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Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship

The Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship is a nine-month, project-based program during which fellows will receive access to equipment and facilities in the Diederich College of Communication with high-end editing capabilities, student interns to help on productions, advice and mentorship from faculty, and a small stipend. In exchange we ask that you speak in relevant classes once each semester and mentor student interns.

The Fellowship is designed for emerging or early-career filmmakers, those for whom the completion of this project will have a significant impact on their career trajectory. Faculty mentorship of fellows will include monthly check-in meetings, advice, and guidance on an ad hoc basis as needed or requested.

Successful applicants will apply with projects that can reasonably be completed in the 2022 calendar year. Projects may be short films, or proof of concept pieces for feature films that will be used for further grant applications and project development.

Meet our 2022 Fellow

Originally from Hyderabad, India, Laj Waghray's project for her fellowship is an untitled short film centered around an 80-year-old, formerly incarcerated Milwaukee man. In addition, she is working on a feature film entitled "Searching for Sparrows" about citizens in her hometown who are finding solutions to the loss of birds and their habitats due to rapid urbanization along with finishing some short experimental films for Gallery 224 as part of their ARTservancy program. One of the films "On Hands" (2018) will be screened at Milwaukee Artist Resource Network (MARN) on October 1st.

Details about the "On Hands" screening available on MARN's website.

Two fellows may be selected each year:

Social Justice Fellowship

This fellowship is to support a film exploring a social issue. It can be either documentary or fiction and is open to a filmmaker from any background.