New Year, new voices! We are proud to introduce the 2026 Film Independent Project Involve cohort, our flagship fellowship program that has, for over three decades, been a launching pad for diverse and visionary filmmakers.

There’s a beautiful sense of symmetry this year—Project Involve’s 33rd year brings 33 new Fellows into the program. The filmmakers will be introduced at this year’s Film Independent’s First Look Screening on Thursday, January 15th (tickets available to the public), where the five shorts produced by the 2025 Project Involve cohort.

Adding to the significance of this year, we’re proud to welcome Tina Mabry (The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, Mississippi Damned)—a Project Involve Fellow—as this year’s Directing Resident Mentor. Resident Mentors work closely with the cohort throughout the program year, offering creative insight, industry knowledge and career guidance across disciplines. Mabry is joined by Rachael Fung (Eye for an Eye, Fremont) as Producing Resident Mentor and Julio Perez (Euphoria, Malcolm & Marie) as Editing Resident Mentor. Ruth Atkinson (Script Consultant and Story Editor) and Aaron Edmonds (Vice President of Film at Hartbeat) return as Story and Creative Executive Resident Mentors, respectively.

Project Involve is a year-long program for filmmakers from diverse backgrounds. Fellows engage in one-on-one meetings with film industry mentors, attend workshops and conversations led by renowned professionals, join industry networking events and collaboratively produce five short films from inception to completion.

In the coming year, these trailblazing filmmakers will dive deep into the filmmaking process on an intensive, hands-on journey—developing six original short films from script to screen. Supported by expert mentors and a collaborative community, they will refine their craft, experiment boldly, and create work that challenges the status quo. Their journey culminates in a highly-anticipated First Look Screening, a spotlight moment where their creativity and hard work will captivate audiences and industry insiders alike.

“In our 33rd year, Project Involve is proud to welcome 33 exceptional Fellows into the Film Independent family,” said Francisco Velasquez, Associate Director, Project Involve. “This moment reflects the heart of the program—creativity, collaboration and growth coming together in a complete cycle. We are incredibly excited to support this cohort as they embark on a transformative journey together.”

Before we introduce the fellows, we’d like to share the generous Grants that we have for our Project Involve Fellows.

For the first time, the University of Arizona will grant the UofA School of Theatre, Film & Television Fellowship, providing a $10,000 unrestricted cash grant to an outstanding TFTV alum, which goes to Rafael Gomez.

Plot Shift Media returns with the Climate Entertainment Commissioning Grant to award a $25,000 grant to one talented screenwriter to help them to create a new climate-focused fiction feature script, helping to build a pathway for projects centered around climate.

Both Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment will each provide $10,000 unrestricted cash grants to selected filmmakers participating in the program at a later date.

Plus, there’s a Panavision Fellowship that offers a cinematographer in the program a camera package valued at $60,000 for a future project in the US.

Let’s meet this year’s fellows:

ANIMATORS

Inna Mikhailova (she/her) – Supporting Animator

Inna Mikhailova is a Los Angeles-based VFX and animation artist who earned her MFA in 3D Animation and Visual Effects from the New York Film Academy. After graduating in 2022, Mikhailova completed the Academy Gold Rising internship in the visual effects track, which led her to commercial and cinematic post-production. She has contributed to major productions including The Little Mermaid and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, as well as various advertising and motion design projects. A Film Independent Project Involve Fellow, Mikhailova continues to explore storytelling through animation and is especially inspired by handcrafted and stop-motion visual techniques.

Rika Nakayama (she/her) – Director/Animator

Rika Nakayama is a filmmaker from Japan specializing in stop-motion and experimental animation. She earned her MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts in 2024. Drawing from nature, memory, and sensory experience, her work uses tactile materials to bring intangible subjects to life. Her 2022 film Under a Shooting Contrail has screened at more than 20 international festivals and earned multiple awards, including Best of the Fest and Best Student Director at the Los Angeles Animation Festival. Nakayama is a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Stop-Motion Director Fellow.

CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Matty Beavers (he/him)

Matthew Beavers is an African-American and Filipino cinematographer whose artistic voice is rooted in identity, memory, and the quiet beauty of real life. Beavers began filmmaking in community college, discovering in the camera a way to preserve the worlds he comes from. His work favors naturalistic lighting, intimate framing, and emotional clarity. He also teaches cinematography, empowering young filmmakers to trust their lived experience as the foundation of their visual language. Beavers is a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow.

