Alliance of Women Directors (AWD) is thrilled to announce the selected participants for the 2025–2026 Directing the Actor Lab, one of AWD’s most popular and immersive professional development programs.
Taught by AWD Founder and USC Professor Emeritus Jennifer Warren, the Directing the Actor Lab offers directors the opportunity to deepen their craft and strengthen their collaboration with actors. This year-long program is designed to expand a director’s storytelling toolkit through monthly sessions where participants explore topics such as in-depth scene breakdowns, rehearsal techniques, playable direction, and performance adjustments. To qualify, applicants must have at least three directing credits in film, TV, webisodes, branded content and/or music videos.
“This year’s AWD Directing the Actor Lab is proving to be one of the most exciting ones yet, with a very diverse group of participants coming from all over the nation and world,” says AWD Founder Jennifer Warren. “We have directors from China, Guatemala, India, the Ozarks, Austin, TX, just to name a few. They’ve won many awards, placed in major film festivals, received grants, and are eager to continue growing their craft.”
Warren continues, “Adding to the excitement, one of our directors has already made her television directorial debut on the Shondaland produced series Station 19 as well as being a fellow of 2024 Disney CTDI Directing Program. Additional participants’ achievements include being shortlisted for an Oscar, receiving a grant from the Max H. Gluck Foundation, and being a Jury Winner for Women’s Voices Now. Each brings a wealth of experience and curiosity to the Lab. We’re all looking forward to the months ahead filled with experimentation, collaboration, and learning.”
We’re proud to introduce this year’s cohort of talented directors (listed alphabetically):
- Lisa Cole (Bienvenidos a Los Angeles, Diamond Girls)
- Jasia Ka (Ghost: Bed-Stuy Veterans and the Evolution of Bruk Up, Girls Aren’t Funny)
- Radha Mehta (Dosh, Winds of Silence)
- Grace Potter (Blood, To Build a Fire)
- Letia Solomon (Station 19, 3 Blind Mice)
- Maria Valdez (Vida, Camping)
- Kali Veach (Roll Your Own, Sandra Lives Alone)
- Donna Wheeler (Death of a Saleswoman, The Girl Next Door)
- Cindy Di Xin (The Day, at the Beach, Staff Pick)
Congratulations to this inspiring group of directors. We look forward to seeing their continued growth and creative collaboration in this year’s Lab.
2025–2026 DIRECTING THE ACTOR LAB PARTICIPANT BIOS
Lisa Cole (Bienvenidos a Los Angeles, Diamond Girls)
Lisa Cole’s work as a writer/director is shaped by living with 201 host families across 12 countries. Her global perspective shines in her 2024 Oscar-Shortlisted short film, “Bienvenidos a Los Angeles,” inspired by a true immigration story and filmed at LAX Airport. Winner of the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase sponsored by Viola Davis, the film is streaming on Kanopy and other platforms worldwide.
Lisa loves adapting true stories that explore gender, neglect, and redemption. Current projects include “Diamond Girls,” a feature film with Selena Gomez and Academy Award-winning producer Laura Bickford, and “Filthy,” a two-time Sundance Development Lab Finalist and recipient of the 2025 Alliance for Women Directors Rising Director Fellowship. She’s currently being mentored by acclaimed director Niki Caro.
Recently selected for The Writer’s Lab 2025 with her pilot entitled “Unclaimed”, Lisa has been a fellow with Final Draft/Stowe Story Labs, Women in Film, Athena Lab, and Cine Qua Non. She’s directed documentaries for Viacom, A&E, & BET, plus films for The Gates Foundation and Sundance Institute, focusing on women’s health and safety in Kenya and DR Congo. Her work has led to collaborations with industry heavyweights including Jean-Marc Vallée, Laura Dern, Demi Moore, Lily Rabe, Shailene Woodley, and Catherine Hardwicke. A Loyola Marymount University graduate, Lisa lives in LA.
