EXCLUSIVE: Film Independent has announced the 31 filmmakers set to participate in the 2025 edition of Project Involve, a program going into its 32nd year that has fostered the careers of more than 1,000 filmmakers from traditionally underrepresented communities.
Project Involve is a free ten-month program for writers, directors, producers, editors, cinematographers, animators, programmers and entertainment executives that sees them engage in one-on-one meetings with film industry mentors, attend workshops and conversations led by well-regarded professionals, join industry networking events, and collaboratively produce five short films from inception to completion.
Fellows will be introduced at Film Independent’s annual First Look Screening to be held Thursday, January 9 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, where six shorts, including a Laika-sponsored stop-motion animation short produced by the 2024 cohort, will screen. The event is open to the public.
Each Fellowship provides essential program support to Project Involve and includes a $10,000 unrestricted cash grant. Film Independent today also announced a number of other grants, including the $10,000 unrestricted grant set aside by the MPAC Hollywood Bureau for an American-Muslim filmmaker, which will be awarded to Bushra Burney. 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. In addition, the Panavision Fellowship will provide a cinematographer in the program with a camera rental package valued at $60,000 for use on a future project produced in the U.S.
“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,” said the program’s Associate Director, Francisco Velasquez. “It’s truly a joy to work with such talented and driven artists and to witness the innovative ways they’ll invigorate this industry. 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.”
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