Rafael Gomez (he/him)

Rafael Gomez is a Mexican-born Cinematographer and Producer based in Los Angeles. He’s a graduate of the University of Arizona’s School of Theater, Film, and Television. His thesis film La Graduación screened as part of KQED’s Film School Shorts program. His subsequent narrative work has screened at numerous film festivals around the world including Heroines (SXSW, 2019) and Her House (Fantastic Fest, 2024). Gomez is a Cinematography fellow in Film Independent’s Project Involve and continues to shoot and produce commercial, narrative, and documentary projects through his production company Cine Ceviche for clients like NGL Mitú, Netflix, and Live Nation.

Kelvin Kataria (he/him)

Kelvin Kataria is a Peruvian-Indian cinematographer from Houston, Texas, and a Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. His visuals are shaped by the arts, stills photography, and his belief in community. He was a cinematographer in Issa Rae’s Color Creative Find Your People Program and has led workshops such as Cinematography on Celluloid for the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, supported by Kodak and Panavision. Kataria volunteers as a cinematography mentor for Kids in the Spotlight and is a recipient of Panavision’s New Filmmaker Grant. He champions an inclusive filmmaking landscape, where every storyteller’s voice is given a platform to thrive.

Kate Ketcham (she/they)

Kate Ketcham is a cinematographer based in Los Angeles, with roots throughout the United States. As a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow, she is passionate about telling character-based stories that explore big questions from unusual perspectives. She studied at William and Mary, Los Angeles City College, and the American Film Institute. The passion for empathy and understanding of how we make and find meaning in our lives continue to drive her choices as a filmmaker. She is a member of the ICF+C and the SOC, and has been a mentee in the ASC Vision Mentorship program.

Tianyi Liu (he/him)

Tianyi Liu is a Beijing and Los Angeles–based cinematographer and colorist, and an AFI Cinematography alumnus. He was a camera operator on Zhang Yimou’s upcoming feature, Scare Out. Liu shot and graded the Amazon Prime feature Portal in the Pines and served as DI Colorist for the theatrical film A.I. His work has screened internationally, with Aves selected for the CAA Moebius Showcase and Roadside Banquet shown at the Cannes American Pavilion, winning the CineGear Jury Award. His projects have also been featured at CineGear. Liu is an SOC Associate Member and a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow.

DIRECTORS

Loren Escandón (she/her)

Originally from Cali, Colombia, Loren Escandón is a Los Angeles–based filmmaker and Film Independent Project Involve Fellow whose work explores the resilience of women of color in contexts of social and cultural disadvantage. Escandón’s short Los Patines won Best Short at the San Pedro International Film Festival and Best Director at NYC Downtown Shorts. Her film The Last Store received the Best Director Award at FilmQuest. Her latest short, Gris, produced with support from Netflix through the Latino Film Institute Inclusion Fellowship, had a special screening at LALIFF and celebrated its world premiere at Bogoshorts 2025.

Sydne Horton (she/her)

Sydne Horton is a queer writer-director raised in the Midwest, now based in Los Angeles. Her film Saturday Ritualpremiered with Palm Springs ShortFest, screened at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival with the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, and won the Best Teen Film Audience Award at NewFest. Her earlier works were exhibited at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture and featured in the book I Spit on Your Celluloid: The History of Women Directing Horror Movies. Horton is a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow, and an alum of Women in Film’s Directing Mentorship and the Emmys Television Academy Internship.

Omar Kakar (he/him)

Omar Kakar, architect-turned-filmmaker, shapes stories where form meets soul. Born in New York and raised in Southern California, he is a first-generation Afghan-American with a professional B.Arch. from Woodbury University. His visual experiments, blurring space and story, were showcased internationally at Arquiteturas Film Festival, Architekturclips Netzwerk, and ArchDaily. With an MFA in Film Directing from Columbia University, his short film Man in the Morgue screened at the Directors Guild of America, Lincoln Center, and NFMLA. A finalist in Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. directing programs, Kakar is a Film Independent Project Involve Fellow, exploring the human condition through cinema.

