EXCLUSIVE: Celebrating its fifth year, NewFest has named the recipients of its 2026 New Voices Filmmaker Grant.
On Thursday, the New York LGBTQ film festival named emerging filmmakers Georgia Krause, Star Amerasu, Deborah Devyn Chuang and AJ Dubler & Carmela Murphy as this year’s honorees, each to receive a $25,000 grant and career development opportunities as part of the collaborative effort with Netflix to support bold directors telling stories from a queer perspective.
Selected from more than 500 applications, with support from NewFest’s New Voices Filmmaker Grant Coordinator Arno Mokros, this year’s recipients were chosen by jury members Silas Howard (director of By Hook or By Crook), River Gallo (writer and star of Ponyboi), and nonfiction film leader Merrill Sterritt (senior manager of partnerships & innovation and director of IF/Then Shorts at Field of Vision).
“We are thrilled to announce the latest class of emerging directors to receive the New Voices Filmmaker Grant,” said NewFest Interim Executive Director Lesli Klainberg. “Devyn, Georgia, Star and directing duo AJ & Carmela bring inspired and fresh perspectives to LGBTQ+ storytelling through stop-motion animation, documentary, slapstick comedy, science fiction and body genre. Thanks to Netflix for their generosity in partnering with NewFest on this vital artist initiative.”
Mokros added, “Thank you to the evaluation committee for thoughtfully reviewing each application, and we are especially grateful to the final jury for their visionary leadership in selecting filmmakers whose work spans such varied cinematic approaches to LGBTQ+ stories. We look forward to supporting this cohort’s professional growth and ambitious new projects and to sharing their work with NewFest audiences at the New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival in October.”
With mentors including Andrew Ahn, Isabel Sandoval, Charlotte Wells, Chase Joynt, and Howard Gertler, past years’ recipients have gone on to earn writing credits on studio series and develop feature films
