Andrew Ahn, Aaron T. Edmonds & Jomo Fray Are Your 2025 Film Independent Changemakers
Films have the power to change our culture. And the filmmakers who tell these stories can also have a significant impact on our industry and communities. The 2025 Changemaker Award winners embody this spirit of impact, and that’s why we’re proud to announce that this year’s Film Independent Changemaker Awards are going to Andrew Ahn (Project Involve 2012, Screenwriting Lab 2013, Directing Lab 2014), Aaron T. Edmonds (Project Involve 2017, Grant Recipient 2017) and Jomo Fray (Project Involve 2017, Grant Recipient 2017, Grant Recipient 2019).
Andrew Ahn is a queer Korean American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. His film The Wedding Banquet premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and his films Fire Island, Driveways and Spa Night have premiered at festivals like Sundance and Berlinale and have won numerous awards including the John Cassavetes Film Independent Spirit Award. He has served as a mentor for Pacific Arts Movement’s Reel Voices, Outfest’s OutSet and the Sundance Institute’s Native Filmmaker Lab.
Aaron T. Edmonds is Vice President of Film at Hartbeat. Prior to Hartbeat, Edmonds was a senior film executive at Lionsgate and held positions at Columbia Pictures and HBO. He is currently an advisor for Film Independent’s Project Involve Program and a lecturer in the Producers Program at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television.
Jomo Fray is a cinematographer whose work includes Selah and the Spades (Sundance 2019), Port Authority (Cannes 2019), No Future (Tribeca 2020), Runner (TIFF 2022), All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt(Sundance 2023) and The Young Wife (SXSW 2023). His most recent film, Nickel Boys, directed by RaMell Ross, was nominated for multiple Oscars including Best Picture and garnered multiple critics awards for its cinematography including winning the Film Independent Spirit Award for Cinematography.
Now in their third year, the Changemaker Awards spotlight outstanding Film Independent Fellows whose contributions have significantly impacted the entertainment industry and their communities.
“We are excited to acknowledge past Artist Development Fellows whose expressive visual storytelling impacts our global society and their commitment to mentorship embodies the kind of filmmakers we love to champion,” said Francisco Velasquez, Associate Director of Project Involve. “Andrew Ahn, Aaron T. Edmonds and Jomo Fray personify the spirit of the Changemaker Award and we are thrilled to spotlight their accomplishments.”
The Changemaker Awards will be awarded at the 2025 Artist Development Showcase on July 23, 2025 at the Director’s Guild of America Theater along with a special screening of work from our Film Independent Artist Development Fellows. The films screening at this year’s showcase include:
Angels
Producer, Fabiola Andrade (Project Involve 2024).
A farmer caring for her dying mother has her prayers answered from above.
Beezing
Director, Tiffany Lin (Project Involve 2024, Grant Recipient 2023).
A hot summer night, the 10 freeway, and a tube of lip balm. Based on a true story.
Before You
Producer, Helena Sardinha (Fast Track 2024).
Looking back on her first pregnancy, a woman navigates the echoes of a life-changing loss.
Food for the Chosen People
Co-Director, Varun Chopra (Screenwriting Lab 2021, Grant Recipient 2021).
Three LA friends battle for a table at legendary Chinese restaurant Yang Chow to continue the Jewish Christmas Day tradition. Food for the Chosen People captures all of the chaos and joy that come with a uniquely American ritual.
Interdimensional Pizza Portal
Writer/Director/Producer, Aron Kantor (Screenwriting Lab 2025).
When Grover summons a slice of pizza through an interdimensional portal, his best friend Aliee’s concerns about the unintended consequences of his actions lead them both down a dark path.
Play Hard
Writer/Director, Winter Dunn (Project Involve 2021, Episodic Directing Intensive 2022); Producer, Xin Li (Project Involve 2021); Producer, Takara Joseph (Project Involve 2020); Cinematographer, Mike Maliwanag (Project Involve 2021).
Nate, a workaholic drummer, spends all his time practicing, always striving for perfection. After he meets Yazmine, a like-minded, dedicated modern dancer, he realizes that the key to success isn’t just to work hard – sometimes it requires you to play hard.
Quaker
Cinematographer, Vittoria Campaner (Project Involve 2020).
During their last Quaker meeting of the year, Brooklyn high school seniors share their unfiltered feelings with each other.
Single Residence Occupancy
Director, Omer Ben Shachar (Project Involve 2023, Grant Recipient 2023 and Screenwriting Lab 2024); Writer, Belinda Tang (Project Involve 2023); Producer, Yuky Shen (Project Involve 2023); Cinematographer, Wenting Fisher (Project Involve 2023); Creative Executive, Jasmine Rivas (Project Involve 2023); Editor, Luodawei Xiao (Project Involve 2023).
A Chinese immigrant living in a Single Residence Occupancy apartment receives news that her family’s application for better housing is denied, and grapples with how to share the news with her children.
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