Netflix on Wednesday announced the launch of the Emerging Filmmaker Initiative (EFI). The EFI is an annual program created to cultivate and accelerate the careers of the next wave of marquee filmmakers working in high-demand genres like sci-fi, action, horror and thriller.
Every year, EFI will work with three breakout filmmakers to develop, fund, produce and distribute ambitious genre short films. Through the initiative, these filmmakers will gain priceless access to the film studio ecosystem early in their careers and receive hands-on experience in development, casting, production, scoring, editing and more.
Netflix will also pair each filmmaker with an experienced director mentor. Directors Ron Howard (The Da Vinci Code, Apollo 13) and Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, The Addams Family) offered invaluable guidance to this year’s filmmakers.
Netflix’s VP, Independent Film, Ian Bricke said, “Over the years, we’ve had great success discovering, nurturing and partnering with new voices like Leigh Janiak (Fear Street Trilogy), Hernán Jiménez (Love Hard), Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall) and Stefon so we’ve started EFI as a development pipeline for the Netflix film team to give more filmmakers the opportunity to hone their craft and take the next leap in their careers.”
EFI’s first three films will be released globally on Netflix on February 17.
