Full Breakdown
Transgender Film Center Announces 2025-26 Career Development Lab Fellows
6/24/2026, 8:03:21 AM
Second-Year Lab Unveiled
The Transgender Film Center (TFC) announced its second-year Career Development Lab cohort for 2025-26, a 12-week accelerator funded by Netflix. The program combines career strategy with industry access through 12 in-person sessions in Los Angeles and eight virtual workshops led by professionals such as Lilly Wachowski, Mark Duplass, and staff from the Sundance Institute, as well as participants in Tribeca Film Festival learning sessions. Fellows receive a $15,000 honorarium and a 90-day roadmap for post-Lab progress.
Fellows Announced
The selective, multi-step process produced ten transgender creators across filmmaking, writing, directing, and performance:
- Stella Alfjaro – filmmaker developing a debut narrative feature with Moodrealm Films.
- Dusty Austen – director/VFX artist completing the sci-fi horror feature *Fiber Burn*.
- Betti – actor-writer-producer preparing the absurdist debut *Mones*.
- Gugu Issa – TV writer-director developing the coming-of-age feature *Khutbah* with Sundance Institute support.
- Ocean Vashti Jude – writer-director expanding into television, focusing on dramas about disadvantaged characters.
- Eva Reign – writer working toward her first feature film about marginalized women and girls.
- Chris Renfro – writer-performer creating animated comedies and pitching a TV series.
- James Tom – stand-up comic scripting a trans-masculine bachelor-party buddy comedy.
- Jess Waters – writer-director reimagining period and sci-fi/fantasy narratives; writers’-room PA on *Majesty* Season 1.
- Riley Westling – writer and development executive producing prestige TV stories about queer protagonists, now expanding to feature film and created-by TV.
Program Data
- Cohort size: 10 fellows
- Program length: 12 weeks (12 in-person sessions, 8 virtual workshops)
- Funding: Netflix; $15,000 honorarium per fellow
- Industry exposure: Direct mentorship from Lilly Wachowski, Mark Duplass, Sundance Institute, and Tribeca Film Festival sessions
- Outcome tool: 90-day post-Lab career roadmap
Official Statements
Sav Rodgers, Executive Director of TFC, said the Lab is a catalyst for durable careers among transgender professionals, stressing that industry relationships are essential for expanding trans-made storytelling. He described the Lab as a rigorous, industry-facing experience that prioritizes practical skills, real connections, and ongoing momentum after graduation.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Our mission is to help more transgender professionals build durable careers in film and television — because that’s how more trans-made stories reach audiences at scale,” — Sav Rodgers, Executive Director, Transgender Film Center
- “The Lab is designed as a rigorous, industry-facing experience that emphasizes practical skills, real relationships, and sustained momentum after graduation.” — Sav Rodgers, Executive Director, Transgender Film Center
Impact and Significance
By equipping transgender creators with mentorship, financial support, and a structured career plan, the Lab seeks to address historic underrepresentation in mainstream media. The program’s industry-linked curriculum aims to translate creative talent into marketable projects, potentially increasing the volume and visibility of trans-authored narratives.
Next Steps
Graduating fellows will implement their 90-day roadmaps, pursue representation, and advance projects ranging from feature films to television series. TFC plans to continue the Lab’s partnership with Netflix and expand mentorship opportunities in upcoming cycles.
