwriting III: "Coming Home", written by Waldo Salt, Story by Nancy Dowd. Starring Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, and Bruce Dern. If you haven't seen it, we recommend it highly:

"Telling the story through the point of view of women who were left behind while soldiers went off to war, COMING HOME was groundbreaking in its depiction of disability, with its characters having dimensionality and passion, devoid of cliché, as well as revolutionary in its “radical departure” in the representation of female s*xuality.[iii] At its core, COMING HOME not only examines disability of body and mind, but also delves into the restrictions of gender norms that “disabled” Americans in the late-1960s during the s*xual revolution."
Read more about the making of the film here: https://www.afi.com/news/coming-home-1978-afi-catalog-spotlight/

Congrats to MFA alum Randi Barros (Class of 2020)! LA alums can support her work and enjoy her film "Yes" at its PREMIERE SCREENING in LA at the American Film Institute on Thursday, July 25th at 7pm. The screening is free.

Congratulations to MFA alum Y'Dhanna Daniels who is appearing with the Veteran's Voices improv troupe of military Veterans/writer-performers this Saturday at the Lodge Theatre.
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/checkout-external?eid=917500638107
Veteran's Voices Troupe Bios:
Y'DHANNA DANIELS Y’Dhanna is an actor, screenwriter and voice-over artist who served in the Army National Guard in Military Intelligence. She began her entertainment career while working as a NASA contractor. Y'Dhanna currently does VO work and appears in television and commercials. She holds an MFA in from Stephens College.

YOUR HOST CHRISTOPHER LOVERRO
Christopher Loverro is an Iraq War veteran and former police (SWAT) officer turned thespian and veteran's advocate. He just returned from doing a year and a half in Ukraine as a humanitarian worker. Christopher is also the founder and artistic director of Warriors For Peace Theatre, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that is a collaboration of veterans and civilians who use Shakespeare and the theatre to help our warriors heal, empower women, support disenfranchised groups, and promote peace through the arts. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley's Peace and Conflict Studies Department, a classically trained actor, a graduate of The Second City Acting Conservatory, and is a part of Diavolo’s Veterans Dance Project.

BRENDA GARCIA Brenda served in the Navy and was the personal videographer for President Bush (41) and President Clinton. Brenda is a SAG-AFTRA actress and author of a memoir depicting her White House adventure. She plays a leadership role in Veterans in Media and Entertainment and The Geffen Playhouse advisory board.

BILL PADEN .paden William Paden is a Veteran of the U.S. Navy and an actor with experience in theater, television, film, and commercials. His theater credits include Shout, A Death in Bethany, and Bare Naked Angels. Film/TV credits include My Christmas Fiancé, Rogue Cops, None of the Above, and Habatta.

TRAVIS DIFFENDEFER Travis Diffendefer is an LA-based writer and performer. He's the creator, writer, and star of the acclaimed podcast Dead Sirius: Memoir of an Undead Loser. When he isn't working system the Writer's Guild Foundation, he can be found performing around LA or building Lego sets he can't afford.

ALEX MERIDY .meridy A Navy Veteran, Actor and Filmmaker originally from the Philippines, Alex studied at AADA and was part of Diavolo's Veteran's Project where he performed at The Kennedy Center in DC. A member of VME and American Legion Post 43 and has a BA in Film at The LA Film School.

STEVE SUH Steve Suh is a US Marine veteran, an award-winning filmmaker, and a professional actor appearing in numerous shows such as NCIS: Los Angeles, Lucifer, Shameless, and most recently, on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Steve served as an infantry team leader and as a member of STA (Chris - pronounced as "stay") platoon with 3rd Battalion 7th Marines in Twentynine Palms.

ARMEN BABASOLOUKIAN Armen is from Pasadena,CA. a combat veteran and a 82nd Airborne Paratrooper. Armen's main focus is theatre and stage performance; however, his film and TV credits include The Old Man on FX, Sabre Dance and Deja. He has also starred in 14 national commercials for Fortune 500 companies.

KAREN VASQUEZ Karen Vasquez is a comedian, podcaster, producer, and Desert Storm Navy Veteran from Westminster, California. In 1994, she was diagnosed with scleroderma. After learning to advocate for herself, she began using humor to teach doctors and nurses to laugh at what scares her, naturally leading Karen to stand-up comedy.

BRIAN MCDEVITT JR. Brian is a comedy writer, veteran, hydraulics mechanic, substitute teacher, favorite uncle, and a part-time Pokémon Trainer. Brian has been across the globe on adventures from helping to fight ISIS in the Air Force, to even stranger happenings that involve befriending a ghost dog. Brain writes original Half-Hour TV comedies.

HARSHA RAO Harsha is a former Army captain and WGA member. He’s an alumnus of the WFG Veterans Writing Project, the Universal Writers Program, and the Iraq War. He’s developed features for studios, animated TV, and bedtime stories for his there children who consistently rate the stories as mid and too short.
ADDISON BLU - Addison is a Screenwriter and SpecOps veteran. find him on IG:

Congrats to current MFA candidate Kimberlea Kressal - Local LA alums can attend her film "Jackrabbit Homestead" at its LA premiere at the LA Shorts International Film Festival on Sunday, July 28th at 10pm.
https://www.lashortsfest.com/2024-film-schedule

Congratulations to alum LeeAnne Lowry (MFA Class of 2019)! Her film The Treadmill Runner is #3 in the Top Ten 2024 TRANS|Lations Audience Award Winners ✨💖🥳📽🏳️‍⚧️!
Here are the Top 10 favorite films:
1. THERAPIST CRUSH
2. DESIRE LINES
3. THE TREADMILL SWITCHER

Good advice about the power of community as a screenwriter AND a truth I've believed since I read scripts printed in William Goldman's book: "Scriptwriting comes alive when it works as a dramatic document on its own, in addition to its utility as a planning document for a film."

