Francesca Amiker, Tessa Thompson, Dede Gardner and Gabrielle Nadig speak onstage at the 2025 WIF Honors at The Beverly Hilton on Nov. 6 in Beverly Hills. Unique Nicole/Getty Images for WIF WIF (short for Women in Film, Los Angeles) has announced the 2026 cohort for its year-long fellowship program, as part of the organization’s commitment to advancing the careers of women, nonbinary and trans people across the entertainment industry.
The class — a mix of directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, crew members, execs and scholars — will take part in events, educational sessions and workshops, and be mentored by Hollywood professionals as they work toward their career goals.
“In this moment when our industry faces unprecedented challenges and the progress toward gender equality is sliding backwards, we are doubling down on supporting talented storytellers. Each fellow brings a distinct voice and creative vision, and we are excited to see their talents flourish while building the networks that will help propel their careers,” WIF CEO Kirsten Schaffer said in a statement. “We’re especially proud to welcome the first cohort of Scholar and Curator Fellows, investing in the next generation of thought leaders whose fresh perspectives will help shape a more expansive cultural landscape.”
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The WIF Fellowship Program is made possible through the support of Falguni Lakhani Adams and Marla Charlton; the 2026 WIF Business Fellowship cohort is supported by STARZ through its #TakeTheLead commitment; and the WIF Director and Cinematographer Fellowship circles are supported by Netflix.
A full list of 2026 WIF Fellows is below:
Artisan and Crew Fellows Alaysia Sierra, music supervisor Aneesa Meador, editor Ava Porter, title designer Elika Rezaee, editor Elissa “E” Alcala’, costume designer Gracie Simonett, editor Jenn Hoang, script supervisor Judybelle Camangyan, sound designer Kayla McIntyre, composer Kesha Brooks, music supervisor Madeline Abiera, assistant director Madison Anglin, composer Mandy Woo, composer Maureen Marchetti, editor Mel Guérison, composer Molly Bolten, sound editor Murphy Li, production sound Naya Simone, casting director Rajarajeshwari ‘RJ’ Ragampudi, production designer Terese Classen, casting director Tiana Ni, production designer
Business Executives Maddy Myer Rebecca ‘Toyin Doherty Samantha Schoen Yang Fei
Cinematographers Hannah Platzer Lisa Janae Louise YunJu Chen Quinn Thomashow
Directors Jhanvi Motla Kateryna Kurganska KK Apple Nikki Taylor Roberts Wendi Tang
Producers Margaux Lee Masora Fukuda Nazanin Nematollahi Sarah Ahmed Valeria Lopez Casey Naranjo Kiri Kraatz
Scholars and Curators Imani Davis Jiyeon Kim Kathy Michelle Chacón
Writers Adriana Ducassi Amanda Kohr Briana Pozner Bo Shim Eva Reign Julia Prescott Katie Waldron Monisha Dadlani Paige Wesley Sessen Mengist Tania Dominguez-Rangel
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