The American Film Institute announced today that AFI Conservatory Screenwriting Fellow Taryn Procsal will be the first recipient of the Kirk Douglas Fellowship.
Proscal, a single mother of three, was recognized for her unique voice and will receive a full-tuition two-year scholarship. The inaugural Kirk Douglas Fellowship is awarded to an AFI Conservatory Fellow and Proscal is set to enter the Conservatory in the fall as one of a full-class of 140 first-year Fellows.
“I am honored and pleased to have Taryn Procsal receive the first Kirk Douglas Fellowship,” said Kirk Douglas in a statement.
As an AFI Conservatory screenwriter, Proscal joins a prestigious list of talent including Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot), Liz Hannah (The Post), Brad Falchuk (American Crime Story, American Horror Story), Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Logan), Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich) and LaToya Morgan (Shameless, Parenthood).
Douglas, an AFI Life Achievement Award honoree, is known for championing screenwriters and film in his 70-year career. In 1960, Douglas hired blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo to pen Spartacus (which Douglas starred) and gave him full credit on the film. This eventually led to the end of the Hollywood blacklist. Trumbo was depicted by Bryan Cranston in the 2015 Jay Roach film Trumbo which documented the screenwriters life and the blacklist. Douglas was portrayed by Dean OGorman.
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