Robin Wang (he/him)

Robin Wang is an award–winning director based in Los Angeles, whose expansive filmography explores nuanced Asian diaspora stories about characters wandering on the margins of cultures. Wang’s films have screened at prestigious festivals worldwide including Telluride, Tallinn Black Nights, and Cannes American Pavilion. His historical short Neither Donkey nor Horse earned him a Student Academy Award and the DGA Student Award. His comedy short Wei-Lai won College Television Awards’ Best Comedy Series, and Stage 32 Short Film Contest Grand Prize. Wang holds an MFA from USC and a BA from Duke. He is a Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow.

EDITORS

Mario Fierro (he/him)

Mario Fierro is a Mexican-American film editor who obtained his MFA from the AFI Conservatory in 2020. He began his filmmaking journey as Cardi B’s personal videographer, and after turning 30, he decided to focus exclusively on editing. Since then, Fierro has edited several feature films, including A Place in the Field, which was acquired by Lionsgate, and Party People, which premiered at the 2024 Austin Film Festival. His latest short film, Sweet Talkin’ Guy had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. He is a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow.

Haruka Gerald (he/him)

Haruka Gerald is a Black-Japanese American film editor based in Los Angeles. Originally from Austin, Texas, he earned his degree in Film Studies and Production from Hofstra University. Gerald has known he wanted to be an editor since the age of nine and has been pursuing that dream ever since. A member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, he currently works as an Assistant Editor, with recent credits including Superman and IT: Welcome to Derry for HBO. Gerald is a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow.

Alexander Gonzalez (he/him)

Alexander Gonzalez is a California Bay Area-born editor passionate about storytelling that promotes belonging for those who desire inclusion through film. He moved to Los Angeles after graduating from San Francisco State University’s film program. His professional experience includes working with Disney Channel, Amazon Prime, Masterclass, Nike, and Issa Rae’s Find Your People. He recently joined the editor’s union and continues to edit narrative and animated projects that celebrate underrepresented voices. He brings relentless tenacity and a steady presence that gives confidence to the directors he collaborates with. Gonzalez is a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow.

Joanna Phillips (she/her)

Joanna Phillips is an editor with television credits including NBC’s award-winning This Is Us, Amazon’s The Wilds, and the Hulu limited series Saint X. She holds a B.A. in Film Studies from Columbia University and is a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. Phillips has also worked as a visual effects editor on such projects as Hulu’s Paradise and Death and Other Details, and is an alumna of the WIF Fellowship Program. The short film she edited, Catalogue of Noses, premiered at the 2025 LA Shorts International Film Festival and won Best Director at the Jeonju International Film Festival.

Yessenia Sánchez (she/her)

Yessenia Sánchez is a bilingual filmmaker from Northern California. After receiving her BFA in Film from Pratt Institute, her thesis film Double Cultura won the HBO Max Latino Short Film Competition in 2023 and was licensed to stream on HBO Max. Her recent narrative credits include editing Please Return Your Carts, a rom-com short film from the Find Your People Program organized by Issa Rae’s Color Creative, and editing season three of Lost Memories, a series for Alzheimer’s Los Angeles. She currently works as an Assistant Editor for SixTwentySix and is a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Editing Fellow.

EXECUTIVES

Nora Bernard (she/her)

Nora Bernard is a Los Angeles-based film programmer and artist development administrator who has supported filmmakers globally through publicity, marketing, education programs, and festivals. She has gained industry experience through organizations such as the Telluride, Tribeca, and Urbanworld Film Festivals, as well as the Sundance Institute. Originally from “The World’s Borough,” Queens, New York, it’s only natural she’d gain a passion for international storytelling. A 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow, she brings a well-rounded approach to support emerging and mid-career creatives navigating today’s independent film landscape in the hopes of discovering new and innovative ways to distribute their work.

 

Uriah McKinney (he/him)

A lifelong lover of storytelling, Uriah McKinney is drawn to grand, world-building fantasies and intimate narratives that explore the bittersweet truths of everyday life. After graduating from Columbia University, he moved to Los Angeles and began working in development and production. He has held roles at Nickelodeon, Disney+, and Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he supported the development of Versa and consulted on Strange World and Wish through the studio’s Black employee resource group. A 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow, he now works at Sony Pictures Animation and is passionate about championing projects that create pathways for underrepresented voices.

