NEW YORK, NY – The UFO Short Film Lab has officially announced the selection of its newest cohort for Cycle IV, welcoming three exceptional early-career filmmakers into its highly competitive 18-month program. Hana Elias, Katherine Clary, and Edward Nguyen are the latest recipients of the prestigious fellowship, chosen from a record-breaking pool of 287 applications vying for just three available slots. This significant increase in submissions underscores the program’s burgeoning reputation and the critical need for robust support systems within the independent film community. Concurrently, three fellows from the previous cycle—Daisy Friedman, Carin Leong, and Emilio Subía—will continue their participation, developing and directing new films, demonstrating the lab’s sustained commitment to its participants’ artistic journeys. The initiative, designed to nurture emerging talent, provides substantial financial backing, state-of-the-art equipment access, unparalleled mentorship, and crucial industry exposure, aiming to bridge the gap between aspiring filmmakers and a sustainable professional career.
The UFO Short Film Lab, since its inception in 2023, has rapidly established itself as a vital incubator for cinematic innovation and diverse storytelling. Its unique model offers each selected fellow $20,000 ($10,000 per project) to develop and direct two original short films over the course of the 18-month immersive experience. Beyond financial support, the program boasts an impressive array of resources tailored to elevate the production quality and artistic vision of its participants. These include complimentary rentals of ZEISS’s newest professional-grade lenses, a significant advantage for filmmakers operating within independent budgets. Furthermore, fellows benefit from seminar-style workshop sessions conducted at the iconic Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), offering a rich environment for collaborative learning and critical discourse. A cornerstone of the lab is the one-on-one creative mentorship provided by the dedicated UFO team and a rotating roster of invited industry experts, ensuring personalized guidance through every stage of the filmmaking process, from script development to post-production and festival strategy.
A Deep Dive into the Cycle IV Fellows and Their Visions
The selection process for the UFO Short Film Lab is rigorous, emphasizing not only artistic merit and potential but also the distinctiveness of voice and the compelling nature of proposed projects. The three new fellows for Cycle IV embody this ethos, bringing a diverse range of thematic interests and stylistic approaches to the program.
Katherine Clary (she/her), an Arizona-born, New York-based filmmaker and writer, centers her practice on philosophical inquiry, exploring how personal loss can reshape one’s perception of landscapes, institutions, and historical narratives. Her prior work has garnered recognition at esteemed festivals such as Camden International Film Festival, DOC NYC, Telluride, and Athens International Film + Video Festival, with her debut short film, "A Desert is an Ocean," premiering at the Woodstock Film Festival in 2023. Clary’s upcoming project under the UFO Lab is a nonfiction short film set in the Arizona desert, a landscape where two starkly different realities converge: a potter’s field where the unclaimed deceased are interred, and an airfield dedicated to the U.S. Air Force’s most advanced fighter pilot training program. Through meticulous observation of the land, the labor that sustains it, and the transient lives that pass through it, the film aims to illuminate the complex interplay between grief and state power within this singular desert environment. This project promises a poignant exploration of memory, mortality, and geopolitical influence, viewed through a deeply personal and observational lens. Her Instagram, @katherine__clary, offers further insight into her visual storytelling.
Hana Elias (she/her), a filmmaker and journalist whose work spans Palestine and New York, delves into themes of landscapes, archives, and inherited memory, positioning storytelling as an act of profound resilience. Her latest short documentary, "Where the Wind Blows," notably won the 2022 IF/Then x The Redford Center Nature Access Pitch, subsequently screening at festivals including DOC NYC, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, and the Arab Film Festival, where it earned a jury prize for Best Short Documentary. Elias’s impressive track record also includes a Firelight Media Documentary Lab Fellowship, a BRIC Film and TV Lab residency, and the Best Pitch Award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival for her feature project, "If These Stones Could Talk" (currently in development). For her UFO Lab project, Elias will craft a documentary short film centered around photographer Adam Rouhana, who establishes a mobile studio across various Palestinian cities, utilizing a vintage large-format camera. The film will critically examine the tools of photography, exploring how individuals engage with their own images and the depths of their imagination. As participants step into Rouhana’s frame, moments of spontaneity and creativity are captured, collectively forming a compelling portrait of contemporary Palestinian life. Her work, accessible via @hana.elias on Instagram, often blends journalistic rigor with poetic visual narratives.
Edward Nguyen (he/him), a Vietnamese-American writer-director based between New York and Austin, Texas, is a recent graduate of Yale University. Nguyen’s artistic endeavors explore the nuanced intersection of Vietnamese/diasporic experience and queerness, incorporating elements of kink, folklore, and the surreal. Drawing inspiration from Southeast Asian and slow cinema auteurs, his films grapple with national collective memory and trauma, challenging conventional, often one-dimensional, depictions of queerness and contemporary Vietnam. His debut short film, "Mẽ HÁ»’I (SWEAT)," premiered at BFI Flare in March 2026, marking him as an exciting new voice in international cinema. Nguyen’s scripted project for the UFO Lab is a surreal, queer drama. It follows a construction worker who ventures deep into the heart of the Vietnamese jungle in pursuit of anonymous sexual pleasure, only to inadvertently stumble into a phantasmagoric encounter with himself. This narrative promises a deeply introspective and visually arresting exploration of identity, desire, and the subconscious, pushing boundaries in its portrayal of queer narratives within a specific cultural context. His Instagram handle, @edwardqnguyen, showcases his unique artistic perspective.
