Post Production Pitch Competition
presented by
Six finalist projects, all works in progress directed by filmmakers 24 years old and younger, have been chosen to pitch for up to $5,000 in finishing funds. Come get a sneak peak at these future projects in the pipeline before they premiere! Past winners have screened at Sundance, Toronto, Locarno, and more! This program seeks to provide a much-needed source of financial contributions to youth artists who often struggle to secure funding to complete their works. Grant funds may be used for any post-production costs including but not limited to closed captioning and audio descriptions, editing, color correction, special effects, graphics, music licensing, and photo licensing. Attendees at the competition will gain valuable experience to the art of film pitching, plus a sneak peek at these upcoming films!
Check out the finalists and their projects:
PAPER TIGER
One humid summer night, Omar, a Pakistani-American drop out turned drug dealer, scams a group of Indian-Americans with his reluctant friends. The next day, when they arrive at his sister’s ceremony, they realize that the guys they scammed are the groom's cousins — and these cousins are hell-bent on revenge . . .
Don Ahmad
Don Ahmad is an award-winning writer/director based in New York City. He started making films after globe-trotting as a kid, now having lived in five different countries and three states. A blend of Arab and Californian influences piqued his interest in photography and poetry, which catalyzed into a deeper love for directing and screenwriting. He retains a focus in narrative and commercial projects that highlight South Asian Americans. He is a semifinalist in 1497’s 2025 Feature Lab and a Gotham EDU ‘25 Fellow.
DIGITAL DREAMS
In a surreal digital landscape, two women share their dreams until their inner worlds blur, unraveling memories, identities, and dreams amidst a patriarchal technological world.
Zoe Olavides
Zoe Olavides is a Filipino filmmaker and production designer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Film from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Working across directing, production design, and creative development, she approaches filmmaking through an interdisciplinary lens, integrating intentional design and multimedia elements into her visual storytelling. Her works explore themes of femininity, identity, and digital culture, reflecting on how contemporary environments shape lived experiences. Some of her films have been featured at CineMapúa, the Merlion Film Festival, and at Yuchengo Museum’s YFilms.
Ma. Sophia Sibal
Ma. Sophia Sibal is an independent film producer from the Philippines whose work has been recognized in both local and international film festivals. She graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman with a Bachelor of Arts in Film.
She produced As If Nothing Happened (2021), The River That Never Ends (2022), Kung ang Ulan (lit. When the Rain Comes, 2023), and Kung Hindi Na Dumating ang Bukas. Her films have been showcased at esteemed festivals including the London Short Film Festival, Les Mains Gauches, Kaohsiung Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival, JOJGA-Netpac Asian Film Festival, Tampere Film Festival, San Diego Filipino Film Festival, Seoul International Women's Film Festival, and the SineKabataan Film Festival.Notably, The River That Never Ends received the Gender Sensitivity Award at the QCinema Short Film Competition, the Student Award at the JOJGA-Netpac Asian Film Festival, and the Best Southeast Asian Short Film Award at the 2023 Singapore International Film Festival.
In 2022, Sophia was selected as part of the cohort for Film Futura, a New York-based nomadic film school. She has interned at Rappler, Epicmedia Productions, and Daluyong Studios. Alongside producing independently, she has freelanced on various film projects, further strengthening her production knowledge and expertise. She also gained experience working on internationally co-produced feature-length films such as “Some Nights I Feel Like Walking” and “Tens Across the Borders”.
MONROVIA, 1971
Monrovia, 1971 recontextualizes the story of 13-year-old Mark Edward Allen, an African American boy who was found hanging from the bars of his jail cell in the police department of Monrovia, CA.
James DeLisio
James DeLisio is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles and San Diego. His filmmaking practice uses experimental nonfiction to explore the histories and ecologies of Southern California. His newest film Lobsteropolis (2025) traces the passage of the California Spiny Lobster through a series of disparate contexts, and made its world premiere at the Slow Film Festival in London. His work has been supported by the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts, the William Male Foundation, the Russell Foundation, and Labocine. Previous films have screened internationally at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth, the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Buffalo International Film Festival, and Harkat 16mm Film Festival in Mumbai, India, as well as in exhibitions at the Athenaeum Arts Library and Brooklyn Childrens' Museum. He is currently pursuing graduate studies at the University of Southern California, where he researches environmental media theory.
Ian Guzman
Ian Guzman is an artist living and working in the Coachella Valley and San Diego. Currently, a Museum Educator at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Ian believes that art and knowledge are produced in a relationship. His work examines his familial history as a catalyst to discuss larger cultural paradigms and socioeconomic issues. His research aims to give language to personal stories while exploring the effects of state violence (through addiction, poverty, or incarceration) on Chicano communities.
BLUEGUM
When he meets a girl on his last day alive, a soft-spoken vampire fledgling must figure out how to speak up for what he wants before he dies at the stroke of midnight.
Poetry Salaam
Poetry Salaam, a multi-disciplinary artist from Harlem, NY, creates work that sits at the intersection of storytelling, culture, and ambition. To her, creativity is not a luxury, but a fundamental human right and a vital way of understanding ourselves and each other. She believes creation itself is a radical act and that impossibility is just imagination untested.
NO CAUSE STATE
In rural Vermont, shortly after a near-fatal fall, an elderly couple faces a "no-cause" eviction that threatens to sever their connection to the world. Childless but bound by a deep, reciprocal care for their animals and community, their enduring love is documented through a fragile landline connection and the drawings they make to survive a life without screens.
Malik Clyde Terrab
Malik Clyde Terrab is a Moroccan-American filmmaker and a graduate of Dartmouth College. He's worked with National Geographic and the Television Academy, and his films have been selected at festivals such as NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth) and the Chicago International Film Festival's Cineyouth Program. Born in Madison, WI, to a Moroccan immigrant father and an Irish-German mother, his work explores the contact zone; social spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other.
Brandon Mioduszewski
Brandon Mioduszewski is a documentary filmmaker and video journalist from the Chicago area. His ethnographic filmmaking approach forefronts identity formation, exploring how people make sense of their lives. As a first generation filmmaker and child of Polish immigrants, Brandon is interested in work that explores the intersection of class, place, and identity. He is currently a master’s student in Documentary Journalism at the University of Missouri under mentor and filmmaker Robert Greene.
INHUMA
After pulling the plug on his ailing father, guilt-ridden Si Wang must honor an ancient Asian tradition by spending one night with the corpse in his family home, or risk the arrival of an unexpected guest.
Chi Tran
Chi Tran is an award-winning Vietnamese writer-director, currently based in New York City. He most recently directed the award-winning short film “VISA” (2024) featured on Deadline, and is currently in production for horror-drama "INHUMA" (2025) Chi has held production and development roles at CJ ENM, Blumhouse and Disney+. As a director, his films have screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals like Palm Springs International ShortFest, Houston International Film Festival, and AAIFF. He aims to create entertaining, provoking Asian-centric stories and push his characters to the limit.