NewFest and Netflix announce 2023 recipients of New Voices Filmmaker Grant to support emerging LGBTQ+ Filmmakers

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NewFest and Netflix announce 2023 recipients of New Voices Filmmaker Grant to support emerging LGBTQ Filmmakers

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21 June 2023

United States

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NewFest, New York's leading LGBTQ film and media organization, today announced the recipients of the 2023 New Voices Filmmaker Grant, an initiative in partnership with Netflix to support emerging LGBTQ filmmakers. This is the second year of this program, in which a cohort of four filmmakers each receive a $25,000 grant to support professional development and create new work, and will have access to network-building opportunities through industry events and a mentorship track facilitated by NewFest.

The 2023 recipients of the New Voices Filmmaker Grant are Terrance Daye, Drew de Pinto, Emily May Jampel, and LaQuan Lewis.

Now, more than ever, it is essential to amplify LGBTQ voices, so we were incredibly excited by the volume and strength of applications received, said NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff. We saw in this program's first year that it has the power to change careers and lives, and can't wait to see how the 2023 recipients utilize the resources and guided mentorships to make an impact in the industry. We continue to be grateful to Netflix for their trust and support in making this possible on such a large scale.

All four grant recipients submitted inspired, textured, and auspicious short-form work samples from a range of LGBTQ experiences and cinematic storytelling techniques-from narrative to innovative non-fiction to animation, said NewFest Director of Programming Nick McCarthy. Yet one unifying element is their clear perspective, confident vision, storytelling prowess, commitment to new modes of storytelling, and vital collective spirit to have LGBTQ films be made, seen and heard. We congratulate the class of 2023 and can't wait to share the voices & work of Drew, Emily, LaQuan, and Terrance within the industry and throughout the world-and, above all, see what authentic and unapologetically queer work they create next.

In addition to the $25,000 grant, the four recipients will have the opportunity to connect with an industry mentor relevant to their work and engage with partner organizations, industry markets, consultants and leaders in the field. The grant recipients will also participate and have their work showcased in events at NewFest's New York LGBTQ Film Festival, one of the largest queer film festivals in the world.

The New Voices Filmmaker Grant was eligible to LGBTQ filmmakers in America who have not previously made a feature-length film, or have never had a film (short, episodic, or feature length) publicly distributed with an exclusive and compensated agreement. The grantees' applications and short-form work samples were reviewed by grant evaluators made up of LGBTQ programmers, critics, agents, community leaders, NewFest staff, established filmmakers and industry professionals, and supported by NewFest's New Voices Filmmaker Grant Coordinator Arno Mokros.

The final selections were decided by an external jury of film and industry experts that consisted of Mara Fortes (Senior Curator; Telluride Film Festival), Chase Joynt (award-winning filmmaker; No Ordinary Man, Framing Agnes), and Mark R. Wright (Vice President, Film; Higher Ground).

This partnership between NewFest and Netflix was formed in 2021 and is part of Netflix's Fund for Creative Equity, an effort to help create more behind-the-camera opportunities for underrepresented communities within the TV and film industries.

Last year's inaugural recipients were Blanche Akonchong, Livia Huang, Rodney Llaver as, and Nyala Moon. Nyala Moon's new 2023 short Dilating for Maximum Results, which was completed with support from the grant, recently won the Grand Jury Award at Seattle's TRANSlations Film Festival in May 2023.

Learn more about the New Voices Filmmaker Grant and keep up with the latest program updates at https://newfest.org/new-voices-grant/.

2023 New Voices Filmmaker Grant Recipients

TERRANCE DAYE (he/him/his)

Terrance Daye is an award winning poet and filmmaker from Long Island, New York. His creative work elevates black queer slice-of-life and coming-of-age dramas in nuanced ways that are fresh, poetic and accessible. Daye received his Bachelor's degree from Morehouse College and his Master's in Fine Arts in filmmaking at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Terrance is a two-time Spike Lee Production Fund recipient, a 2018 Sundance Ignite Fellow, the recipient of the 2020 NewFest Film Festival Emerging Black LGBTQ Filmmaker Award and the 2020 Outfest Film Festival Programming Award for Emerging Talent. His film -Ship: A Visual Poem was awarded a Short Film Jury Award for U.S. Fiction at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and the Industry Jury Award at TheWrap's 2020 ShortList Film Festival. Terrance is a 2020 Sundance Episodic Labs alum and a 2023 Project Involve fellow. Terrance has assisted director Kyle Patrick Alvarez and written for showrunner Mara Brock Akil on respective new projects. His own highly anticipated animated short film, Pritty, is currently in development with Powerhouse Animation Studios.

DREW de PINTO (they/them/theirs)

Drew de Pinto is a director and editor based in Queens. Their short film Compton's 22, currently in post-production, has been featured by Film Independent and nominated for an IDA award. As a teenager, Drew was drawn to film as a way to process feelings of gender dysphoria. Their work explores how documentary and experimental modes of filmmaking can build alternative frameworks for gender and other social structures that allow us to imagine better worlds. Drew is a graduate of Stanford's Documentary Film MFA program and a member of the Alliance of Documentary Editors. Th

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