Adrienne Shelly Foundation Names First Initiatives

Conceived four-and-a-half months ago in the aftermath of its namesake's tragic death, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation planned support for women attending film school and actresses transitioning from work in front of the camera to jobs behind it, particularly directing. With Shelly's last acting/directing effort Waitress set for posthumous release May 2, the foundation announced this week it had firmed up its mission, initiatives and board of directors heading forward.

Among them:

--The foundation will provide an annual production grant to a participant in the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women, as well as underwrite the program's new Adrienne Shelly Master Class in Directing;

--Columbia University will award the annual Adrienne Shelly Award for Best Female Director beginning this spring (Columbia undergrad film head Annette Insdorf is among the foundation's advisory board members);

--Also starting this spring, New York Women in Film & Television will provide the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Finishing Funds Grant to "a promising filmmaker";

--NYU's undergraduate film program will offer an annual Adrienne Shelly Foundation Scholarship to a sophomore student, beginning fall 2007;

--Finally, IFP is handling the Adrienne Shelly Director's Grant, another annual award to be presented to another "promising filmmaker" starting this fall, likely in conjunction with the IFP Market (IFP executive director Michelle Byrd is on the foundation's board of directors).

Other directors include Shelly's widower Andy Ostroy, Dan Katcher, Liz Benjamin and Ted Hope; the advisory board comprises Rosanna Arquette, Emily Deschanel, Sasha Eden, Insdorf, Hal Hartley, Andrew Hollander, John Logigian, Bennett Miller, Peter Newman, Reid Rosefelt, Paul Rudd, Keri Russell, Jen Small, Fisher Stevens and Jeremy Walker. Check out the foundation's Web site to donate and learn more.

Posted at March 28, 2007 11:51 AM