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The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) and the Sundance Institute are partnering together for the fourth cohort of the Sundance Institute and the Asian American Foundation Fellowship and Scholarship.
Through the scholarship,
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) artists working in film and television will receive resources to further their professional development, such as access to a network of peers and mentors.
“Our 2026 STAATUS Index found that 39% of Americans can’t name a single famous Asian American, and when people do picture us on screen, martial arts stars are often the first thing that come to mind,” said Norman Chen, the CEO of TAAF. “We’re excited to welcome this year’s cohort, whose films span horror, comedy and documentary, family sagas and heist films, showcasing the range of storytelling this community has to offer.”
Six AAPI artists were selected for the Fellowship program, which consists of a year-long fellowship designed to advance their careers with hands-on guidance and support. Fellows also receive a $20,000 unrestricted grant. An additional six were chosen for Scholarships, where they will undergo a year-long developmental program that provides them access to personalized mentorship through the Sundance network, both virtually and in person at the Sundance Film Festival.
“After four years of partnership with The Asian American Foundation, we have supported 36 fellows and scholars. We’re proud to continue investing in the next generation of visionary storytellers and welcome this new cohort,” said Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs, the director of the Artist Accelerator and Women at the Sundance Institute. “Through funding and mentorship, we’re helping artists bring bold, authentic stories to the screen and reach audiences across communities. We’re excited to champion this year’s fellows and scholars and see where their voices take us.”
The artists chosen for the fourth cohort of fellows are:
Kyle Casey Chu
Kyle Casey Chu is a writer and Drag Story Hour founding queen. In 2022, far-right extremists stormed her reading, seizing viral headlines. Kyle’s proof-of-concept narrative short, “After What Happened at the Library,” details the aftermath. It is a proof-of-concept for her debut dark comedy feature.
Project: “After What Happened at the Library” – A viral hate crime rockets a local drag queen into global notoriety, and now everybody wants a piece of her. As public attention forces her into absurdist fantasies, she struggles to become a “rising phoenix.”
Bryson Chun
Bryson Chun is a Native Hawaiian screenwriter best known for “Moana 2” and the Disney+ series “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.” He’s worked in development with Mattel and Ubisoft and is a two-time Black List Indigenous fellow and a CAPE list fellow. He is represented by Verve Talent and Literary Agency.
“Hammers” — When his NFL career ends due to off-field controversy, Jonah returns to his home in Hawai’i, but when the ghost of his father’s criminal legacy pulls him into Hawai’i’s dangerous underbelly, he’s forced to confront the truth that coming home means facing everything you tried to leave behind.
Erin Lau
Erin Lau is a Native Hawaiian Writer-Director. Her work spans narrative, documentary and episodic storytelling and has been featured on the Criterion Channel, Netflix and PBS. She has been supported by the Sundance Institute, Tribeca Studios, Film Independent and Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative.
“You Don’t Belong Here” — “You Don’t Belong Here” is a character-driven horror film that follows a Native Hawaiian priest who is haunted by a supernatural force after blessing a controversial construction project.
Patrick G. Lee
Patrick is a queer Korean diaspora filmmaker, writer and community organizer. Their award-winning documentary projects center queer and trans Asian diaspora oral histories, including “Unspoken” and “Searching for Queer Asian Pacific America.” “Becoming Becoming” is their feature debut.
“Becoming Becoming” — Drag artist Jungle explores gender and seeks belonging as part of a chosen family of nightlife performers in Seoul, Korea. Through a home-video aesthetic, “Becoming Becoming” embodies the hopeful, inevitable arc of queer emergence, despite internalized fears of rejection and a surveillant society.
Thanh Tran
Thanh Tran is an Amerasian Vietnamese and Black filmmaker, music artist and founder of New Krma Media. He co-founded the award-winning podcast “Uncuffed” and ForwardThis Productions. He is also a Film Independent Amplifier Fellow directing “Finding Má,” a feature documentary about his family reuniting.
“Finding Má” — Separated for over 20 years by the foster care and prison systems, an Amerasian Vietnamese and Black family reunite to heal old wounds, starting with finding their houseless mom.
Renee Zhan
Renee Zhan is a Chinese-American director and animator from Houston. She is an alumnus of the Sundance Institute Directors Lab, Sarabande Foundation, BAFTA crew x BFI Network and Berlinale Talents, and her short films have screened and won awards at festivals internationally.
“BAOBAO” — After the revocation of the One Child Policy in China, Mimi, a spoiled 25-year-old girl returns home to discover that her parents have had a second child. Her parents refuse to see that there is something unnatural about their new baby boy and that an evil other presence haunts their stately home.
This six scholarship recipients are:
Miida Chu
Miida Chu is a writer, director and film theorist who uses thought experiments to challenge assumptions about the body and soul. A Disruptors fellow, her short film “Eureka” was Oscar-qualified, and her film theory was presented at the Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image conference.
“Edging” — A closeted transvestite rescues an amnesiac young woman during a blizzard, but as they’re snowed in and her memory resets each day, he pushes the boundaries of her consent, pulling her into his darkest fantasies.
Astor Kim-Stark
Astor is a Korean-American filmmaker originally from South Korea. She is a 2025 Fellow of TIFF Writers’ Studio and Chanel, and a two-time mentee of Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative. She graduated from USC School of Cinematic Arts.
“Clouds: A Case Study” — A woman who claims to have an inter-dimensional disorder voluntarily admits herself into an utopian institute, where the clouds she sees above certain patients may be guiding her toward a reality the doctors cannot see.
Chona M.
Chona M. is a Filipino documentary filmmaker trained in photography in Tokyo as a Monbukagakusho Scholar. Her work is grounded in long-term observation, intimacy and a sensitivity to humor, gesture, atmosphere and the emotional weight of everyday life.
“Untying the Knot” — In the only country outside the Vatican where divorce remains illegal, three women fight to break free from abusive marriages. Alongside them, an 82-year-old lawmaker wages a final battle against powerful religious opposition to change the law — and the belief that endurance is a virtue.
Oanh-Nhi Nguyen
Oanh-Nhi Nguyen is an award-winning AFI MFA graduate whose work amplifies Southeast Asian women and girls. A Hillman Grad Rising Voices director with films at Tribeca and Cinequest and streaming on Hulu, she is currently developing her debut feature, “There Are No Saints.”
“There Are No Saints” — A celebrity therapist is forced to return home to care for her father’s terminal illness, only to realize it was a ruse to rekindle a nonexistent relationship with her narcissistic mother, who happens to be a former Vietnamese pop star.
Kanitha Heng Snow
Kanitha is a writer, social impact leader and first-time filmmaker. “Kamnop” is her directorial debut. A graduate of Columbia University’s MFA program, she is also working on her memoir, “I Am My Mother’s Mother,” which interweaves themes of memory, motherhood and spiritual continuity across generations.
“Kamnop: A Treasure is Waiting for You” — “Kamnop” is a transformative road trip, where a mother and daughter travel from Colorado to Cambodia in search of a treasure buried during the first days of the Khmer Rouge genocide. Kamnop is a quest for healing and justice, where dreams become reality, weaving together memory, sorrow and joy.
Tim Xayasomloth
From being raised by wrestling-obsessed Buddhist monks in San Diego to running an underground fight club in middle school in Arizona, Tim Xayasomloth draws on his unconventional upbringing to explore the challenges of finding meaning in identity, culture and masculinity.
“Lao’d” — On the day of a major Lao New Year festival, three disillusioned Lao-American teens plan to steal a revered Buddha statue for a quick payday, but as the heist unfolds, their ties to culture, family and each other are challenged.