Lauren Milan Rausaw (she/her)

Olivia Stark (she/her)

Olivia YiSu Stark is a mixed-race Asian American creative from Los Angeles working in feature development at Skydance Animation, where she supports four-quadrant animated films, including Spellbound and Swapped. Stark previously served as development coordinator on the studio’s first animated series, Wondla, adapted from Tony DiTerlizzi’s YA sci-fi fantasy novels for Apple TV+. A 2020 Armed With a Camera Fellow at Visual Communications, she produced the animated short Jook, which premiered at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. A 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow, Stark is committed to championing creator-driven, emotionally resonant storytelling.

Meera Vaidya (she/her)

Meera Vaidya is a Los Angeles–based producer originally from Mumbai, India, passionate about storytelling that entertains while sparking meaningful dialogue and social awareness. She started her career at an advertisement production company in Mumbai before earning her MFA in Creative Producing from Columbia University. Vaidya has produced a web series and multiple short films showcased at prestigious festivals like Sundance, Palm Springs, and Woodstock. She has honed her skills working in both management and production companies in Los Angeles and is a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow.

PRODUCERS

Chidi Amadiume (he/him)

Chidi Amadiume is a Nigerian Writer-Producer based in Los Angeles. His work addresses queer normalcy, the chaos and wonder of romance and love, and familial relationships on the brink of failure. He seeks to create stories that feel familiar, accessible, and specific yet resonate universally. He has written, directed, and produced films that have played internationally at festivals, including Newfest, Inside Out Toronto, Woodstock Film Festival, and more. His film Grief Retreat was made as a Producing Fellow in Issa Rae’s Inaugural class of the Find Your People Program. Amadiume is currently a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow.

Carver Diserens (he/him)

Carver Diserens, a freelance producer in LA, also works for Almanac Screenwriters and Stage 32. Prior to becoming a Film Independent Project Involve Fellow, Diserens produced Creature Comforts and Act Your Age in 2025, two of his 16 producer credits. His commercial production company, Whisperwood, has collaborated with 1-800-Flowers, PSD, Monarch, and more. He has 17 years of production experience on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Men in Black 3, Anchorman 2, Person of Interest, and The Colbert Report. Diserens received an MFA from Columbia University in 2017. That summer, he was the Maxwell Gray film fellow at The University of Michigan.

Shuqi ‘Suki’ Li (she/her)

Born in China, Shuqi ‘Suki’ Li is a Los Angeles–based independent producer and Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Producing from the AFI Conservatory. Over five years, she has produced more than forty projects across narrative short films, commercials, music videos, and vertical series. Recent credits include In Wonderland (Austin Film Festival, AFI Fest, Cleveland International Film Festival) and Langue (Palm Springs ShortFest, Student Academy Awards semifinalist, NOWNESS Short Film Award jury recommendation).

Rachel Moss (she/her)

Rachel is an Emmy-nominated producer, director, and writer, and a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow on the Producer track. She’s produced for documentaries that have premiered on Netflix, HBO, Amazon, Apple, and at the Sundance Film Festival. She got her start in late night on TV shows such as Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (Netflix) and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS). Rachel also produced the narrative short Max Distance (SXSW 2025). She’s additionally brought comedians’ solo shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Rachel’s short Guardian’s Grove, which she wrote and directed, won the PANO Network Color Grading Grant.

Carlo Padilla (he/him)

Carlo Padilla is a Mexican-American animation producer based in Los Angeles and a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. His experience in animation has included Nickelodeon’s The Casagrandes, Marvel’s X-MEN 97′ and is currently a production manager at Titmouse. He has also produced an animated short film titled The Apricot, which has over 10 official selections across 5 different countries, 2 awards, and counting.  Between productions, Padilla is developing animated projects and volunteering for non-profit organizations that build communities and diversity in animation.

Parco Richardson (he/him)

Parco Richardson is a Marine Corps veteran turned filmmaker based in Arizona, with over a decade of experience in commercial and branded content. He has produced and written award-winning short films and screenplays, bringing a disciplined yet creative approach to storytelling. In 2024, he was selected for Issa Rae’s Find Your People program through ColorCreative as a producer, where he produced two short films – Wake Up, winner of Best Sci-Fi Film at the Vortex Film Festival in Rhode Island, and The Braid. Richardson is a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Producer Fellow.