Good Screenwriting Starts by Finding a Community Screenwriting advice was given at the Nantuckt Film festival by established writers including Meredith Scardino, Kerry Ehrin, C. Mason Wells, more.

Listen as Friend of the MFA film critic Claudia Puig discusses why Inside Out 2 works - in a debate with another critic on this episode of Film Week from NPR.

FilmWeek: ‘Inside Out 2’ ‘Tuesday,’ ‘I Used To Be Funny’ And More Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Claudia Puig and Wade Major review the latest releases on FilmWeek.

Celebrate the opening of the new movie written by Friend of the MFA Meg LeFauve by joining your friends and family at a screening of Inside Out 2 this weekend!

Inside Out 2 World Premiere Los Angeles - itw Meg Le Fauve (Official video) Los Angeles, El Capitan, June 10 2024On the warm evening of June 10, 2024, the historic El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood was illuminated by the dazzling light...

Congratulations to the MFA candidates who've been accepted for internships with the Women They Talk About project at the American Film Institute! Read all about the beginning of the Stephens College MFA's involvement with the program to bring more recognition to women working in the early days of film.

MFA Candidates Earn Internships at American Film Institute The American Film Institute is a dream job for many MFA students.

Local LA alums can enjoy classic movies on the big screens of Los Angeles' famous original movie palaces through the work of the LA Conservancy and their Last Remaining Seats program. Coming up: Bullitt, Gaslight, and Mi Vida Loca.

Last Remaining Seats - LA Conservancy L.A.'s summer tradition returns! Join us for classic films in historic theatres this June.

Check out the latest newsletter Celebrating the Commencement Exercises for the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Class of 2024!
https://mailchi.mp/71c948d2a1c4/class-of-2024?e=b14eb56a42

Recently Executive Director Dr. Rosanne Welch and Professor Shannon Dobson Fopeano were invited to attend the Paley MediaCounsil Dialogue at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. They enjoyed a discussion between Ynon Kreiz, CEO of Mattel and Stacey Wilson Hunt, Hollywood Reporter Contributing Editor. When he said the reason "Barbie" worked so well was that he was smart enough to leave the creative team alone, all the writers in the room broke into spontaneous applause -- so refreshing to see a businessman reference the need for creativity and innovation.

Local LA alums can see Inside Out 2 with Friend and frequent guest of the MFA Meg LeFauve in person at the EL Capital theatre, Saturday, June 15th at 7pm.

Attention LA alums - you can attend a reading of mentor Jennifer Maisel's new play "Provenance" in Santa Monica on June 9th! Congratulations, Professor Maisel!

Congratulations to Stephens College MFA Class of 2019 alum LeeAnne Lowry - her film 'The Treadmill Switcher' won last night's Audience Choice Award at the Bird Watching Film Festival! Go LeeAnne!

Attention LA alums: Attend the premiere of "Red Onion", a short film written and produced by current MFA candidate Iris Almaraz at LALIFF (Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival) on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 5:45 PM PT at the historic Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

Red Onion As the layers of Red Onion unpeel, a racy story about a phone s*x operator named Sasha transforms into a bittersweet exploration of intimacy, death, and human connection.

Congratulations to MFA candidate (and graduate assistant) Kimberlea Kressal -- her short film Jackrabbit Homestead won the AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT at . JACKRABBIT HOMESTEAD is a psychological thriller about a woman seeking forgiveness in the unforgiving desert. Follow or visit 9x13pyrex.com for more info about the film and upcoming screenings.

After all those fun commencement photos are you ready to start your own journey toward an MFA? Join us this fall in Hollywood!

Student Voice: TV + Screenwriting This is "Student Voice: TV + Screenwriting" by Stephens College on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Thanks to the two MFA-ers - Ashley McLaughlin and Dakota Grace Gibson - who did all the research for the "Star is Born" Fashion Exhibit, celebrating the female screenwriters, costume designers and actresses who brought such distinctive styles to movies! Created for the Screenwriting Research Network conference in September, it was lovely to have both women on campus for commencement to see their work in action!

How fun to note that we recently held the graduate commencement of the MFA in not one but 2 Historic Notable Properties - Lela Raney Hall and the Hugh Stephens Library on campus in Columbia!

This is the link to Friday's graduate commencement ceremony for the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Class of 2024 -- if you fast forward to 20:38 you'll hear the VP of Academic Affairs introduce Dakota Grace Gibson as our commencement speaker and then hear her marvelous speech. She was wonderful and her happiness spilled over to everyone in the room.

Stephens College Spring Graduate Commencement 2024

Congratulations to the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Class of 2024 attending the commencement ceremonies on May 3rd!

What's the best thing to do the night before commencement exercises for the MFA Class of 2024? Have a meet-up with local Columbia alums from several previous classes -- at Shakespeare's Pizza. Thanks to all who attended - this photo is from the early evening - we were having so much great conversation we forgot to take a second photo when the next set of alums arrived. Looks like a new annual tradition!