ABSTRACT
This chapter questions bias and hierarchy present in screenwriting as a craft and reiterates the need to reimagine screenwriting as a liberatory process. It is proposed that screenwriting programs and film schools could benefit from incorporating critical theory classes into the curriculum in order to empower students to conceive of their projects in an equitable and inclusive way. It is similarly posited that writers’ rooms in Hollywood might benefit from the presence of critical theorists specializing in gender, race, and sexuality studies serving as consultants on projects to provide invaluable insights into identity, community, and humanity in order to create screen stories that not only do less harm but, perhaps, do more good, much the way experts in certain professions are brought in to enhance authenticity and believability around characters in certain careers. The chapter ends with “Ten Tactics Toward an Equitable, Inclusive, and Intersectional Screenwriting Practice” based on the contents of this book.
