FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Seanna Hore, Ginsberg/Libby
seanna.hore@ginsberglibby.com

Gladys Santos, Ginsberg/Libby
gladys.santos@ginsberglibby.com
 

LOS ANGELES (December 18, 2024) — Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization celebrating 40 years of the Spirit Awards, has announced the 31 filmmakers that will comprise the 2025 Project Involve cohort. The filmmakers will be introduced at Film Independent’s annual First Look Screening to be held Thursday, January 9, 2025, at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, where six shorts, including a LAIKA-sponsored stop-motion animation short, produced by the 2024 Project Involve cohort will screen. The event is open to the public.

The inaugural Climate Entertainment Commissioning Grant, in partnership with Plot Shift Media, will award one screenwriter a $25,000 grant to create a new climate-focused fiction feature script, helping to build a pathway for projects centered around climate. The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau, providing a $10,000 unrestricted cash grant to an American-Muslim filmmaker, will be awarded to Bushra Burney. 2025 Project Involve Fellowships to be awarded at a later date are supported by Amazon MGM Studios, the Cayton-Goldrich Family Foundation, Los Angeles Media Fund and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Each Fellowship provides essential program support to Project Involve and includes a $10,000 unrestricted cash grant for a selected filmmaker participating in the program. In addition, the Panavision Fellowship will provide an outstanding cinematographer in the program with a camera rental package valued at $60,000 for use on a future project produced in the US.

In addition to Lead Sponsor Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Film Independent’s Project Involve Principal Sponsors include the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Formosa Group, the Golden Globe Foundation, LAIKA, Los Angeles Media Fund, Panavision, Pearl Milling Company, Picture Shop and The MPAC ® Hollywood Bureau. Supporting Sponsors are Amazon MGM Studios, the Cayton-Goldrich Family Foundation, Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture, Plot Shift Media, SAGindie and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Additional support 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.

Going into its 32nd year, Project Involve has proudly fostered the careers of more than 1,000 filmmakers from communities traditionally underrepresented in the film industry. Alumni include Andrew Ahn (Bridgerton), Thembi Banks (Young. Wild. Free.), Effie T. Brown (The Inspection), Linda Yvette Chávez (Flamin’ Hot), Jon M. Chu (Wicked), Jomo Fray (Nickel Boys), Rachel Goldberg (Agatha All Along), Hank Jones (Will Trent), Mako Kamitsuna (All Day and a Night), Marvin Lemus (Gentefied), LaToya Morgan (Splinter), Lulu Wang (Expats), Harry Yoon (The Fire Inside), Kim Yutani (Director of Programming, Sundance) and many more.

“2025 marks my 20th year with Project Involve, and it’s as exciting as ever. Each cohort brings fresh energy, passion and creativity that inspire us all. It’s truly a joy to work with such talented and driven artists and to witness the innovative ways they’ll invigorate this industry,” said Francisco Velasquez, Associate Director of Project Involve. “With great enthusiasm and renewed vitality, Film Independent proudly welcomes the 2025 Project Involve Fellows. We are deeply grateful to our sponsors and funders, whose generous and unwavering support over the years has made this program possible.”

Project Involve is a free ten-month program for writers, directors, producers, editors, cinematographers, animators, programmers and entertainment executives from diverse backgrounds. Throughout the program, participants 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.

The 2025 Project Involve Fellows by track are:
 

CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Robert Chuck
Iris Lee
Omer Lotan
Sade Ndya
Erin G. Wesley

DIRECTORS

Alexandria Collins
Jacob Combs
Ritvik Dhavale
Peiqi Peng
Sylvia Ray

EDITORS

Jazmin Jamias
Avo John Kambourian
Skylar Lin
Amy Rosenberg
Emiliano Styles

EXECUTIVES

Folasade Ade-Banjo
Tyrin Bell-Sinkfield
Jaycie Luo
Connie Qin
Ewea Teresa

PRODUCERS

Eduardo Ayres Soares
Andrés Correa
Masora Fukuda
Casey Naranjo
Aishwarya Sonar

PROGRAMMER

Zegan Doyle

WRITERS

Jax Ball
Bushra Burney
Laura Hunter Drago
Brandyn Johnson
Montserrat Luna-Ballantyne
 
 
Past shorts produced in the program include Dear Mama… (2023 NAACP Image Award Winner), Blackout (2022 NAACP Image Award Nominee), Black Boy Joy (2020 NAACP Image Award Winner), Lonely Blue Night (2020 AFI Fest Short Film Audience Award), Liberty (2019 SXSW Narrative Short Film Jury Award, 2019 AFI Special Jury Prize – Live Action) and Emergency (2018 Sundance Special Jury Award, 2018 SXSW Narrative Short Film Jury Award).

Film Independent Artist Development programs promote unique, independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work through Project Involve; Filmmaker Labs (Directing, Documentary, Episodic, Producing and Screenwriting); Fast Track Film Finance Market, Fiscal Sponsorship, Amplifier Fellowship, Imaginar Producers Residency and the Imaginar TV Incubator for Fearless Latinx Creators, as well as through Grants and Awards that provide over one million dollars annually to visual storytellers.

For more information on any of the Labs, or the projects that have been developed in them, please contact artistdevelopment@filmindependent.org. Additional information and application forms can be found at filmindependent.org.
 

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

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 in all its forms, and to foster a culture of inclusion. We support a global community of artists and audiences who embody diversity, innovation, curiosity and uniqueness of vision.

In addition to producing the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the organization supports creative professionals with Artist Development programs, grants and labs. Signature mentorship program Project Involve fosters the careers of talented filmmakers from underrepresented communities. Education events and workshops equip filmmakers of all ages and experience levels with tools and resources. Global Media Makers, a cultural exchange program produced in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, provides career-building opportunities for international film professionals. And year-round screening series Film Independent Presents offers a robust program of unique cinematic experiences, including screenings, conversations, Live Reads and Bring the Noise musical events.

For more information or to become a Member, visit filmindependent.org.