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

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

LOS ANGELES (March 4, 2025) – Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that just celebrated 40 years of the Spirit Awards, announced today the six filmmakers that were selected for the fourth annual Episodic Directing Intensive. The three-day program welcomes veteran directors, showrunners and executives to share their experiences and knowledge of the episodic directing landscape with the participating Fellows and support them with critical mentorship.

“We are thrilled to support this incredible cohort of directors,” said Dea Vazquez, Associate Director of Fiction Programs. “We know each of them has the experience and talent necessary to hit the ground running and we are proud to provide the tools necessary for them to successfully make the exciting and challenging leap into episodic directing.”

A select list of Industry participants includes Christian Alvarez, Jen Arnold, Pete Chatmon, Bruce Francis Cole, Julia Dillard, Paola Franco, Alex O’ Flinn, Sonia Gambaro, Rachel Goldberg, Liz Kelly, Maggie Kiley, Leonardo Nam, Shari Page, Beth Schacter and Rina Varughese.
 
The following filmmakers have been selected to participate in Film Independent’s 2025 Episodic Directing Intensive:

Deborah Riley Draper

Deborah Riley Draper is an award-winning filmmaker who has been recognized by Variety magazine as one of their “Top 10 Documakers to Watch.” She is the director and executive producer of the August 2024 CBS/Paramount+ documentary 13 Days in Ferguson, which revisits the tragic days following the killing of Michael Brown. Additionally, Deborah directed and co-wrote the acclaimed 4-part docuseries James Brown: Say it Loud, which was executive produced by Questlove and released on A&E, and directed The Legacy of Black Wall Street for OWN/Discovery+, earning an NAACP Image Awards nomination for Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television). Deborah is an alum of Film Independent’s Documentary Lab.

Laura Moss

Laura Moss is a filmmaker from NYC. Their work has screened at Sundance, Tribeca, Rotterdam and SXSW, and they were one of IndieWire’s “10 LGBTQ Creators on the Rise” in 2023. Their feature debut, birth/rebirth, premiered in the Midnight section at Sundance in 2023. It was distributed theatrically by IFC and Focus/Universal and was nominated for three Film Independent Spirit Awards. Their short film Fry Day premiered at SXSW, was featured as a Vimeo Staff Pick and is currently on the Criterion Channel, paired with the classic satire, Man Bites Dog.

Mary Dauterman

Mary Dauterman is a writer-director from Texas based in Brooklyn. Her debut feature Booger, a body horror comedy, premiered at Fantasia in 2023 and was supported by Tribeca Creators Market and Film Independent. Booger was released theatrically by Dark Sky Films. Her shorts have been selected for multiple Vimeo Staff Picks, and have screened at 30+ festivals and on Hulu, NoBudge, Vulture and Booooooom. She has written and directed projects for Adult Swim, published kids’ books that aren’t for kids, and directed some decent commercials. She is developing her second feature Thirty Grand, supported by Film Independent’s Fast Track and Screenwriting Lab.

Sheridan O’Donnell

Sheridan O’Donnell is a low-vision, Korean American director based in Los Angeles. His feature debut Little Brother, starring J.K. Simmons, won the Audience Award at the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival and was distributed by Gravitas Ventures. A 2023 Inevitable Foundation Accelerate Fellow, O’Donnell is being mentored by Alex Garland, Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Ahn. He recently directed a feature-length documentary follow-up to the Emmy-winning Rising Phoenix, co-produced by Ventureland. Vince Gilligan has taken him under his wing, inviting him to shadow on his new Apple series. Sheridan’s work explores family, identity and human connection through narratives balancing catharsis and humor.

Shuchi Talati

Shuchi Talati is a filmmaker from India whose work challenges dominant narratives around gender, sexuality and South Asian identity. Her feature film, Girls Will Be Girls, premiered at Sundance, where it won an Audience Award and a Special Jury Award. Shuchi recently won the John Cassavetes Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards and was nominated as a Breakthrough Director at the Gothams. Her previous short film, A Period Piece, premiered at SXSW. Shuchi’s documentary credits include story producing Being Mary Tyler Moore, Brooklyn Saints (Netflix) and Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas for HBO. Shuchi is an alum of AFI and Berlinale Talents.

V.T. Nayani

V.T. Nayani is a director, performer and writer, whose work explores how we continuously come of age. She is an alum of Film Independent’s Episodic Lab (2024), the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television’s Directors Program for Women (2022) and the Canadian Film Centre’s Directors’ Lab (2021). Her artistic development and screen work have also been supported by platforms including The Gotham, BIPOC TV & Film, EFM, Telefilm Canada, Netflix and UN Women. Nayani’s award-winning feature directorial debut, This Place, premiered at TIFF (2022) and has since screened globally. She is currently in development for her sophomore feature and two original series.
 
The Episodic Directing Intensive is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
 

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

For 41 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 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.