Streep funds screenwriting lab

Several sources are reporting that Meryl has provided a "substantial" financial contribution for a New York Women in Film and Television lab involving women screenwriters over the age of 40.  The lab will be held over three days in September of this year to foster the talents of female American filmmakers, who currently make up only 11% of writers for top-grossing films, according to the Vanity Fair article cited.

Meryl is certainly no stranger to involvement with women filmmakers.  Over the last decade, Ricki and the Flash, Hope Springs, The Iron Lady, It's Complicated, Julie & Julia and The Devil Wears Prada were all pictures penned by women.  Although I don't imagine all female screenwriters over the age of 40 write exclusively about women, their perspective needs greater representation in the current state of cinema. Hopefully Meryl won't be the sole beneficiary from a proliferation of roles for women of her generation.  She no doubt already gets first dibs on juicy roles, but as Meryl once said when commending fellow actress nominees at the 2009 SAG awards, "everybody wins when we get parts like this."