Inside the ‘No Drama’ Initiative from Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw, Universal and TIFF

^{Cameron Bailey, Peter Cramer, Helena Hawkes, Jared Leaf, Janine Jones-Clark, Jordan Peele, Charlie Dennis, Ariel Zenogotita, Chandler Crump
Photo Credit: Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Universal Pictures}

Five Filmmakers Selected for Inaugural Monkeypaw Productions’ No Drama Initiative Powered by TIFF & Universal Filmmakers Project

From the mind of Jordan Peele, NO DRAMA asks filmmakers, “What’s your biggest fear?  What monsters lurk in the deepest corners of your inner thoughts?” Powered by Monkeypaw Productions, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and Universal Filmed Entertainment Group (UFEG), this talent experience empowers filmmakers to create cinematic content that explores horror across cultures, time, environments and society. 

This new, global initiative aimed at cultivating breakout talent has selected five filmmakers to produce proofs of concept or short films with the goal of developing them into full-length projects with Monkeypaw and UFEG. The five 2024 NO DRAMA filmmakers are: Chandler Crump, Charlie Dennis, Helena Hawkes, Jared Leaf and Ariel Zenogotita (bios below).

NO DRAMA will have digital and physical touchpoints with the Monkeypaw, Universal and TIFF Industry teams. The five filmmakers will each receive a $50,000 USD grant from TIFF to produce their projects, exposure to the major studio production process, access to creative and production executives to develop their professional networks.

In addition to the access and opportunity provided by the initiative, TIFF, Monkeypaw and Universal’s Filmmaker & Content Strategies team have put together a year-long curriculum focused on enhancing the filmmakers’ creative processes and increasing their knowledge of the studio system. During the one-year, non-exclusive talent experience selected participants will engage in roundtables and workshops to enrich their creative process in producing a short film/proof of concept. The program kicked off with a four-day intensive on the Universal Studios Lot in October.

The program concludes in Fall 2025 when the filmmakers will have the opportunity to screen their NO DRAMA projects during the Toronto International Film Festival, outside of Official Selection, at TIFF during the festival. The filmmakers will also be participating in TIFF Industry market screenings organized by TIFF to further our commitment to access and opportunity across the industry. UFEG and Monkeypaw will have the exclusive option to purchase their projects after the initiative ends.

The No Drama Filmmakers:

Chandler Crump

Chandler Crump received her BFA in Film and Television at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Born and raised in San Francisco, she is currently based in NYC. Crump’s debut short film Color Him Son had its World Premiere at the 9th Annual Afrikana Film Festival, its New York Premiere at the 12th Annual New York International Shorts Film Festival and was awarded the Best Undergraduate Narrative Film at the 2023 Fusion Film Festival. As of Summer 2024, she has picture-locked her second short, a one-room feminist horror film entitled There's Someone at the Door. Planting her industry roots as a junior executive in television development at Billy Porter's production company, Crump’s emerging voice in Hollywood is a force to be reckoned with.

Charlie Dennis

Charlie Dennis is writer/director hailing from the West Midlands in the United Kingdom. He has developed a cinematic style that anchors cutting edge filmmaking with unheard and underrepresented stories. He looks to induce positive change by blending humor, high-octane moments and authenticity to his work, giving an honest punch to all that he creates. Dennis strives to improve accessibility within film and TV. His Deaf-led BBC short film Silent World was subsequently picked up as a TV series after winning The National Lottery Arts Project of the Year, alongside BAFTA, Academy Award and BIFA qualifying festival nominations. As well as recently directing splinter units for a Sky TV series starring Kenneth Branagh, being long and shortlisted for prestigious commercial accolades such as Cannes Lions and 1.4 Awards, he ensures that even the most exciting stories stay profoundly human.  

Helena Hawkes

Helena Hawkes, a New Mexico native and the middle child to a mixed Hispanic family of ten children, set foot on her first film set in the sixth grade. Since then, the screenwriter, director, painter, and occasional poet honed her genre skills by cutting her teeth at Blumhouse Productions where Jason Blum handpicked her from a pool of interns to assist him. Upon doing so and wanting to strengthen her skills as a director, she pivoted and began working as an apprentice to horror screenwriter and director, Leigh Whannell. Since then, she worked closely with Whannell on his upcoming anticipated film while developing her own projects. As a writer, Hawkes explores female-driven tales that deal with family dynamics, identity, transformation and self-image all of which are told through a genre and sometimes surrealist lens.

Jared Leaf

Jared Leaf is a writer, director, and producer based in Portland, OR.  Through his production company, Ninety Third Story, he aims to tell stories at the highest level. His directorial approach is influenced by his background as both a classically-trained actor and former college linebacker at San Jose State. Since moving from Los Angeles to Portland in 2021, he has written and directed numerous projects for Nike, including documentaries for Serena Williams and the Serena Williams Design Crew, as well as "Decolonizing Design," a five-part docuseries on cultural appropriation in design. His feature directorial debut, a documentary on the Black Seminoles of Florida and their fight for freedom amidst 19th-century US expansion, is currently in production and set to wrap in early 2025. Since 2018, Leaf has directed eight short films across genres, including romantic comedy, noir mystery, action, comedy, and horror. His first horror short, Sketch, won an award and received three nominations.

Ariel Zenogotita

Ariel Zenogotita is an award-winning Puerto Rican filmmaker based in Los Angeles. His work tends to explore the space between psychological horror and dark comedy. His films have been selected at notable festivals such as SXSW and Palm Springs International ShortFest and have been featured on sites like Short of the Week, Director’s Notes, and Vimeo Staff Picks. He’s also been featured on LATINX DIRECTORS, the first-ever database dedicated to showcasing prominent Latino directors based in the United States.