NewFest Sets New Voices Filmmaker Grant Recipients in Partnership With Netflix

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NewFest has found its new voices for 2025.

The organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ films and media has announced the four recipients of its New Voices grant in collaboration with Netflix, an initiative that aids budding directors who focus on narratives through a queer perspective. MG Evangelista, Shuli Huang, Farah Jabir, and Kevin Xian Ming Yu are the chosen ones who will receive a $25,000 grant for their professional growth and creation of new projects. They will also benefit from mentorship and networking opportunities provided by NewFest, which may include attending workshops and events. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to showcase their work at NewFest’s upcoming LGBTQ+ film festival in New York City this October.

Beginning our fourth year with this crucial artist development program, we’re thrilled to present a fresh group of directors to a wider professional circle. The innovative projects from Farah, Kevin, MG, and Shuli are set to grace the world, as stated by NewFest’s executive director David Hatkoff and programming director Nick McCarthy in a joint announcement. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the final jury for their discerning choices, and to Netflix, whose ongoing partnership with NewFest enables us to equip emerging filmmakers with the necessary resources, guidance, and industry connections that can significantly shape careers.

The final candidates were chosen from over 500 applicants, a decision made by an independent panel of directors such as Yance Ford (nominee for the Academy Award-winning film “Strong Island”), Isabel Sandoval (“Lingua Franca”) and Roshan Sethi (“A Nice Indian Boy”). This partnership between NewFest and Netflix started in 2021, receiving backing from the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity.

As a passionate admirer, I’d like to highlight Evangelista, a dynamic Filipino-American director whose cinematic journey encompasses narrative, commercial, and documentary films. Themes of identity, power, and love are often the heart of their work. Having graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, this visionary is bringing to life their debut feature, Burning Well, a project that has garnered backing from Film Independent, Tribeca Film Institute, Array, Torino FilmLab, and SFFILM Rainin Grant. This ambitious endeavor traces its roots back to their short film, Fran This Summer, which graced the screens at Sundance.

I’m a passionate fan of Shuli, the Chinese writer-director and cinematographer based in New York City. His creative pieces seamlessly traverse the boundaries between fiction and reality. One of his remarkable works, the short film “Will You Look at Me,” made its debut at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2022, where it bagged the Queer Palm award. The following year, it won the Short Film Jury Prize at Sundance in 2023. As a cinematographer, Shuli’s impressive portfolio includes feature films like “Farewell, My Hometown” and “Borrowed Time.

Based in New York City, Jabir has always been passionate about low-budget horror films. She works as a director for both documentary and narrative films, creates music videos and commercials, and occasionally writes for television. Recently, she completed programs such as Film Independent’s producing lab (in partnership with Amazon/Sony), the Thousand Miles Project (UCP), the Asian-American Stories of Resilience program (PBS/A-Docs). Her short film, Kasbi, premiered at the Tribeca Festival in 2024. Currently, she is overseeing a horror project called Hantu.

Xian Ming Yu, hailing from Queens, New York, is a groundbreaking filmmaker who identifies as nonbinary. With an impressive background that includes being part of the UFO Short Film Lab and the Film at Lincoln Center Artist Academy, they have now brought their latest short film, titled “Fish Bones“, to the big screen. This innovative piece premiered at SXSW in Austin, and it was further recognized with a special jury mention at the Provincetown International Film Festival.

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2025-07-23 18:54