Bold. Declarative. Fearless.
SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH HER
DIRECTOR: Ragini Bhasin
COMFORT FOOD
DIRECTOR: Reena Dutt
ABOVE THE SEA
DIRECTOR: Maja Fernqvist
INSIDE THESE WALLS
DIRECTOR: Melissa Fisher
IMPRINT
DIRECTOR: Ran Jing
COME
DIRECTOR: Chaconne Martin-Berkowicz
THE INHERITANCE
DIRECTOR: Destinee Stewart
AFI’s DWW+ program mentors filmmakers through the production cycle of a short film, providing hands-on instruction led by industry experts. The DWW+ Showcase is the celebration recognizing the completion of the short films crafted in the program and introduces the directors into a wide network of film industry creatives and executives to further pursue their career goals and paths.
This year’s DWW+ graduating class features an eclectic group of remarkable directors from diverse backgrounds. We not only celebrate and recognize the completion of their short films but also their preparedness to take the ‘Director’s Chair’ and bring their artistic visions to a broader audience.
Since the program’s launch in 1974, DWW has trained over 350 filmmakers that strive to give voice to historically underrepresented perspectives. Past participants have broken barriers in the industry with their work, including Maya Angelou, Oscar® nominee Siân Heder (Class of 2005), who wrote and directed the Academy Award®-winning and groundbreaking film CODA; Lesli Linka Glatter (Class of 1982), who is the current President of the DGA and whose critically-acclaimed work as a producer and director on HOMELAND earned her Emmy®, PGA and DGA Award nominations; Dime Davis (Class of 2015), who received a 2020 Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series for A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW, becoming the first Black woman to receive a nomination in that category; and Hanelle Culpepper (Class of 2002), a prolific television director who directed the record-breaking pilot of STAR TREK: PICARD, which earned her the distinction of being the first woman director and the first Black director to launch a new STAR TREK series in the franchise’s history.
