Ten Emerging Directors Named to Latino Film Institute's Netflix-Backed Fellowship
The Latino Film Institute has named ten emerging filmmakers to its seventh annual class of directors for the LFI Inclusion Fellowship, according to Variety. The programme is supported by Netflix.
Each fellow receives a $50,000 production grant to make a live-action narrative short, which is a scripted film with actors, usually much shorter than a feature. The fellows also get mentorship and access to people across the industry. The institute's list of projects spans horror, coming-of-age, comedy, romance, science fiction and drama.
The 2027 cohort includes Adalberto Agulo, whose project is titled "Saboteur," and Alexander Ibarra with "Mariposa Muere." Berman Fenelus is making "The Last Hive," and Camila de Ilhéus is making "d'Aparecida." Crystal Ferreiro is working on "PUMPED!" and Jasmin Prophete on "Zonbi." Kevin Rios is making "Hurricane Mima," and María Sofía Hernández is making "El Turno (Carpool)." Mariales Diaz has "Tío dice que te suelte en banda (Don't Hold Me Close)," and Miguel Ortiz has "Brother Bushi."
Once their shorts are finished, the fellows will screen them at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival. Before that, the cohort will take part in LALIFF Connect: Market & Creative Forum, a meeting space where filmmakers can talk with people who work in production, distribution, acquisitions and representation. Distribution means getting a finished film to audiences, while acquisitions is the buying of finished films by distributors and streamers. Representation refers to agents and managers who look after a filmmaker's career.
The fellowship says it has launched 55 alumni who have made films that premiered at major festivals and secured distribution. Diana Cadavid, the institute's director of industry programs, is part of the programme's team.
For anyone curious about how a short film finds an audience, the fellowship is one route in. A grant covers the cost of making the film, while festival screenings and market meetings give it a chance to be seen by people who buy and sell work. The institute describes the fellowship as an ongoing effort to build a more inclusive and fair film industry.
