Via Ian Bricke – VP, Independent Film at Netflix

Netflix's VP, Independent Film, Ian Bricke, announced last week that Chicago artist Hebru Brantley is one of three debut filmmakers to be part of Netflix's Emerging Filmmaker Initiative (EFI), an annual program created to cultivate and accelerate the careers of the next wave of marquee filmmakers working in high-demand genres like sci-fi, action, horror and thriller. 

"In 2017, Spike Lee introduced us to director Stefon Bristol and his standout short film, See You Yesterday— an exciting genre-bending proof of concept that we ultimately developed into a Netflix feature film...Stefon’s short opened a lot of doors, but for many up-and-coming filmmakers, it takes years just to get that first shot. We want to change that," said Bricke. 

EFI is intended to be an annual opportunity for the streaming giant to give three breakout filmmakers a change to develop, fund, produce and distribute ambitious genre short films. Through the initiative, these filmmakers will gain priceless access to the film studio ecosystem early in their careers and receive hands-on experience in development, casting, production, scoring, editing and more. Netflix says it will also pair each filmmaker with an experienced director mentor. Directors Ron Howard (The Da Vinci Code, Apollo 13) and Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, The Addams Family) offered invaluable guidance to this year’s filmmakers. 

EFI’s first three films will be released globally on Netflix on February 17. 

Hebru Brantley's film, Erax, takes place during a sleepover. Auntie Opal and her niece Nina accidentally release the mythical and dangerous Erax creatures that must be returned to the storybook from which they escaped. 

Brantley is a multi-disciplinary visual artist from the South Side of Chicago whose work explores a contemporary and distinct narrative that challenges the traditional view of the hero or protagonist. Brantley has exhibited around the world and been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Forbes, CNN (and Chicago Gallery News). Brantley has collaborated with brands such as Nike, Hublot and Adidas, among many others, and collectors of his work include top athletes, celebrities, and filmmakers. Brantley now resides in Los Angeles where he is expanding into content creation with the adaptation of his flagship character FLYBOY through his media company, Angry Hero. He is also developing several original projects including Hype with Peter Chernin at Netflix, Kankakee with Seth Rogen at Lionsgate and several TV projects set up at HBO and HBO Max.

You can find out more about the other two films and the filmmakers behind them here.