Sundance and The Asian American Foundation Announce New Fellowship and Scholarship for AAPI Filmmakers

Harper Lambert
·2 min read

The Sundance Institute and The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) are partnering to launch the Sundance Institute/Asian American Foundation Fellowship and Collab Scholarship in support of rising AAPI filmmakers. The program is geared towards increasing AAPI representation in film and TV by investing in talent and spotlighting their stories.

Six participants will be chosen for the programs each year. On the fellowship side, artists will receive a $20,000 unrestricted grant in support of their individual projects and year-round educational opportunities. Scholarship recipients will participate in live online classes of their choosing, gain access to Sundance master classes online, attend exclusive networking events and receive project guidance from the Sundance Collab Advisors.

The first cohort of fellows includes Vera Brunner-Sung (“Bitterroot”), Desdemona Chiang (“Made in USA”), Shayok Misha Chowdhury (“Rheology”), Tadashi Nakamura (“Third Act”), Neo Sora (“Earthquake”) and Sean Wang (“Dìdi (弟弟)”).

The scholarship recipients are Georgia Fu (“Approximate Joy”), Leomax (Ziyuan) He (“Gungnir”), Jenna Lam (“Ambitious”), Simi Prasad (“Changing of the Guard”), Norbert Shieh (“Preserves”) and Nicole Solis-Sison (“Papeles”).

Also Read:
Sundance Institute Unveils Latine Scholarship for 11 Emerging Artists

The first round of funding is provided by TAAF, through a $400,000 grant from its AAPI Giving Challenge partner Panda Express, and a $140,000 contribution from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

“Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences are diverse and multifaceted, and creative
industries have a significant role to play in properly highlighting these stories through investing
in AAPI artists,” said Carrie Lozano, Director of Documentary Film and Artist Programs at Sundance
Institute. “Our Fellowship in collaboration with TAAF was created for this purpose. The scholarships for Sundance Collab also enable us to further support AAPI artists.”

“TAAF is helping build the infrastructure needed to increase AAPI representation and storytelling so that our communities can feel a broader sense of belonging in this country,” said Norman Chen, CEO at TAAF. “Investing in and empowering AAPI artists is a powerful way of ensuring our stories are seen as part of the fabric of American life and culture. That’s why we are thrilled to collaborate with the Sundance Institute and our philanthropic partners to support AAPI artists who deserve the resources and opportunities they need to be leading storytellers in their fields.”

Also Read:
Sundance Announces Participants for Producers Lab and Producers Summit