Adobe Names First Ten Filmmakers for $1 Million in Direct Grants

Ten filmmakers will share $1 million in direct grants from the Adobe Film & TV Fund, the company announced on 9 November 2026, as it also formed an advisory board for the fund.

The fund, which Adobe launched in 2024, aims to widen opportunities for emerging and mid-career filmmakers. Adobe says it has supported more than 1,000 creators since then, through fellowships, financial support, mentorship and access to Adobe's creative tools. It has worked with Gold House, Rideback RISE and Sundance Institute along the way.

Adobe says the grant recipients were nominated by industry and community organisations. Adobe then made the final selections, with input from the new advisory board. That board includes Lena Waithe, Reggie Hudlin and Kerstin Emhoff.

Each recipient will get access to Adobe Premiere, the video editing software, and Adobe Firefly, the company's generative AI tool for images, video and audio. The grants are part of a wider pledge. Adobe has committed nearly $10 million in grants and donated products for 2026.

The programme has grown before. In January 2025, Adobe and the Adobe Foundation announced an additional $5 million commitment to the fund, aimed at underrepresented creators.

The timing sits close to Adobe's own calendar. Adobe MAX 2026, the company's annual conference, runs from 10 to 12 November in Miami. Adobe has not said whether the grant recipients will appear at the event.

For a first-time filmmaker, the practical value of a grant like this is often the tools and the contacts as much as the cash. Editing software and AI tools cost money, and a grant that covers them can free up a small budget for other parts of a project. The advisory board names may also help recipients get noticed by the people who make hiring and funding decisions.

Adobe has named the ten recipients in its announcement, and the fund's next steps will be worth watching as the year closes.