In a win for independent cinema and the future of filmmaking, six projects have been unveiled today as part of Antigravity Academy‘s flagship incubator, the Antigravity Academy Screenwriters Camp. This program was founded with the purpose of bringing unique voices in filmmaking to the forefront and helping them develop scripts for their debut features. It consists of a five-day intensive in Lake Arrowhead, California, followed by six months of hands-on development work, all leading up to a period of industry exposure with aims of making each project a reality. Each participant will come out of the Screenwriters Camp with a new draft of their screenplays, a first-look deal from Unapologetic Projects (“Dìdi (弟弟)”), and a commitment from Antigravity Academy to assist in shepherding their projects into the market.
Fellows and projects for 2025, with descriptions provided by Antigravity Academy, are:
- “Pink Casa” by Bobby Herrera – A Tejano oil worker raises his mute niece, but when her pink-painted home and prodigious talent attract a famed New York artist, both families must confront their pasts and futures.
- “The Fiddler” by Monisha Dadlani – A young Indian widow searches for her reincarnated husband, who she believes has returned as a goat.
- “Dead Language” by Tommy Tang & Emma Van Slyck – A linguist at a secret Army base deciphers a lost language, uncovering an ancient cult and a terrifying entity that threatens humanity’s sanity.
- “Egg Bound” by JP Bradham – A new hire at The Egg Depot discovers women are mysteriously dropping dead from a condition called “Egg Bound”—and suddenly, the job isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
- “Fire Over The Hills” by Alexander Chard – In a world scorched by monstrous wildfire-born creatures, an aging survivor fights to rescue his wife and daughter from the flames.
- “Thaw” by Alex Bush – Isolated on a remote farm for winter, two friends begin to switch genders.
The Antigravity Academy Screenwriters Camp will be led by Abi Brizuela, former Director of the Artist Community at the Sundance Institute, who conducted the inaugural installment of the program last year as well. Producer Valerie Bush, filmmaker Carlos López Estrada, and Antigravity’s Head of Development, Holly Stanton, will organize the development of the six projects over the course of the next year. Independent financier and Unapologetic Projects co-founder Chris Quintos Cathcart is also a backer of this initiative.
In a joint statement, Brizuela and López Estadada said, “Last year’s camp experience was life-affirming and the fellows have recently finished drafts of six truly extraordinary films. With this new edition, we’re looking forward to ushering six new projects from the voices who will be shaping the independent landscape for years to come.”
Several participants from the first edition of Screenwriters Camp have already found their careers furthered thanks to their efforts within the program. For example, Jay Pendarvis Jr. has signed with talent agency M88 and A.J. Riggins has signed with 3 Arts Entertainment, while Alexandra Qin has signed with UTA and recently participated in the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriters Lab with her film “Thirstygirl.” Each fellow received mentoring catered to the specifics of their work from industry-leading filmmakers such as Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley (“Sing Sings”), Sean Wang (“Dìdi”), Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”) and Marcus Gardley (“The Color Purple”).
Antigravity Academy serves as the production shingle for López Estrada (“Blindspotting,” “Raya and the Last Dragon”), who founded the company in 2022 with the intention of scaling a community-driven approach to filmmaking into a first-of-its-kind platform for visionary artists. As proven by their first produced project, Sean Wang’s award-winning film “Dìdi” (弟弟)” — winner of prizes at both last year’s Sundance and this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards — López Estrada and the Antigravity team continue to make good on their intention to amplify underrepresented voices and improve industry accessibility for first-time filmmakers.
Beyond film production, Antigravity also co-hosts quarterly Community Nights in Los Angeles attended by hundreds of up-and-coming filmmakers, launched a paid mentorship program, and created the popular panel series Satellite Sessions (in partnership with CAPE and the Dolby Institute), which have featured conversations with industry leaders like “CODA” filmmaker Sian Heder and AMPAS President Janet Yang. These free educational initiatives and community-building efforts have become integral to the impact Antigravity is making, both in and outside of Hollywood.