Jasia Ka (Ghost: Bed-Stuy Veterans and the Evolution of Bruk Up, Girls Aren’t Funny)
Jasia Ka is an Emmy and Telly Award-winning film/commercial director represented by Zero Gravity Management. Born and bred in Philadelphia, Jasia is best known for her “punk-feminist Rocky” POV, weaving irreverent humor through a dynamic, atmospheric, and slightly surreal lens and spotlighting female and queer perspectives. Jasia has directed an expansive portfolio, from a BMW commercial starring Brooke Shields, to the Emmy Award-winning documentary GHOST, to the scripted BRIC-TV original series, GIRLS AREN’T FUNNY (Winner – Best Writing at SeriesFest) and the viral Barbie x AD Set Tour, starring Margot Robbie, garnering 16M+ views. Jasia’s other directing credits include BUSHWITCHES (Premiere- NewFest: The New York LGTBQ+ Film Festival) and STALLING (Oscar Qualifying Premiere- Provincetown International Film Festival). She’s worked in house as Creative Director + Video Director at Conde Nast Entertainment, Inc. Magazine, and Fast Company. Jasia has received the following prestigious awards: New York Foundation of the Arts Women’s Fund Grant for Media, Emmy Award in New York Program Special, Emmy Nomination in New York Arts Special, Silver Telly Award Winner in Web Series, and Anthem Awards (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Category- Silver Winner). Her work has been featured on Deadline, New York Times, Paper Magazine and Hollywood Reporter.
Radha Mehta (Dosh, Winds of Silence)
Radha Mehta (she/her) is a civil engineer-turned-filmmaker with an MFA in Film Directing from American Film Institute and MBA from Kellogg School of Management, and a voting member of The Recording Academy. Her works stem from personal experience as an Indian first-gen mother raised in the US, exploring themes of motherhood, women empowerment, family business, and dismantling cultural taboos around mental health and disabilities. Radha’s award-winning films include DOSH (Slamdance Spirit Award, Cannes Lions YDA Nominee, Princess Grace Award Nominee, Jury and Audience Winner of Bengalaru International and Tasveer Film Festivals); Winds of Silence (16Days16Films w/ UN Women, Geena Davis Institute, TimesUp); SŪNNA (CAPE Julia Gouw Grant Winner); Witness (InsideOut RE:Focus Winner, Islamic Scholarship Fund); Standing With Moms (Jury Winner for Women’s Voices Now), Evan Ever After (Jury and Audience Winner of Florida Film Festival and Out On Film); and Being Gina (STARZ/Lionsgate/WRAP Top 3 Finalist).
Grace Potter (Blood, To Build a Fire)
Grace Potter is one half of the award-winning filmmaker duo, The Potter Sisters, from Austin, Texas. She began her journey in the film industry by working in the art department on movies directed by local legends and industry talents such as Richard Linklater, Terrence Malick, and Robert Rodriguez. Grace worked on these films throughout college while studying creative writing. Upon graduating, she was hired as Augustine Frizzell’s assistant on the HBO pilot Euphoria.
Grace went on to work with director Lila Neugebauer and helped produce Neugebauer’s feature debut, Causeway, with A24, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry.
The Potter Sisters began collaborating on music videos for Austin bands before writing and directing their debut narrative short film, Far West, which premiered at SXSW in 2022. They have since continued creating short films, music videos, and commercials—playing and winning top festivals around the globe.
The Potter Sisters are currently developing their first feature project. In addition to her passion for film, Grace is an avid fan of sleight-of-hand magic and lock-picking (Think The Italian Job).
Letia Solomon (Station 19, 3 Blind Mice)
Letia Solomon is an award-winning DGA director and former chemical engineer based in Los Angeles. She made her television directorial debut on Season 7 of ABC/Shondaland’s STATION 19. She’s a fellow of the 2024 Disney CTDI Directing Program, Ryan Murphy’s HALF Initiative Program and Netflix’s 2023 Episodic Directors on the Rise Masterclass led by Paris Barclay. Letia directed the coming-of-age pilot, 3 BLIND MICE which won Essence Film Festival’s Audience Choice Award for Best Indie Pilot and a comedic mockumentary short film, CLONES, which won the 2022 Lionsgate/STARZ Award for Best Speculative Fiction Film. Her medieval romcom THE QUEEN, THE KNIGHT, AND THE WITCH received funding from the 2022 Tribeca x CHANEL Through Her Lens Program. Letia received an MFA in TV and Film Production from USC and her thesis, THE CYPHER, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, ABFF HBO Competition, and received USC’s 2020 First Look Faculty Award for Outstanding Director. Letia also had the pleasure of Producing the 2023 Cannes Film Festival American Pavilion Best Student Film and 2023 NAACP Image Awards nominated virtual production FATHEAD written and directed by C. Craig Patterson. Above all, Letia is committed to championing bold stories of underrepresented narratives for both film and television.
