Deborah Devyn Chuang '26 Awarded 2026 New Voices Filmmaker Grant from NewFest
Adjunct Assistant Professor Deborah Devyn Chuang '26 is a recipient of the 2026 New Voices Filmmaker Grant for emerging directors from NewFest, New York City's largest LGBTQ+ film festival since 1988. Each honoree will receive an unrestricted $25,000 cash grant and career development opportunities as part of a collaborative effort with Netflix to support directors telling stories from a queer perspective.
"Receiving the New Voices Filmmaker Grant feels like a homecoming," said Chuang. "NewFest was the very first festival to program my work when my short Mom, If I Were a Vampire premiered there in 2022, and it was the first film festival I ever attended. Ever since, this NYC community has truly felt like home."
Selected from more than 500 applications, this year's recipients were chosen by jury members Silas Howard (director of By Hook or By Crook), River Gallo (writer and star of Ponyboi), and nonfiction film leader Merrill Sterritt, the director of IF/Then Shorts.
"We are thrilled to announce the latest class of emerging directors to receive the New Voices Filmmaker Grant," said NewFest Interim Executive Director Lesli Klainberg. "Devyn, Georgia, Star, and directing duo AJ & Carmela bring inspired and fresh perspectives to LGBTQ+ storytelling through stop-motion animation, documentary, slapstick comedy, science fiction, and body genre. Thanks to Netflix for their generosity in partnering with NewFest on this vital artist initiative."
The grant and mentorship will directly support the development of Chuang's second short film, Strawberry Shortcake, into a feature, alongside finishing post-production for their thesis short, Trauma Dumpling, starring Bai Ling.
"I am deeply grateful for my Columbia community, including my peers and faculty, and especially my advisor [Associate Professor of Professional Practice] Andy Bienen, for their continual support," said Chuang. This Fall, they will be teaching an undergraduate screenwriting lab as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia. "I am very excited for the opportunity to give back to this community the same way it raised me up," they added.
A Taiwanese-American writer-director, Chuang utilizes horror and body genre films to explore themes of identity and sexuality. Their debut short, Mom if I Were a Vampire, has grown into a queer cult favorite on Letterboxd since its 2022 NewFest premiere, and their second short film, Strawberry Shortcake, premiered at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival where it won Best Short Film, going on to receive a Special Jury Mention at the Women Make Waves International Film Festival in Taiwan and screen globally at over 20 festivals, including BFI Flare, Sitges, Fantasia, and Fantastic Fest. Chuang's latest short, Trauma Dumpling, a horror-comedy starring Bai Ling, is the winner of the 2025 Bridges/Larson Foundation production grant and has received screenplay recognition from Austin Film Festival and Vimeo. They live in Brooklyn with their cat, Lilith, who may or may not be evil.