Netflix and the Transgender Film Center (TFC) are working to create a 12-week professional development lab for transgender and nonbinary filmmakers. The Career Development Lab will focus on eight filmmakers to help them accelerate their careers for its inaugural class.

Funded by Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity, this fellowship offers classes and workshops for prospective trans and nonbinary creators to help them better understand the industry more robustly. From working with industry executives to a $10,000 unrestricted grant to support their participation, the TFC looks to “getting into the nitty-gritty of how to navigate the industry as a trans person” with “its rubber-meets-the-road insights and partnerships.” TFC board members will screen applicants for this program based on their strengths in six areas: eligibility, potential, readiness, values, voice, and need.

According to the TFC executive director Sav Rodgers, the Career Development Lab will offer more “real-talk curriculum,” showing how to navigate underlying biases and confident decisions that can affect future advancement. Rodgers acknowledges these are “things that aren’t talked about in the open but are required knowledge to get the most out of an entertainment career.” 

The inaugural lab will be hosted this spring, with participants notified by May 31. Applications are available at transfilmcenter.org and open for submissions until April 23 at 11:59 PM PT.