Maria Valdez (Vida, Camping)
Maria Valdez is a Guatemalan-born, California-raised, award-winning director. Her passion is bringing human interest stories to life from the Latino perspective and amplifying authentic portrayals of Latina characters across multiple genres. She has applied her style to almost every genre and has been recognized for her work, ranging from comedy and drama to action. Although her films cross genres, the unifying thread that stitches her stories together is the celebration of family, culture, and the embodiment of strong Latino characters.
Maria was selected for the Alliance of Womens Directors – Latina Directing Fellowship, the Women in Film Directing Fellowship, Start with 8, and Unlock Her Potential Mentorship Program. Her TV Pilot was also selected to participate in the Read Latinx Writers Initiative. She is the recipient of the HFPA Directing Fellowship, The Gerald Hughes Comedy Directing Fellowship, the Verna Fields Fellowship, The MPAA Award, and, most recently, she won a Telly Award.
Maria was one of eighteen students selected into the prestigious UCLA Film School and is a recent MFA Writing/Directing program graduate. Her films have screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals, and she currently has two short films playing at several film festivals across the country.
Kali Veach (Roll Your Own, Sandra Lives Alone)
Kali Veach is a director originally from the Ozarks of Missouri. She completed her MFA at the University of California Riverside, where she was a Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellow in Screenwriting.
Donna Wheeler (Death of a Saleswoman, The Girl Nextdoor)
Donna Bonilla Wheeler is a writer and director of film and stage, known for her family mockumentary, Death of a Saleswoman (Best Indie, KC FilmFest; Best Experimental Feature, Portoviejo; Best Female Filmmaker, Virgin Spring; Best Family Film, Canada Intl). And her short film, The Girl Next Door (Jury Award, Mystic; Special Jury Award, Silent River; REMI Award, Worldfest-Houston; Best Short, Indie Gathering Intl). Works focus on female characters with heroic or unusual gifts, humanity, or insights and examine themes of identity and belonging.
Prior to earning her MFA in film directing at FSU Conservatory, she worked in advertising and commercials as a copywriter for national brands. She continues creative work for clients including Kylie Cosmetics, Proactiv, IT Cosmetics, WEN Haircare, Westfield Malls, Warner Music Group, J&J, Neutrogena and Meaningful Beauty.
Donna is a multi-invited artist in NYSAF Filmmaker Workshop (CLASH), Stowe Story and Sidewalk Narrative Labs (Natalia Rising, CLASH), Gotham No Borders Market (The Girl Next Door, Death of a Saleswoman), and Cannes/MIPTV Series in Development (CLASH). She is also a scholarship recipient in PageCraft Workshops, FS2P Labs, Sundance Collab Workshops, Slamdance Labs, and Reel Sisters/BRIC Workshops. She founded and leads the #MentorLatinaDirectors Fellowship program and helped found the Broad Humor Film Festival.
Cindy Di Xin (The day, at the Beach, Staff Pick)
Cindy Di Xin is an award-winning female filmmaker who has written and directed several short films, short drama series, and a music video. After Cindy earned her MFA in Film Production from Chapman University, she was nominated and awarded at over thirty international film festivals, including a few Academy Award-qualifying festivals. Cindy is currently developing her first feature film and in pre-production for her next short film, seeking any storytelling opportunities, and helping other independent filmmakers tell their stories. After living in China and the United States, she became a bicultural female filmmaker. She enjoys traveling and living in different countries and cities. In her films, she enjoys and is interested in family dramas, intimate relationships, and bicultural stories based on the current society. Her bicultural female perspective is beneficial in helping audiences find their voices and see the new world in their everyday lives. She also likes to travel as an observer. Aside from being a filmmaker, she is also a still photographer. Her experiences as a filmmaker and photographer are a source of inspiration for her. “Life cannot be perfect,” she says, “but through cinema, people can find a solution or be healed by trying to accept what we have to make our lives better and more meaningful.”