Lilly Wachowski’s Anarchists United Foundation Reveals Grant Recipients, Writers Discovery Fellows

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Lilly Wachowski’s Anarchists United Foundation is making moves on the grant and fellowship front.

The organization founded by a Matrix co-director with the aim of combating inequality within the film and TV industry has announced the recipients of its first three filmmaker grants worth $60,000. Additionally, it has selected fellows for its partnership with Anarchists United Writers Discovery Fellowship program. The founders of Anarchists United, Wachowski, Lawrence Mattis, and Sarah Marie Flores, have issued a joint statement expressing their continued commitment to uphold their core values of “artistry, diversity, and equality,” as these principles are currently facing threats.

The first recipients of the grants are Stanley Kalu (Anarchists United visionary filmmaker grant), Jennifer Reeder (J.J. Ingram Chicago visionary filmmaker grant), and Marco Bermudez (Anarchists United feature film incubator grant). Notably, Kalu was the winner of Launch’s Million Dollar Screenplay Competition for his script, The Obituary of Tunde Johnson, which was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and Outfest. Reeder, an experienced film festival participant, has directed movies such as Night’s End, Perpetrator and Knives and Skin. Bermudez, a graduate from Columbia College Chicago’s film program, wrote and directed the short film Rey, which received an award at the IndieFEST film awards.

Experienced professionals Steven Canals, J.D. Dillard, Cheryl Dunye, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Jon Watts were part of the judging panel and personally chose the award recipients. According to a statement from Howard, “These three artists are challenging traditional boundaries and setting an example for others to follow. The exceptional work they’re producing, in front of and behind the camera, for themselves and their communities, is priceless.”

In this rephrased version, I aimed to maintain the original meaning while using simpler, more natural language and a conversational tone.

As a passionate admirer, I’m excited to share that for a fifth time, the Writers Discover Fellowship is back, providing a creative haven for six budding TV writers over a span of six months. This program aims to foster their talents and propel their careers within the industry. Established in 2020 by Circle M+P (formerly known as Circle of Confusion), it’s now managed by Anarchists United Foundation, with Isabella Garcia taking the lead on daily operations.

For the 2025 edition, esteemed production houses such as Kilter Films (Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan), Pageboy Productions (Elliot Page), and Paper Kite Productions (Amy Poehler) have graciously stepped forward as sponsors.

The six chosen Writers Discover fellows are K. Broch, a multitalented individual who co-hosts the podcast, “She Said…Let’s!”, writes and directs for the dating sketch comedy show, “Single Riders Only”; Quincy Cho, who currently works as a writers’ assistant on Netflix’s “Sweet Magnolias” and has acted in the short film “Saverio”; Jacy Duan, a Princeton University graduate with degrees in sociology, theatre, and Asian American Studies, who now serves as the writers’ assistant on “Tracker”; Sydney Laws, a writer and researcher from Atlanta, who studied at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and has been instrumental in projects like Kindred (FX) and Wicked (Hulu); Amir Mo, an alumnus of NBC’s page program with a knack for “fish out of water commercial comedies”; and Sule Murray, a Chapman University graduate who now co-leads the school’s NextGen alumni mentorship program.

 
 

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2025-07-17 18:54