The Writers Lab was announced at the Tribeca Film Festival during a panel featuring the New York Women in Film & Television Tribeca and Streep.

The program will be held Sept. 18-20 at Wiawaka Lodge on Lake George in upstate New York with eight writers participating. Deadline reports that Streep gave a large donation to the program.

The Writers Lab is launched at a time when discussion has been devoted to the lack of diversity in Hollywood, including the small number of roles for older women.

The Lab's mentors include Jane Skalski ("Win Win," "The Station Agent"), Kirsten Smith ("Legally Blonde," "Ten Things I Hate About You"), Gina Prince-Bythewood ("Secret Life of Bees," "Beyond the Lights"), Jessica Bendinger ("Bring It On," "Aquamarine") and Caroline Kaplan ("Boyhood," "Me and You and Everyone We Know").

Streep's stage appearances include Trelawny of the Wells, The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, Mother Courage, The Taming of the Shrew, Henry V, Measure for Measure, Taken in Marriage and Alice in Concert. In the summer of 2012 Streep appeared in a gala reading of Romeo and Juliet for the Public Theater opposite Kevin Kline at the Delacorte Theater. She is a three-time Academy Award winner for "The Iron Lady," "Sophie's Choice" and "Kramer vs. Kramer." Her numerous screen appearances also include "August: Osage County," "The Devil Wears Prada," "Doubt," "Julie & Julia," "Postcards from the Edge," "The Bridges of Madison County" and "Into the Woods."

Submissions will be accepted May 1-June 1, and winners will be announced Aug. 1. Submissions should be "feature-length, fictional narrative scripts of any genre written by women over the age of 40, who are American citizens or permanent residents of the U.S."

Visit nywift.org for more information.