Congratulations to MPI filmmaker Monica Cecilia Lucas for her selection to the Disney Entertainment Television’s 2026 Writing Program for emerging television writers, an industry-recognized program with a strong track record of placing emerging writers in professional television roles.

Monica was most recently awarded MPI’s 2025 Short Film Lab $10,000 grant for her standout project proposal and script for You’ve Got Matches. The romantic comedy with a sci-fi twist follows a hopeless romantic and a curmudgeonly cynic who form an unexpected bond—and begin to question why their AI-powered dating apps have worked so hard to keep them apart. The film has now moved into MPI’s Production Lab for its next phase of development.

Monica first became involved with MPI through the 2021 Short Film Lab and also worked as a production assistant on several MPI Originals, including Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, Motherland, and One Second After. She has continued to build her skills through MPI programs, including the Producing Summit and Advanced Filmmakers Summit. Read more about her journey with MPI here.