Continuity and Long-Term Impact: The Continuing Fellows
The UFO Short Film Lab’s commitment extends beyond a single cycle, fostering long-term relationships with its fellows. Daisy Friedman, Carin Leong, and Emilio Subía, who were selected in Spring 2025, are continuing their journey with the lab through the current cycle. This sustained engagement allows these filmmakers to further refine their craft, develop new projects, and benefit from the evolving resources and mentorship provided by UFO. This model of continued support is invaluable for emerging artists, offering stability and consistent feedback as they navigate the often-challenging landscape of independent filmmaking. While specific project details for their current endeavors were not immediately released, their continued participation underscores the lab’s dedication to seeing creative visions through to fruition.
A Program Designed for Breakthroughs: Resources and Mentorship
The success of the UFO Short Film Lab is deeply rooted in its meticulously curated support structure. The $10,000 per project funding, totaling $20,000 per fellow, provides a crucial financial foundation, enabling filmmakers to cover production costs without relying solely on precarious external funding sources. This financial autonomy is particularly significant for early-career artists who often struggle to secure initial capital.
Beyond monetary support, the access to state-of-the-art equipment, specifically ZEISS’s newest lenses, is a game-changer. High-quality optics are fundamental to cinematic storytelling, and providing these resources free of charge allows fellows to achieve a professional aesthetic typically out of reach for independent productions. As one industry insider, speaking on condition of anonymity due to ongoing collaborations, noted, "Access to top-tier equipment like ZEISS lenses isn’t just about image quality; it’s about enabling a filmmaker to fully realize their vision without technical limitations, which is empowering for emerging talent."
The educational component, hosted at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), adds another layer of prestige and practical learning. BAM, a renowned multi-arts center, offers an inspiring backdrop for seminar-style workshops. These sessions often feature masterclasses from accomplished filmmakers, industry veterans, and critics, providing fellows with diverse perspectives on craft, business, and artistic development. The environment fosters peer-to-peer learning, networking, and critical discussion, essential for growth in a collaborative art form.
Perhaps the most impactful resource is the one-on-one creative mentorship. The UFO team, comprised of experienced producers, directors, and industry professionals, alongside invited guest mentors, provides personalized guidance. This mentorship extends beyond technical advice, delving into narrative development, directorial approach, problem-solving, and career strategy. For early-career filmmakers, such tailored support can be the difference between a stalled project and a successful festival run. A representative from UFO, in a recent statement, emphasized, "Our mentorship program is designed to be a true partnership, offering not just guidance but also a safe space for experimentation and growth. We believe in nurturing the individual artistic voice."
Evidenced Success and Broader Industry Implications
The tangible impact of the UFO Short Film Lab is already evident in the achievements of its alumni. Since its launch in 2023, films created through the lab have garnered significant attention, screening at some of the most prestigious film festivals globally, including Sundance, SXSW, True/False, Palm Springs ShortFest, and DOC NYC. These festival selections are not merely accolades; they are critical gateways for filmmakers to gain industry visibility, secure distribution, and build momentum for their careers.
A standout success story comes from UFO Fellow Arielle Knight, whose film "The Boys and the Bees" received the coveted Short Jury Award for Non-Fiction at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. This prestigious award not only brought critical acclaim but also qualified the film for consideration for the 2027 Academy Awards, marking a significant milestone for the program and for Knight herself. This achievement underscores the lab’s effectiveness in identifying and nurturing talent capable of reaching the highest echelons of cinematic recognition. The success of films like Knight’s also serves as a powerful testament to the program’s ability to support diverse and compelling narratives that resonate with global audiences and industry professionals alike.
The overwhelming response to the Cycle IV application process, with 287 submissions for just three slots, highlights the urgent demand for programs like the UFO Short Film Lab. In an increasingly competitive landscape where funding and resources for independent filmmakers are often scarce, such initiatives play a crucial role in democratizing access and fostering artistic innovation. The lab’s focus on early-career filmmakers is particularly significant, as this stage is often the most challenging for artists to gain traction and establish a professional footing.
The projects selected for Cycle IV — ranging from Katherine Clary’s philosophical exploration of landscape and power, to Hana Elias’s intimate portrait of Palestinian identity through photography, and Edward Nguyen’s surreal queer drama set in the Vietnamese jungle — exemplify the lab’s commitment to diverse storytelling. These narratives not only enrich the cinematic landscape but also offer unique perspectives on critical social, cultural, and personal themes. By supporting these voices, the UFO Short Film Lab is not just developing individual careers; it is actively shaping the future of independent cinema, promoting inclusivity, and ensuring that a wider spectrum of human experience finds its way onto the screen. The program’s continued evolution and demonstrated success positions it as a cornerstone for emerging talent, promising a vibrant future for independent filmmaking.
