BET Networks and Paramount Players have announced the finalists for Project Cre8, their nationwide competition to find the next undiscovered writer-director.
The hundreds of contestants have been narrowed down to the top five. The winner will get to produce their first feature film on a million-dollar budget. It will be purchased by BET, who will work with the winner and Paramount Players to produce the original script.
This final round will see the finalists pitch their film in person to a panel of successful filmmakers, writers and executives.
You can learn more about the top five and their films below, and you can also watch their originally-produced scenes here.
Tayo Amos
Film: “Elite”
Synopsis: Pressured by her demanding father, a high school senior at a rigorous prep school goes to extreme lengths to get into her dream Ivy League college.
About Tayo: Tayo Amos is a director and filmmaker from the Bay Area and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. She loves to tell stories in a variety of mediums: commercials for their brevity, narratives for their impact, and music videos for the range of artistic expression. While she is currently developing her first feature film, she aims to continue developing her craft within these other formats.
William Anderson
Film: “True Powers”
Synopsis: After his father is murdered, Willie Powers, a comic book-obsessed-black teen living on Chicago’s west side, dons a makeshift superhero costume to fight crime.
About William: William Anderson is an aspiring screenwriter based in Chicago, IL. True Powers was conceived and written in just over three weeks with the hopes of entertaining as well as raising awareness about Chicago’s violence and social injustice issues. When he is not writing, William volunteers as a drum teacher for a local youth program.
Calhoun Cornwell (Viewer’s choice winner)
Film: “Orangeburg 68’”
Synopsis: In 1968, Harry Floyd denied African-Americans the right to bowl at his alley, resulting in a group of students from South Carolina State University to lead a three-day protest against the alley.
About Calhoun: Calhoun Cornwell is a graduate of South Carolina State University, where he found his love for writing and directing. He would later attend Savannah College of Art and Design where he would further develop his craft for screenwriting and film-making; while achieving a Masters in Dramatic Writing. As an African-American film-maker, he believes that he is destined to be a voice for the voiceless and to be the author of untold African-American stories untold.
Quincy Ledbetter
Film: “Alieu the Dreamer”
Synopsis: In a world where humans haven’t dreamed for three decades, a driven government agent discovers a struggling young man in the projects who has started dreaming.
About Quincy: Quincy Ledbetter is a filmmaker, musician, and artist living in Brooklyn, New York by way of Woodbridge, Virginia. As a storyteller, Quincy works to share unique narratives across all genres, told from a rare perspective.
Alexandra Tran
Project Name: “Black Girls Don’t Swim”
Synopsis: A black Muslim teen in small-town Minnesota risks her life and everything her refugee family has built when she pursues her dream of competitive swimming.
About Alexandra Tran: Alexandra Tran is a Los Angeles-based writer and director experienced in female-led drama. Her previous features and pilots have been placed in multiple writing competitions. Being both multi-ethnic and multi-national, she often draws on her unusual background to portray women and girls in “fish out of water ” stories.
