Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organisation that produces the Spirit Awards, has announced the 33 filmmakers who will comprise the 2026 Project Involve cohort.
Among those involved are the following cinematographers:
- Matty Beavers
- Rafael Gomez
- Kelvin Kataria
- Kate Ketcham
- Tianyi Liu
The filmmakers will be introduced at Film Independent’s annual First Look Screening on Thursday 15 January, at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, where five shorts produced by the 2025 Project Involve cohort will screen – with the event open to the public.
Tina Mabry (The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, Mississippi Damned), a past Project Involve fellow, marks a full-circle return to Project Involve as the 2026 directing resident mentor.
Resident mentors work closely with the cohort throughout the programme year, offering creative insight, industry knowledge and career guidance across disciplines.
Mabry is joined by Rachael Fung (Eye for an Eye, Fremont) as producing resident mentor and Julio Perez (Euphoria, Malcolm & Marie) as editing resident mentor.
Ruth Atkinson (script consultant and story editor) and Aaron Edmonds (vice president of film at Hartbeat) return as story and creative executive resident mentors, respectively.
LAIKA also returns for another two-year cycle, providing an annual stipend to the five LAIKA Project Involve fellows.
With LAIKA’s support, fellows receive mentorship and guidance from LAIKA executives as well as a production stipend to create their stop-motion animated short film.
The inaugural University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television Fellowship, providing a $10,000 unrestricted cash grant to an outstanding TFTV alum, will be awarded to Rafael Gomez.
For its second year, the 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.
2026 Project Involve Fellowships to be awarded at a later date are supported by Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Each Fellowship provides essential programme support to Project Involve and includes a $10,000 unrestricted cash grant for a selected filmmaker participating in the programme.
In addition, the Panavision Fellowship will provide an outstanding cinematographer in the programme with a camera rental package valued at $60,000 for use on a future project produced in the US.
Film Independent’s Project Involve principal sponsors include the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Formosa Group, the Golden Globe Foundation, LAIKA, Panavision and Picture Shop. Supporting Sponsors are Amazon MGM Studios, Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture, Plot Shift Media, SAGindie, Sony Pictures Entertainment and University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television. Additional support is 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.
Film Independent said: “Going into its 33rd year, Project Involve has proudly fostered the careers of more than 1,000 filmmakers from communities historically excluded from the film industry.
“Alumni include Andrew Ahn (The Wedding Banquet), Thembi Banks (Young. Wild. Free.), Julian Breece (Rustin, Harlem), 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), Lulu Wang (Expats), Harry Yoon (Thunderbolts), Kim Yutani (Director of Programming, Sundance) and many more.”
“In our 33rd year, Project Involve is proud to welcome 33 exceptional fellows into the Film Independent family,” added Francisco Velasquez, associate director, Project Involve.
“This moment reflects the heart of the programme – creativity, collaboration and growth coming together in a complete cycle.
“We are incredibly excited to support this cohort as they embark on a transformative journey together. This journey is made possible through the generosity of our longtime partners and sponsors, to whom we extend our deepest gratitude.”
Project Involve is a free year-long programme for writers, directors, producers, editors, cinematographers, animators, programmers and entertainment executives from diverse backgrounds.
Throughout the programme, 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 full list of Project Involve fellows is available below:
CINEMATOGRAPHERS
- Matty Beavers
- Rafael Gomez
- Kelvin Kataria
- Kate Ketcham
- Tianyi Liu
DIRECTORS
- Loren Escandon
- Sydne Horton
- Omar Kakar
- Robin Wang
EDITORS
- Mario Fierro
- Haruka Gerald
- Joanna Phillips
- Yessenia Sanchez
EXECUTIVES
- Nora Bernard
- Uriah McKinney
- Lauren Milan Rausaw
- Olivia Stark
- Meera Vaidya
PRODUCERS
- Chidi Amadiume
- Carver Diserens
- Suki “Shuqi” Li
- Rachel Moss
- Parco Richardson
WRITERS
- Raymond Arturo Perez
- Bryce Marrero
- Jacky Watson
- Nikki Palumbo
WRITER/DIRECTORS
- April Maxey
LAIKA FELLOWS
- Haley Chung
- Alexander Gonzalez
- Inna Mikhailova
- Rika Nakayama
- Carlo Padilla
