Bridesmaids' Director Is Helping Women Make Films About LA

Paul Feig -- known for projects like Bridesmaids, the female Ghostbusters reboot, other examples of championing women, and his sharp sense of style -- is launching an incubator for female directors, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

It's called Powderkeg: Fuse, and it's part of his digital media company Powderkeg, which he started with exec Laura Fischer.

The seven women selected for the program start production on short films this week in Los Angeles, with films about the city.

Forty women were invited to submit concepts that would showcase Los Angeles's diversity, and it was narrowed down to these seven -- five solo directors and one team.

The six short films are all set to serve as proofs of concept for an original series, which Powderkeg would produce.

Here are the directors, their films, and where they're set, according to the Reporter:

• Hannah Levy's and Adriana Robles's Francis 2.0, set in West Hollywood
• Jess de la Merced's Phony, set in the San Gabriel Valley
• Thembi Banks's Baldwin Beauty, set in Baldwin Hills
• Talia Osteen's Shabbos Goy, set in Pico Robertson
• Lizzy Sanford's Freckle and the Shih Tzu (setting to be announced)
• Jeanne Jo's Rachel From New York, set in Frogtown

"Each of these women has a very unique comedic voice and aesthetic and we are thrilled to be able to bring their short films to life," Feig and Fischer said, according to the Reporter. "These are talented directors ready for the next step in their careers and we hope this is the beginning of a long working relationship with each of the them."

The directors are being mentored by Feig to prep their films, and they're being teamed with top producers and casting directors. They'll be distributed as a 30-minute anthology, tied together by their theme.

Powderkeg's mission is to elevate female and LGBTQ creators -- the digital company launched earlier this year. They've already been busy, with projects including greenlighting the Muslim-American digital series East of La Brea earlier this year.

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