December 12, 2023
Los Angeles, CA – The Directors Guild of America today announced the winners of the 2023 DGA Student Film Awards for African American, Asian American, Latino and Women Directors. The DGA’s National Board established the awards 29 years ago to address the significant underrepresentation of Directors of color and female Directors in feature filmmaking. The awards honor, encourage, and bring attention to outstanding diverse Directors in film schools and universities nationwide.
“It’s thrilling to see the high-level talent coming out of the 29th Annual DGA Student Film Awards spotlighting the filmmakers of the future,” said DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter. “Past winners like Ryan Coogler, Jon Chu, and Nicole Kassell have gone on to tremendous success, showing how this program continues to highlight rising talent from diverse backgrounds. The DGA’s commitment to inclusion enables us to make space for these talented new Directors, not just for them to gain visibility but to ensure their voices are heard. Huge congratulations to this exceptional group of honorees. I wish you great success as you continue on your filmmaking journeys.”
The 2023 winners, selected by blue ribbon DGA member panels, are:
BEST AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT FILMMAKERS:
East Region
- Award Winner: Danielle Grace Nebeliuk of Savannah College of Art and Design – The Last Black Dinosaur
- Jury Award: Anndi Jinelle Liggett of NYU – Jelly
West Region
- Award Winner: Kennedy Love-Green of UCLA — Portrait
- Jury Award: Ifeanyi Ezieme of USC – Ebezina
BEST ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENT FILMMAKERS:
East Region
- Award Winner: Tianyu Du of Boston University – Bob
- Jury Award: Keith Leung of NYU – I, Chinese
West Region
- Award Winner: Naomi Christie of American Film Institute — Object of Desire
- Jury Award: Yutong Cao of Loyola Marymount University — The Rowboat
BEST LATINO STUDENT FILMMAKERS
East Region
- Award Winner: Monica Matute of Savannah College of Art and Design – Working From Home
- Jury Award: Valery Garcia of Florida State University – Descension
West Region
- Award Winner: Giselle Bonilla of American Film Institute — The Bullfighter
- Jury Award: James Valdez of NY Film Academy — Canta Santiago
BEST WOMEN STUDENT FILMMAKERS
East Region
- Award Winner: Leah Chen Baker of NYU – Belated
- Jury Award: Mary Louise Renegar of University of North Carolina School of the Arts – The Chaperone
West Region
- Award Winner: Jacqueline Elyse Rosenthal of USC — Backlog
- Jury Award: Anna Lo Westlin of American Film Institute — Bienvenido Juanito
BEST DOCUMENTARY STUDENT FILMMAKERS
East Region
- Award Winner: Jiale Hu of NYU – No Memories Lost
West Region
- Award Winner: Majiye Uchibeke of USC — I Am More Dangerous Dead
- Jury Award: Matthew Cheung of Loyola Marymount University — A Balancing Act
The DGA Student Film Awards have highlighted dozens of African American, Asian American, Latino and Women filmmakers over the years. A number of past winners have gone on to enjoy successful directing careers, including:
- Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II; Grown-ish; Rapture; The Land)
- Jon M. Chu (In the Heights; Home Before Dark; Crazy Rich Asians; Now You See Me 2)
- Ryan Coogler (Black Panther; Creed; Fruitvale Station)
- Rashaad Ernesto Green (Premature; The Chi; Looking for Alaska; Luke Cage)
- Nicole Kassell (Watchmen; Castlerock; Westworld; The Americans)
- Patricia Riggen (Surveillance; Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan; Miracles from Heaven; The 33)
- Sylvain White (The Rookie; Fargo; The Umbrella Academy; Amazing Stories)
Eligible films must be made in the 2022/2023 school year (September 2022 through August 2023) and produced as a student project under the supervision of a faculty member. Animated films, experimental films, commercials, music videos and webisodes are not eligible. Applicants must be enrolled in or be a recent (one-year) graduate from, an accredited post-secondary institution located in the United States and selected by the DGA. Eligible films are those in which students hold every major crew position.
The East Region screenings and ceremony will take place at the Directors Guild of America Theater in New York on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. The West Region screenings and ceremony will take place at the Directors Guild of America Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 14, 2023.