FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Seanna Hore, Ginsberg/Libby
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Gladys Santos, Ginsberg/Libby
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LOS ANGELES (June 22, 2023) – Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards, announced today the six filmmakers that were selected for the second annual Episodic Directing Intensive. The three-day program welcomes veteran directors, showrunners, actors and cinematographers to share their experiences and knowledge of the episodic directing landscape. The six selected Fellows are alumni of Film Independent’s Artist Development programs – celebrating 30 years this year – including Directing Lab, Documentary Lab, the Fast Track finance market, Project Involve and Screenwriting Lab.

“As we celebrate the 30th year of our Artist Development programs, we are excited to continue to support filmmakers in all their creative pursuits,” said Dea Vazquez, Associate Director of Fiction Programs. “As more independent artists work between feature and episodic stories, we are excited to provide the tools this exciting group of filmmakers will need to successfully direct their first episode and build a lasting career in episodic directing.”
 
The following filmmakers have been selected to participate in Film Independent’s 2023 Episodic Directing Intensive:

Law Chen

Law Chen is an award-winning director based in Brooklyn. His narrative, documentary and commercial films have earned 19 Cannes Lions, as well as multiple Webby Awards and Vimeo Staff Picks. His first feature, Starring Jerry as Himself, won the Grand Jury, Audience, and Best Actor Awards at Slamdance, and tells a deeply personal story about an immigrant’s pursuit of the American Dream.

Raven Jackson

Raven Jackson is an award-winning filmmaker, poet and photographer from Tennessee. Her work often explores landscapes of indefinable experiences and emotions, as well as the body’s relationship to nature. Raven’s debut narrative feature, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, made in partnership with Maria Altamirano, PASTEL and A24, world-premiered in the US Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Her short films Nettles and A Guide to Breathing Underwater are currently streaming on the Criterion Channel. She is a Cave Canem fellow and holds MFAs from New York University’s Graduate Film Program and the New School’s Writing Program.

Erin Li

Erin Li is a second-generation Asian American director from New Jersey, who chased what she thought was the American dream in finance before pursuing her passion for filmmaking. This journey informs her work, which often explores the dark side of ambition through drama, fantasy and sci-fi. Li’s films have screened at SXSW, TIFF, Comic-Con, Slamdance and LACMA. She recently directed spots in a campaign that launched Adidas’ Community platform. Her Citi #StopAsianHate commercial garnered 6.8MM+ views. She was a shadowing director on the CW’s Arrow, and has held directing fellowships with Film Independent, FOX and AFI Directing Workshop for Women.

Miguel Nuñez

Miguel Nuñez is an alumnus of Werner Herzog’s Rogue Film School and of the University of California State, Northridge, with a B.A. in Film Production. His first feature film Levantamuertos earned him a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Mexican Academy Awards. After a successful theatrical distribution in Mexico, the film was distributed in the U.S. through Starz Network. His second feature film as writer/director, Hombrecito, is in post-production.

Victoria Rivera

Victoria Rivera is a Colombian-American writer/director based in NYC. A Columbia University MFA graduate, she was recognized as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” Her award-winning short films, Lucia (2020) and Night Swim (2019), have screened at prestigious festivals including Palm Springs, Tribeca and Telluride. Recently, Victoria directed The Longest Breath (2021) for Hulu’s “Bite Size Halloween” series. Currently, she is developing her feature film Malpelo, a Nicholl Fellowship Semi-Finalist script, with generous support from the Sloan Foundation, Sundance Institute, Gotham, CineQuaNon Lab, and Film Independent, through their Screenwriting Lab, Directing Lab, and Fast Track finance market.

Claudia Sparrow

Claudia Sparrow has been recognized as one of the ten most prominent filmmakers in Peru. She attended the prestigious American Film Institute (AFI) Directing program and was the recipient of the Franklin J. Schaffner Fellow Award for directing her thesis film El Americano, which also won an Emmy in the drama category. In 2015, she wrote and directed the narrative feature I Remember You. Claudia most recently directed the 2019 Hot Docs Audience Award-winning documentary Maxima, which continues to gather audience and critical praise (91% on Rotten Tomatoes) on the festival circuit, and had its theatrical and VOD release in 2022. A select list of industry participants includes HIKARI, Johnson Cheng, Aurora Guerrero, Rachel Goldberg, Michelle Lawler, Glen Mazzara, Leonardo Nam, Jeremy Podeswa, James Ponsoldt, Angel Kristi Williams and Daniel Willis.
 
The Episodic Directing Intensive is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
 

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.