Chicago Fire actor and long-time Chicago artist/resident Joe Miñoso has been working tirelessly on a massive project designed to create visibility, inclusivity, and equity for Chicago’s marginalized artists. “Mass Epiphany Studios is thrilled to announce the official launch of its first program, The Epiphany Project: A Screenplay Scholarship on Martin Luther King Jr. Day,” Miñoso said.
The Epiphany Project will be accepting film script submissions written by BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ artists in two categories: feature and short. Finalists will be chosen based on various contexts, including the strength of voice, story originality, commitment to Chicago’s artistic community, and equitable representation. Winners will receive pro bono script development support from Mass Epiphany Studios, project-specific mentoring from industry producers, and a cash award of $500 for the short category and $2500 for the feature category winners.
Founder and chief creative officer Joe Miñoso, said, “We look to reinvent Chicago’s independent film industry and help build a world where BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ people have a key to every room, a seat at every table, and where every child—regardless of race or gender—gets to say, “I SEE ME.”
Mass Epiphany Studios is a film and television vocational arts academy and studio system that looks to be a megaphone for America’s marginalized tomorrow artists. For more information on Mass Epiphany Studios and The Epiphany Project, click here.