We are proud to announce that we have selected our first fellow, Nathalie Dortonne, for her outstanding script,  La Sirene. Her is a captivating story about a disgraced detective with PTSD who moves back home and finds herself embroiled in a missing person’s case connected to the lake where she had a supernatural near-death experience as a child.

 

We will be celebrating Nathalie on Tuesday, April 18th, 2023, at 7 pm, at The Producer's Club in New York City, with a Staged Reading of her script, directed by veteran director Ron Beverly, followed by a Talk Back moderated by Cheryl Davis - 2023 Writers Guild of America Award winner and Emmy Nominated TV Writer. A reception will follow.

 

Nathalie Dortonne is a first-gen Haitian-American Dramedy/Horror writer who's been a producer’s/director’s assistant on numerous Netflix/Universal productions – including Will Packer’s “Bigger” on BET+ and “Come Sunday,” starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Martin Sheen and directed by Joshua Marston. As a former journalist, she's seen the dangers of one-sided narratives and makes it a point to write layered characters.

 

She’s been ranked in the Top 1% on Coverfly and Stage 32. Nathalie is driven to write having been the Black sheep in her immigrant family. She found a way to turn her strict upbringing and feelings of being an outsider, not being American or Haitian enough, into universal experiences. As a first-gen Haitian American raised on family member's stories about supernatural occurrences in Haiti, as well as the stigma surrounding Haitian Vodou, “La Sirene” carries a deep personal importance to her.

 

We want to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude for your support of the Mamie and Jimmie Collier Writing Fellowship. Your generosity has made it possible for us to support BIPOC writers like Nathalie and provide them with opportunities to hone their craft and receive mentorship from industry professionals with a track record of success. Your support is crucial to our mission, and we are grateful for it.