The producing team of Bea Cordelia and Daniel Kyri has been selected to be the 2018 Filmmakers in Residence by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs (DCASE).
Commissioner Mark Kelly cited the pair’s “originality and commitment to telling stories” as significant factors driving the decision.
Besides being a filmmaker, Cordelia is a “writer … performance artist, actor, producer, educator, & activist whose work uplifts & reimagines the narratives of transgender people,” according to her website.
Kyri is a highly regarded member of the Chicago theater community who has graced the stages of the Lookingglass, Steppenwolf, Shakespeare, and Goodman Theaters. He is also featured in the 2015 Stephen Cone film, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, streaming on Netflix.
The Residency is a program of the Chicago Film Office, which will provide the filmmakers with industry resources and a $10,000 cash grant “to assist in the completion of an original work.”
According to a DCASE press release, Cordelia and Kyri intend to pursue a webseries titled, The T, during their yearlong residency.
Described as, a “dramedy that explores LGBTQ relationships and the universally relatable milieu of awkward hook-ups, nervous dates and the painful pursuit of lasting love,” it “presents an authentic, unapologetic representation of voices and narratives we don’t often see onscreen.”
The producers will also mentor four apprentices as part of the IFI’s new Independent Producer Apprenticeship (IPA) program, a collaboration of DCASE and Cinema/Chicago that provides experience and career development to emerging producers and media-makers.
“We are excited to have two award-winning artists as our Filmmakers in Residence this year,” says Kelly, “and look forward to seeing the forward-thinking series they are planning to produce.”
