Wiley College students awarded $300K to make short film; rapper T.I. surprises students with video call

MARSHALL, Texas (KSLA) - According to Wiley College, rapper T.I. Harris surprised students interested in filmmaking with a video call, after Propel Center awarded the school a $300,000 grant. The money is meant to be used to film a short movie with the musician’s production company.

This spring, selected students will produce a film with the theme “freedom.” It will include narratives about Juneteenth, Wiley College’s activist alumni (Heman Sweatt, Opal Lee, and James Farmer), and other examples from the Black experience.

The film is scheduled to be finished by November and will be streamed on various platforms.

The students will also be given opportunities to visit Grand Hustle Films and receive mentorship from T.I. and other industry professionals.

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