WRITERS

Haley Chung (she/her)

Haley Chung is a bicoastal filmmaker and writer originally from Vancouver, BC. A 2026 Film Independent Project Involve fellow and former Fred Rogers Productions writing fellow, she has written for multiple Emmy-nominated PBS Kids series such as Rosie’s Rules, Donkey Hodie, and Lyla in the Loop. She loves exploring her Cantonese heritage through absurd stories, like her script about Chinese vampires which was named a semifinalist for the 2026 Disney Entertainment Television Writing Program. She graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University, where she received the Pat Anderson Prize in Film Reviewing for her thesis on Minnie Mouse.

 

Bryce Marrero (he/him)

Bryce Marrero is an LA-born writer, director, and self-deprecating geek. He was a writer on Nickelodeon’s It’s Pony, directed films for Hoorae Media and ShortsTV, and was in the Coverfly Top 1%. Recently, he became a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow, completed the Writers Guild Support Staff Training Program in 2025, mentored by Debbie Ezer (The Good Doctor) and Clay Lapari (Wandavision), and is currently developing a sci-fi film with Vital Pictures (The War Below). He loves to make people laugh, even when they beg him to stop.

Nikki Palumbo (they/them)

Nikki Palumbo is a non-binary writer and comedian based in Los Angeles but still reeks of New Jersey. Most recently, they wrote for the WGA Award-nominated Tiny Time Travel on PBS Kids. Their mob comedy pilot Lil Italy won the ATX TV Festival Pitch Competition in 2022 and was selected for the 2025 Black List x WIF Episodic Lab and WIF Writing Fellowship. They are a fellow in the 2026 Film Independent Project Involve as well as the Yes And Laughter Lab with Personality Hire, an AI mockumentary sadly based on real experience.

Raymond Arturo Perez (he/him)

Raymond Arturo Perez is a storyteller from San Antonio, Texas, and wrote on Selena: The Series (Part II). Perez centers stories on folks that better reflect the diversity in our world. He is an alum of programs by Latino Filmmakers Network, Sony Pictures Television, Starz, and Out in Hollywood. Perez received a BS and BBA from UT Austin andreceived an MFA in Screenwriting from AFI. Perez is a 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. His directorial short film debut White Space premieres in 2026. When he isn’t writing at his kitchen table, Perez dances to salsa and Brazilian funk.

Jacky Watson (they/them)

Originally from Alaska, Jacky Watson is an LA-based writer with a rich Ukrainian-Peruvian heritage and queer identity. As a Writer’s Assistant on Leverage: Redemption, Watson wrote an episode with the show’s co-creator and produced it on location. Watson’s pilot Re-Life featured on the 2024 Latine List and their feature Peruanitos was selected for Stowe Story Labs x Galway Film Fleadh’s 2025 Development Workshop. Currently, Watson is a Writing Fellow for Film Independent Project Involve. A sci-fi/horror nerd equipped with a few survival skills, Watson writes inventive, authentic stories about complex people.

WRITER/DIRECTOR

April Maxey (she/her)

April Maxey is a writer/director from San Antonio, Texas. Her short film, Work, made in the AFI DWW, played at Sundance, Tribeca, and won the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest. Her feature screenplay for Work was selected for the NALIP Feature Media Accelerator, Film Independent’s Fast Track, Gotham Week Project Market, and was supported by a One House x Sundance grant. April is an alumna of Berlinale Talents, the WBD Directors Access Program, and a current Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. A queer Tejana filmmaker, Maxey is passionate about stories exploring the complexities of queer intimacy, grief, and healing.

Congrats to all the Fellows!

We can’t wait to witness their journey at the upcoming sold-out First Look Screening, where these new voices will take center stage. For more information about Project Involve and other Film Independent programs, click here.

Film Independent’s Project Involve Principal Sponsors include the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Formosa Group, the Golden Globe Foundation, LAIKA, Panavision and Picture Shop. Supporting Sponsors are Amazon MGM Studios, Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture, Plot Shift Media, SAGindie, Sony Pictures Entertainment and University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television. Additional support is provided by Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and The Office of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell of the Second District of the County of Los Angeles.

Film Independent promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. To become a Member of Film Independent, just click here. To support us with a donation, click here.

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