Black, Indigenous, People of Color Sci-Fi

Screenwriting Lab 2021

The BIPOC Sci-Fi Screenwriting Lab was created by Justice for My Sister in 2020. In 2021, JFMS welcomed our second cohort of Fellows who are in the process of developing their first TV pilot, in conversation with the literary traditions of Afro-futurism, Indigenous-futurism, and more.. Fellows have received training in character development, story structure, media literacy, and writing to expose and diminish the white supremacist, capitalist, heteronormative-patriarchy. The Fellows in this cohort are a talented group of writers, driven by their love for storytelling that has the potential to heal and promote social justice, redistribution of wealth, anti-colonialism, and non-violence. Read more about them below!

  • RJ Abesamis is a queer non-binary activist and artist in the Pilipinx-American community. As a strong advocate for art activism, RJ believes that art has the power to break through barriers and enact change. RJ currently attends Cal State Fullerton, majoring in Asian American Studies, in the pursuit of creating cultural work that would normalize QTPOC representation and articulate multiculturalism, cross-cultural communication, and political consciousness through spoken word, visual art, music, and writing.

  • Tiffany M. Davis has self-published four novels in three genres and has contributed to two nonfiction anthologies. She has also edited work for independent presses and self-published authors and reviewed books for publications. After living up and down both coasts, she now resides in the Atlanta, GA area.

  • Jennifer Ibarra is a Yoga Instructor and Poet who stands for Love and Liberation. She is passionate about sharing healing modalities for self-regulating with young children. She has hosted classes in schools with Big Thought and The Dallas Public Library incorporating creative writing with mindfulness. Jennifer’s professional background comes from Spanish Media broadcasting where she spent eight years with Univision. Jennifer spent the past few years with Blue Zones Project in Fort Worth, Texas—a community-led well-being initiative making the healthy choice, the easy choice. She currently works for Girls on the Run International, a social-emotional after-school program encouraging physical activity.

    She is a single mom of a 8-year-old daughter who ignited her passion and fire to help women and girls see the Divine light and power within.

  • Nigit’stil Norbert is a multidisciplinary artist, land defender and advocate. She was born and raised in Denendeh/Yellowknife, NT. In 2019 she planted her Gwich’in roots in their ancestral home of Inuvik, NT. In 2013, she graduated from OCAD University with a Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts in Photography. Norbert started her graphic recording and illustrative services to give voice to individuals, community and organizations to amplify good work.

    Within her art, and within her life, she likes to speak simply, honestly and without fear.

  • Vera Amaya is a creative producer/director from Los Angeles. As a first born child of El Salvadorian Chinese immigrant parents, she enjoys illuminating work that recognizes bold voices on issues of holding space. Many of her works bring compassion in sharing intrinsic knowledge that tell stories with innovative form and truth.

    Amaya’s recent productions include The Burning Plain. It's a 2021 NALIP Latino Media Fest, a 2021 Hola Mexico Film Festival Selection, and a 2021 DBFrieze LA Film Award Fellow. She is currently in post production for the film, Tecata (2021), and in development for her first feature film.

  • Espiritu Enriquez (they/them/theirs) is a Mexican-Guatemalan trans nonbinary artist and writer who currently serves as an analyst at the Office of Child Abuse Prevention. Espiritu is beyond excited to focus on their storytelling by being a part of Justice for My Sister’s BIPOC Screenwriting Lab. Espiritu misses the ocean every day, loves to queer shit up, and believes in art and storytelling as medicine. They occasionally post their art work on Instagram at @nebulous_quetzal.

  • Rosa Lisbeth Navarrete is a Peruvian immigrant, writer, actor, director, and mom. Her experience crossing the border as a child influences her artwork and collaborations in theater and film; giving her the ability to find the heart of the story through empathy, humor, and a sense of adventure. Rosa is a University of California, Berkeley alumni and a 2021 Justice for My Sister BIPOC SciFi Screenwriting Fellow. Recent projects include being a writer/director on “The Train”- an independent series with showrunner Yelyna De Leon (LA Skins Festival 2021) and a co-creator on “A’we Deh Ya” (All of Us Are Here) a film by Paloma McGregor (Winner of Best Screendance Film, Denton Black Film Festival 2022), and “ELLAY” - an independent dark comedy series featuring an indigenous lead. Her next projects include directing video pieces for About… Productions upcoming project “Adobe Punk”, short film written by Lauren Ballesteros titled “Confessions to the Moon”, and completing the post-production work of short film Sippin’ written by Gilbert Salazar. You might find Rosa producing or doing community engagement work in the Los Angeles Arts & Entertainment sector. She is an Inner-City Filmmakers graduate and serves on the Casa 0101 Theater Board. IG/Twitter: @mizperu | www.rosastory.com

  • Edwin Perez Osuna is a Zapotec first-generation college graduate and filmmaker who hopes to capture the often unearthly realities of the southwestern United States and the cultural richness of its minority populations.

  • Sabaa Zareena (pronouns: they/them) is an independent artist that focuses on film and photography to explore the concept of worthiness.

    Their current work in progress “The Deserving Kind: Interview Series” is a podcast style series showcasing interviews where participants answer a series of questions related to their measures of value. Questions like, “How did you come to know you are worthy?” are expanded upon with Black, trans, queer, neurodivergent and first generation interviewees. The interviews explore themes of internal isolation and ongoing evolution through trial and error.

  • Sannii Crespina-Flores is a teaching artist, advocate, and activist for youth and women. A member of the Writers Guild of America (East) Indie Caucus and founder of the Un-Inhibited Muse Film Festival, the Do Remember Me Project, and the Yram Collective, she is committed to building community, sharing the art of storytelling, and archiving. She has received grants and awards to create works for independent television and cultural organizations. She has written a book of short stories currently on Amazon Books. She was awarded the grand prize for the short story challenge at the 15th Sundance Film Festivals.

  • Diamond Evans is an entrepreneur, foster youth advocate and filmmaker from South Los Angeles, CA. Her journey with filmmaking began in 2017, when she released her first film with PBSSoCal and Justice for My Sister called, “Dear Diamond”, a film about her writing a letter to her younger self and reflecting on her foster care story. Her background was the reason she wanted to become an advocate for foster youth and in 2020 she started her own program called, Selfcare4foster youth. Selfcare4foster youth is a program that gives out wellness packages to former foster youth ages 18-26 in Los Angeles, CA. Through donations and proceeds from her business, TheElevenshop, she’s able to raise funding for the Selfcare4fosteryouth program.

  • Frances Nguyen is a writer and freelance journalist based in Los Angeles, California.

    She edits the Women Under Siege section of the Women's Media Center, which covers sexualized violence in conflict and gendered violence in international contexts. Before committing to writing full time in 2019, Frances worked as a communications professional in the humanitarian sector.

    Her work engages in themes of race, identity, belonging, and the deception of the American Dream.

  • Azalia is the Chicana daughter of mixed-race Mexican immigrants. She attended Bryn Mawr College on a full scholarship through The Posse Foundation and graduated in 2018 with a history degree. She will pursue a JD degree next year. Azalia currently works as a family law paralegal in Houston and co-owns a childcare business with her mother. As a legal advocate and early childhood educator, Azalia has worked with non-profit organizations in Philadelphia and Houston to improve education access and bilingual legal resources for young students of color and immigrant families. Azalia’s writing focuses on themes of family dysfunction, women’s liberation, machismo and classism.