Columbia Filmmakers Receive 2024 New Voices Filmmaker Grant
The recipients of the 2024 New Voices Filmmaker Grant, in partnership with Netflix, have been announced, with Film student Apa Agbayani and Angalis Field (CC ’16) among the four selected.
“We are delighted to announce the 2024 recipients of the New Voices Filmmaker Grant, each of whom have showcased an exceptional blend of talent, creativity, and commitment to advancing LGBTQ+ storytelling,” said NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff and Director of Programming Nick McCarthy. “Apa, Angalis, Clementine, and Cai are vibrant talents who have presented compelling stories—whether narrative or nonfiction—that reflect the richness of LGBTQ+ experiences, and we can’t wait to introduce them further into the world. As we enter the third year of this program, we are eager to see how this new group of talented filmmakers will leverage these resources to create new impactful work and make lasting contributions to the industry. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Netflix for their unwavering support in championing new voices and fostering a more inclusive film community.”
Agbayani will use the grant to produce his thesis film, a short titled Is This Desire? The gothic film, set in a haunted house in the Philippines, explores the proximity between fear and desire.
The New Voices Filmmaker Grant is available to LGBTQ+ filmmakers in America who have not yet created a feature-length film or have never had any of their films distributed publicly through an exclusive, compensated agreement. Beyond the financial support provided by the grant, the four selected filmmakers will benefit from the opportunity to connect with creative and industry mentors relevant to their work. They will also engage with partner organizations, industry markets, consultants, and leaders in the field. Additionally, the New Voices grantees will have their work showcased and participate in various events during NewFest, New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
Founded in 1988, NewFest is New York’s largest presenter of LGBTQ+ film & media and the largest convener of LGBTQ+ audiences in New York City. NewFest’s mission is to give voice and visibility to the full scope of the LGBTQ+ experience through films and programs that entertain, educate, and empower. NewFest presents year-round screenings and events, including the annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
NewFest received nearly 600 applications for this year’s New Voices Filmmaker Grant via an open submission. Netflix’s partnership with NewFest began in 2021 and is part of the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, which is an initiative to help support new voices and create more behind-the-camera opportunities for underrepresented communities.
Apa Agbayani is a Filipino writer-director based in New York and he’s working through his feelings with magic. Apa started out directing music videos for indie artists in the Philippines then continued towards films and commercials. His latest short Abutan man tayo ng house lights (When the house lights come on) was the recipient of the QCShorts production grant and premiered at the QCinema International Film Festival in the Philippines in 2023. Apa’s previous shorts are Somewhere All the Boys are Birds (2023), which premiered at NewFest35 in New York, and We Kept Warm (2021).
Angalis Field (b. 1994, Portland, Oregon) is a screenwriter, director, and photographer based in New York City. His graduate thesis film Bust (co-written with Eliza Barry Callahan '22) premiered at Sundance in 2024. His debut short, The Dalles, premiered at Sundance in 2023. His photography and writing has been shown in various galleries and published in Artforum, Cultured Magazine, Purple Magazine, GQ, Teen Vogue, California Sunday, OUT, The New York Times, and more. He holds an MFA in Filmmaking from NYU Tisch (2019-2024) and a BA in English from Columbia University.