Tribeca Studios has launched a new incubator program aimed at enabling rising filmmakers to portray disease and health-related stories more seriously on screen. Tribeca has created a program with Eli Lilly and Company in response to research from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
The program will select 20 participants to attend a creative summit in New York City this fall and receive mentorship and industry guidance while engaging in film production workshops. Three short film projects will be selected by the group to receive production support, including development funding at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival, continued mentorship and a guaranteed world premiere.
“At Lily, working with patients showed us that stories aren’t just entertaining. They shape culture and encourage change,” said Lina Polimeni, Lily’s chief corporate brand head. “Annenberg’s research highlighted the obvious absence of the film’s authentic health journey. Through our incubator program with Tribeca Studios and the new content creation toolkit, we provide tools and mentorship to portray these experiences, opening new revenues for powerful storytelling and portraying empathy, accuracy and nuance.”
Participants will also receive a content creation toolkit provided by Lily and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, to improve the representation of real patient experiences and help recontextualize the health narrative across content.
“We’re committed to providing a range of services to our customers,” said Jane Rosenthal, CEO and co-founder of Tribeca Enterprises.
Tribeca will officially introduce the program to the Tribeca X panel on September 12th. The panel will be held in Los Angeles, where entertainment leaders will be convened to discuss issues of expression in the media. Filmmakers interested in applying for the program can learn more on the Tribeca website.
This initiative was facilitated by the UTA, representing Lily.
