The Academy has announced this year’s recipients of the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. The 2025-2026 fellow class consists of Lynn McKee, Katla Sólnes, Leo Aguirre, Omar Al Dakheel, Elie El Choufany, Sara Crow and David Rafailedes. Crow and Rafailedes were selected as a writing team, as were Al Dakheel and El Choufany.
An international talent development program that supports non-professional screenwriters, fellows in the program receive support, resources and networking opportunities from the Academy. To identify fellows, the program partnered with 40 universities, labs, festivals and filmmaker programs. More than 500 Academy members read and evaluated scripts to determine the finalists and 23 Academy members who serve on the Nicholl Committee selected the finalists.
“We are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2025-2026 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, a remarkable group of diverse and international new writers who represent the future of storytelling,” said Academy Governor Kim Taylor-Coleman in a statement. “This continues the Academy’s longtime commitment to championing emerging talent from across the world. We extend our sincere thanks to all participating Academy members, to Franklin Leonard and The Black List for their collaboration and to the universities, screenwriting labs, film festivals and filmmaker programs who submitted scripts to this year’s program.”
Monday, March 23
CinemaCon Renames Caesars Palace Venue as the Dolby Colosseum
For the first time in history, CinemaCon has renamed the Colosseum at Caesars Palace as the “Dolby Colosseum” ahead of the global convention. Hosted by Cinema United, CinemaCon will take place April 13 through 16 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Dolby signed the naming rights deal for this year’s CinemaCon, its latest sign of support for the convention that it has sponsored since its 2011 inception. The Dolby Colosseum will again have the Dolby Atmos sound and Dolby Vision laser projection system and a number of programs will be presented in both.
“We are excited about the next step in our invaluable partnership with Dolby Laboratories. State-of-the-art technology is a cornerstone of the theatrical experience and renaming CinemaCon’s iconic main venue for this incredible global leader is a natural choice,” said Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of Cinema United, in a statement. “The talented people at Dolby bring unparalleled innovation and excitement to theatres each day and it is only fitting that the world’s premier celebration of going to the movies take place in ‘The Dolby Colosseum.’ I want to thank Jed Harmsen and everyone at Dolby for their continuing leadership and their unwavering support of the exhibition.”
“CinemaCon has always been an impactful industry moment for highlighting Dolby Cinema, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision,” said Jed Harmsen, head of cinema and group entertainment at Dolby Laboratories, in a statement. “This year, we are excited to elevate our dedication to bringing a new level of truly immersive entertainment to moviegoers everywhere and have the Dolby Colosseum be the home for studio presentations during CinemaCon.”
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