AWD's Rising Director Fellowship

Access to tech and creative industry employment

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

One of the most difficult and under-supported transitions in a directing career is the leap from short-form work to a first feature. Gatekeepers and financiers often lack trust in new voices, creating systemic barriers that keep marginalized directors from advancing. Despite comprising over half the population, women directed only 16% of theatrically released DGA features from 2018–2022 and just 1.9% of all Best Director Oscar nominees. For women of color, the numbers are even more dire, making up only 1.4% of directors on major features. Additional barriers include bias against age, caregiver status, and disability.

The Rising Director Fellowship (RDF) is a year-long career advancement program from Alliance of Women Directors that supports six women and gender-expansive directors from underrepresented communities as they develop their first narrative feature films. Designed to bridge the toughest gap in a directing career - the leap from short-form to feature work - RDF provides the access, mentorship, and resources needed to move projects forward.
Fellows receive personalized craft workshops in areas like blocking, camera movement, pitching, and legal essentials, tailored to support their creative growth. Each is paired with an acclaimed director for one-on-one mentorship throughout the year. Fellows also participate in curated meetings with over 50 producers, executives, agents, and financiers, introductions that open doors to real opportunities.
To support tangible progress, RDF helps Fellows develop a proof-of-concept short tied to their feature, with feedback from industry professionals and USC Professor Emeritus Jennifer Warren. We partner with companies to provide gear, post support, and other in-kind resources. With LA2050’s support, we’ll expand this pillar by offering each Fellow a $10,000 cash grant.
While many programs aim to elevate underrepresented directors, RDF takes a hands-on, action-oriented approach—giving directors the tools they need to get their films made.

If successful, the Rising Director Fellowship will help launch the careers of six visionary women and gender-expansive directors each year, increasing equity and representation in the film industry from the ground up. In the short term, Fellows’ proof-of-concept projects will generate employment for Los Angeles-based crew members, actors, and vendors. In the long term, these shorts serve as stepping stones to full-length feature films - projects that have the ability to bring substantial economic and creative opportunity to Los Angeles County. By helping these filmmakers break through systemic barriers, we are cultivating the next generation of storytellers whose work reflects the diversity and depth of LA itself. As the program grows, we aim to scale to support more directors annually and build long-term infrastructure for sustainable, inclusive filmmaking in Los Angeles.