Ubisoft is a French multinational video game publisher who, in the past, has published franchise titles like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed, and the Far Cry series of games. The company also has a film and television studio under their umbrella called Ubisoft Motion Pictures. Today, Ubisoft Motion Pictures has announced that they're launching a unique fellowship program that's designed to celebrate female voices in the film industry.
The inaugural program will vet and select two aspiring screenwriters and provide six months of consultation in addition to the opportunity to mine the gaming studio's extensively celebrated library for titles to potentially develop. As part of the development, each hopeful will be afforded the chance to develop one of Ubisoft's gaming properties into a feature film and provide non-writing input on film projects that are already underway.
Furthermore, the program will offer the participants a one-on-one mentorship led by vice president and head of development at Ubisoft Motion Pictures Matt Phelps and creative executive Margaret Boykin. In speaking about the program's goal, Boykin was quoted as saying, “We are dedicated to telling fresh and unique stories while staying true to the DNA of our brands and delivering high-quality entertainment”
Gerard Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft Motion Pictures, was also quite adamant in voicing his thoughts about supporting women in film when he said, “Adding strong female voices to our development process will allow us to create more diverse and accessible representations of our worlds."
Phelps also added his voice to the chorus of comments by stating, “We want to open up more opportunities for women in the action genre,” said Phelps. “This focused fellowship is designed to promote inclusion and provide a fresh take on our material.”
Well, how do you like that? I think it's cool to see a studio taking some initiative in changing the game up a little bit by offering such a unique opportunity to those who could become the next great female filmmakers of modern times. With Ubisoft's slate of games-to-film currently in development, these talented women might have their pick of working on film projects for TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL, TOM CLANCY'S THE DIVISION, WATCH DOGS or RABBIDS!
If you're in the market for an Ubisoft-inspired film, be sure to check out ASSASSIN'S CREED, which is available to watch on Digital, DVD, and Blu-Ray right now.