The Black List and the UPS have unveiled their guest jury for their joint initiative The Be Unstoppable Film Project. The jury members will be Isabel Sandoval, Minhal Baig, and Natalie Morales. The announcement was made during the Toronto International Film Festival. Sandoval, Baig and Morales will advise filmmakers and select shorts for the Be Unstoppable partnership.
Sandoval is known for her recent directorial work on FX’s Under The Banner Of Heaven and her film, ˆ was distributed by Ava Duvernay’s ARRAY and is available on Netflix. The critically acclaimed film is about an undocumented Filipina trans caregiver. In 2019, she made history as the first transgender woman of colour to compete at the Venice Film Festival, nominated for both the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards and a GLAAD Media Award.
Director, producer, and writer Baig has written on acclaimed TV comedies, Ramy and Bojack Horseman. Her feature film, Hala was a script on the 2016 Annual Black List, which found success at 2019 Sundance Film Festival, and was Apple TV+’s first film acquisition. She’s also an alum of the 2013 Black List Feature Lab.
Actress, director, and producer Morales has been seen in many films and TV series such as Battle of the Sexes, Parks and Recreation, Santa Clarita Diet, and Dead To Me. In 2021, she directed the SXSW audience award winning feature, Language Lessons and Plan B, which is streaming on Hulu.
Filmmakers for selected for Tje Be Unstoppable Film Project will receive a grant worth $100,000 for the production of a short film based on their feature screenplay; an opportunity to work with a underrepresented talent behind the scenes to bring these films to life; and will also receive resources, time, and mentorship throughout the process to make and showcase a short film with the goal to submit their work for the next film festival circuit.
