The National Board of Review Honors Columbia Filmmakers with 2026 Student Grants
The National Board of Review (NBR), a New York City-based nonprofit for film enthusiasts, has announced its 2026 Student Grant recipients, honoring 17 emerging student filmmakers from eight New York-area film programs and universities, including two Columbia filmmakers.
Film alum and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies Tonghuan Zhao '25 was awarded the grant for his thesis short Last Day in the North, which was produced by Film alum Summer Xueyang Li '25. The film follows two young men, longtime collaborators in work and life, who spend their last day together photographing a wedding. As the day unfolds, the feelings they've never named begin to surface. The film received support from the Indian Paintbrush Fund and was recognized with Jury Selects, Student Selects, and the Audience Award at the Columbia University Film Festival. A Chinese writer-director and cinematographer based in New York, Zhao shot the feature film Jet Lag in Summer, which was selected for the 25th New York Asian Film Festival, the 28th Far East Film Festival, and the 9th Pingyao International Film Festival
Leon Ristov '25, a Macedonian filmmaker based in New York, received the grant for Nikola, Nikola which was written with Annie Ning '25 and produced by Vick Singh '25. The film, which follows a Macedonian teenager who finds himself stranded in the remote forest outside of Skopje with a 40-year old man he was messaging online, helped Ristov land a coveted spot in the 2025 Sundance Institute Ignite x Adobe Fellowship. The film made its world premiere at the 2026 In the Palace Short Film Festival in Bulgaria and will play the ICFF Manaki Brothers and Oslo Fusion film festivals in September 2026. Ristov's work has also been recognized by the Clermont-Ferrand Euro Connection and Sony Pictures Classics' Marcie Bloom Fellowship; his films have screened at over 25 festivals worldwide.
The NBR Student Grant Program aims to support the future of cinema by helping young filmmakers complete their projects and exhibit them at film festivals such as Sundance, Slamdance, and Telluride; the prize comes with $3,000 of unrestricted funding as well as a complimentary one year membership with the NBR.
Established in 1909, National Board of Review members—including film enthusiasts, professionals, and academics—view over 250 films and discuss with producers, directors, actors, and screenwriters before announcing their selections for best films of the year, propelling recipients into larger awards conversations.