(Black PR Wire) Silver Spring, Maryland - Madison Welborn, a freshman film production major at Chapman University’s College of Film and Media Arts in (Orange County, CA) has established a student ran organization/club entitled the Black Film Society at the university, one of the nation’s top film schools, which is predominantly white.

“I want to create a space where students in the Black community at Chapman can have an opportunity to discuss and share their Black experience and while also learning how to navigate through the film industry,” said Welborn. “Not just in front of the camera, but behind it as well.”

Referencing the racial reckoning events that took place in the summer of 2020 following the death of George Floyd, Welborn said that her club, which was launched in January, is going to be open to all ethnicities. “It should be open to them because after the events that took place in 2020, we saw all races come together in a way that we hadn't seen before. A lot of non-Black ethnicities wanted to learn ways in which they could support the Black community and I think this club is one of the ways.”

Madison’s goals for the club includes reaching out to Black film producers, directors and celebrities to host master classes entitled One on One with Reality. She would also like to have a space where members of the club/organization can provide feedback to black film students as well opportunities for networking, workshops and seminars. “I am hoping that I will be able to reach out to some of my favorite actors/producers/directors like Taraji P. Henson, Regina King, Queen Latifah, DeVon Franklin and Deon Taylor just to name a few. They all have inspired me with their ability to tell stories in a way that resonates with our community, all while contributing to the Black experience. My dream would be to have Tyler Perry as a guest to talk to the black film and TV students. I mean he has done it all. I know that the Black  film and TV students at Chapman would benefit greatly from hearing from him.

A resident of suburban Maryland (outside of Washington, DC) Welborn graduated in May 2020 from Edmund Burke High School located in the District of Columbia. In July 2019 she completed a pre-college filmmaking program at Loyola Marymount University. Other pre-college experience include serving as a production assistance for Black Entertainment Television’s “Joyful Noise” Sunday Morning Gospel Show; as production assistant for WHUR-FM’s “Daily Drum” evening newstalk program; and even was able to visit the set of “Really Love”  staring, Kofi Siriboe,  Blair Underwood and Michael Ealy; a movie that was directed by Angel Kristi Williams (filmed in Baltimore) that is still awaiting a release date.

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