Akil Rashad Anderson is a Haitian American screenwriter and director from Miami. Months after receiving his MFA in Screenwriting from USC as a George Lucas Scholar, Anderson was hired as a staff writer on Beacon 23. He is a 2026 Film Independent Amplifier Fellow and an inaugural alumni of Rideback RISE. His proof of concept for Mr. Negro had its world premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival 2025. The son of a rap artist and grandson of a preacher, Anderson’s work often centers on ambition, the underworld, and the surreal. Outside of film, he’s a beatmaker, birdwatcher and trombonist.