20
FIlm IndePendent
When director Cherien Dabis was struggling to
She had cast her real family in the fi lm, a semi-autobio-
fi nish her debut fi lm Amreeka, she found inspiration at
graphical story about an Arab American family struggling
Film Independent’s Directors Lab, which she had been
to fi nd a sense of belonging in the mid-west. She was soon
selected to participate in 2005.
regretting working with non-actors and her relatives, to
boot. But then her Directors Lab mentor Tony Drazan, who
directed Hurlyburly and Zebrahead, saw it.
“He told me ‘you were born to direct,’” recalled Dabis, noting
how hard it was to coach non-actors. “It was such a nugget of
confi dence that I just clung to that. I suddenly had the confi -
dence I needed to push forward.”
Dabis is just one of approximately eighty fi lmmakers accepted
each year from a highly competitive pool to go through Film
Independent’s Talent Development Programs. Filmmakers
Cherien dabis
hone their skills, develop current projects, and ad-
vance their careers through such programs as
Project:Involve, Fast Track, the Filmmaker Labs, in
addition to receiving grants, and awards at the Los
Angeles Film Festival. This year, 15 fellows had their
fi lms selected to participate at the Sundance Film
Festival and/or Slamdance Film Festival.
“Its so gratifying to see so many of the fi lmmakers
who have gone through our program being rec-
ognized for their work,” said Josh Welsh, Film In-
dependent’s Director of Talent Development. “We
Ramin Bahrani
provide a forum and a space to develop their proj-
ects, but it’s the fi lmmakers who bring their vision,
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