EXCLUSIVE: Tubi has announced the finalists for its first of-its-kind partnership with The Black List, originally titled the “To Be Commissioned” Initiative.
Out of 2,000 submissions, five finalists were selected for further development, with the ultimate goal of getting a greenlight to production and distribution from Tubi. The Black List would executive produce the films.
“By partnering with Tubi, who understands how to intentionally reach its communities and fans through content on the platform, we’re proud to champion great, undiscovered writing that is representative of the future of storytelling,” Franklin Leonard, founder of The Black List, said in a statement.
The five finalists are:
- All Things Considered by James Choi — After an overdose sends Paul to the hospital, his spirited Korean-American Mother, So-Ri, is determined to reconnect with her son and help him with his depression through an exotic South Korean ritual that promises to deliver people from their despair.
- Marigold Paradox by Monisha Dadlani — A couple’s elaborate wedding weekend is jeopardized when their future selves travel back in time to stop the matrimony.
- Frankentits by Ellen Meiser — From the shitty and the funny to the lonely bits, an imaginative millennial grapples with breast cancer. Will she reject life or embrace every single part of it?
- The Chicken Murders by Nadia Osman — Based on the true story of Zankou Chicken, the son of a dysfunctional Armenian family flees the Lebanese Civil War with his “loved” ones to open a chain of successful chicken restaurants in LA — but ambition, greed, and trauma tear the family apart, leading to betrayal, revenge, and murder.
- Pick Me Up by V.P. Walling and Mark Skeele Wilson — A gay pill-addicted gynecologist and a Queer out-of-work, out-of-shape, out-of-chances comedian set off on a road trip to rehab, and find recovery in each other.
The “To Be Commissioned” Initiative seeks to discover fresh stories from both emerging and established writers to share them with Tubi’s 81M monthly active users. The hope is to broaden access to diverse stories on a global scale.
“As a platform that proudly advocates for first time filmmakers and creatives, our partnership with The Black List amplifies our investment in the future of storytelling,” Adam Lewinson, Chief Content Officer at Tubi, said in a statement. “These five projects are exactly the type of unique and impactful stories that we look forward to developing with the goal of reaching Tubi’s vast, diverse audience.”
