Bridging the Gap: Film Independent’s New CineBridge Initiative Launches with 2 Fellows and $1.1 Million to Bring New International Voices to Hollywood
Hollywood can feel like its own world, even for American filmmakers, but breaking in can be especially challenging for international filmmakers. Film Independent’s new CineBridge Samuel and Ruth P. Cohen Fellowship aims to change that.
The initiative was created by the Film Independent International team and filmmaker Richard Tanne, best known for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize-nominated Southside with You and Amazon MGM’s Chemical Hearts. Tanne has been mentoring international filmmakers through Film Independent’s programs, leading workshops in places like Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. “CineBridge was built as a literal bridge for international filmmakers into the Hollywood system, not just to develop their work, but to position it to succeed at the highest level,” said Tanne.
That vision found support in the Estate of Samuel and Ruth P. Cohen, whose $1.1 million gift will support up to two Fellowships per year.
“We are excited to collaborate with filmmaker Richard Tanne on this initiative and are grateful to the Samuel and Ruth P. Cohen Estate for this important gift to amplify our work cultivating the careers of filmmakers across borders. It’s an honor to see Richard, who has been involved in our programs as a mentor, be inspired to invest in our mission in such an intentional and committed way,” said María Raquel Bozzi, Senior Director of Education and International Programs.
Starting in April, the two Fellows will be part of a program that starts out virtually and then concludes with a month-long residency in Los Angeles this September. The virtual sessions will be all about strengthening pitches, screenplays and packages, while the residency will bring the Fellows face-to-face with industry experts as they take meetings around town, attend masterclasses, case-studies and the Film Independent Forum, where they’ll pitch live on-stage as part of a Pitch Clinic.
The inaugural CineBridge Fellows were selected from over 100 nominations across 40 countries. They are:
Tomás Fleck
Tomás is a writer/director focused on blending genres and connecting with audiences. His debut feature, You Gotta Have Faith (Minerva Pictures, TVCO), premiered at LABRFF, where it won two awards. He has participated in prestigious programs such as the Academy Award–recognized Cine Qua Non Script Revision Lab with his project My Luminous Shadow, which is being filmed in May 2026, and began developing his story for The Other America as an Oxbelly Fellow. Tomás has written and directed series that were exhibited on Netflix, Globo, and Amazon Prime in Brazil and his films have screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals such as Cinequest, Nashville Film Festival, and the major Brazilian Festival de Gramado.
Project: The Other America
Logline: In the tradition of recent Brazilian Oscar contenders like The Secret Agent and I’m Still Here, The Other America is a romantic espionage thriller about a CIA operative sent to Brazil who falls in love with his fabricated life — and the woman in it. When both governments close in, he must choose between the American he was built to be and the Brazilian he became.
Fisnik Maxville
Fisnik Maxville was born in Kosovo, in the former Yugoslavia. Exiled to Switzerland, he grew up there as a war refugee. After studying International Politics, he began directing in 2015. Since then, he has written and directed four short films, three documentaries and one fiction feature film. His work has been showcased at numerous international film festivals, including Locarno, Tallinn, Clermont-Ferrand, Raindance, Visions du Réel and São Paulo. He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents and the Ateliers d’Angers. His debut fiction feature, The Land Within, won Best First Feature at the 2022 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Fisnik is currently developing two fiction features.
Project: Reel Skin
Logline: In the lineage of female-driven body horror like The Substance and Titane, Reel Skin follows an undocumented woman who has spent years making herself invisible to survive. When a bite from a genetically engineered snake begins transforming her in terrifying ways, the body the world tried to erase becomes the one thing they can’t stop.
For over 40 years, Film Independent has helped filmmakers get their projects made and seen. The nonprofit organization’s core mission is to champion creative independence in visual storytelling and support a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision.
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