Alliance of Women Directors collaborates with Sponsors and Partners that believe in and work toward gender parity in the entertainment industry. These partnerships elevate our collective ability to advocate for and support women directors.
AWD Directing Members can check their AWD Member Center or inboxes for the discount and waiver codes, as well as information on how to contact partners.
ONGOING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
NEW COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
The AWD community will be joining Moonshot Initiative for an Atlanta Film & TV Summer Social on Thursday, August 6 from 6-8 p.m. at The Lost Druid!
Come grab a drink, expand your network, and connect with women and gender-expansive folks in the industry. There will also be raffle prizes from local Atlanta businesses. Meet members of the Moonshot Initiative community, a nonprofit advancing gender equity in film and TV.
GET TICKETS HERE. AWD receive 50% off (code in the Member Center)
The Costume Designers Guild is ready to partner with you! If you are seeking a costume designer to collaborate with for your next project, connect with our members through the Costume Designers Guild Project Portal.
From subconscious storytelling and immersive world-building to helping actors physically inhabit their characters, our highly qualified members are ready to transform your creative vision into reality.
PageCraft, a renowned screenwriting education company with more than 17 years experience helping writers unlock their creative potential and elevate their storytelling craft, and The Grey List, the annual curated showcase of screenwriters over 40, have partnered to launch a one-of-a-kind screenwriting fellowship designed to support, inspire, and elevate writers of all ages.
Whether you’re sharpening your voice or refining your structure, this is more than just a contest—it’s a chance to win access to a Screenwriting Lab designed to give you an opportunity to grow, connect, and create alongside instructors, mentors and peers who believe in your potential.
This contest is open to writers over the age of 18 intending to develop features or television pilots. Our final deadline for submissions is September 25, 2026, or when we reach 500 submissions, whichever comes first.
Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith is an Award Winning Film Festival Strategist & Founder of The Film Festival Doctor. She can create a film festival strategy for you, so you can get your film seen by audiences around the world.
Rebekah is offering all AWD Members 5% off all of her services. Find instructions in your Member Center.
Additionally, Rebekah’s multi-award-winning podcast, The Film Festival Doctor Podcast, is available to listen to on Spotify. In every episode she and her guests unpack and demystify the complex and very precise world of film festival strategy and programming, helping filmmakers learn how festival programmers curate their festivals and what types of films they’re looking for.
RECENT COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
As announced in The Hollywood Reporter, NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) is proud to present the sixth year of NewNarratives, a content program built to identify emerging global artists by tapping into NFMLA’s community and extensive pool of artistic talent. The NewNarratives initiative advances, funds and amplifies unique, innovative creators whose narratives, stories, and characters transcend borders and dismantle convention.
NewNarratives will award $35,000 USD in cash grants during the 2026 cycle across three distinct funding opportunities designed to support projects at various stages of development and production.
The main NewNarratives Grant category will award four (4) grants of $5,000 USD each to support emerging filmmakers developing short films, feature films, or episodic series (fiction, documentary, live-action, animation, or experimental) at any stage of the creative process. Eligible projects may be in concept development, early development, pre-production, production, post-production, or audience strategy and distribution planning.
Supported by Athens Services, this category will award one (1) grant of $5,000 USD to a short film (fiction, documentary, live-action, animation, or experimental) currently in post-production that meaningfully explores themes of climate, environmental sustainability, conservation, or humanity’s relationship with the natural world. This grant celebrates filmmakers using the power of storytelling to inspire greater awareness, dialogue, and action around the environmental challenges shaping our communities and our future.
Supported by Absurd, this category will award one (1) $10,000 USD grant to an emerging filmmaker developing a short or feature film, across fiction, live action, animation, or experimental work, at any stage of production. The grant will be accompanied by a three-month fellowship supporting the awarded artist as they explore using Absurd’s AI storytelling tools as a way to reimagine what independent filmmaking can look like with AI. Absurd will begin onboarding beta users on August 3, 2026.
Find more information and APPLY HERE.
Deadline August 18th @ 3p PT / 6p ET.
Deutsche Bank, Frieze and GFS Roster are thrilled to announce that applications are now open for the 8th edition of the Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award fellowship!
6 emerging Los Angeles-based filmmakers aged 18-34 will embark upon a rigorous, four-month, hybrid fellowship led by GFS Roster to produce individual 6-8 minute narrative short films in response to a prompt; culminating in two prizes awarded at Frieze Los Angeles in February 2027 – the Jury Award and the Audience Award.
APPLY HERE by August 4, 2026
A jury comprising leading figures in contemporary art and entertainment will select the Jury Award winner ($10,000 USD), while the public will be able to cast their votes and nominate their favorite film for the Audience Award ($2,500 USD).
Applicants must be 18 to 34 years old and reside in the greater Los Angeles area. Films must be produced in Los Angeles to qualify. Creative duos and partnerships are not eligible to apply. Six Fellows will be chosen based on initial applications. In the second phase, the selected Fellows will create a six- to eight-minute narrative film based on the creative prompt.
CURRENT FESTIVAL PARTNERSHIPS
AWD Directing Members can check their AWD Member Center or inboxes for the discount and waiver codes.
We are thrilled to partner with TIFF: The Market to offer 30% off passes for our members. Use code (in Member Center) until August 26th HERE. Connect with industry leaders, creators, buyers, sellers, and decision-makers from across the global screen sector. Designed for working industry professionals, participation is limited to individuals actively engaged in the screen-based industries.
Over seven days, this dynamic marketplace will include: Curated access and intelligent matchmaking; Innovations that transcend formats + A deeply engaged globally-minded audience. Learn more HERE.
Calling all horror filmmakers! Femme Fatal Film Festival is open for submissions and offering AWD members 50% off submission fees! Submit via Film Freeway
MPORTANT DATES:
Regular Deadline: August 20, 2026
Late Deadline: September 20, 2026
Femme FATAL is the premier genre festival spotlighting the female-identifying filmmakers redefining horror and sci-fi. Founded by Amelia Joyce and Roberta Sparta, the festival has grown from a single underground screening into a sold-out annual fixture– moving to a new LA venue each year and cementing itself as one of the most vital platforms for fearless, boundary-pushing genre storytelling.
Now in its fourth year, Femme FATAL keeps raising the bar. Submissions for the 2026 edition are open now on FilmFreeway, with the festival returning this October 18 for another night of genre filmmaking at its sharpest, timed to the Halloween season.
This is more than a festival. It’s a movement. And it’s only getting bolder.
Get your surf on! Santa Cruz Film Festival is providing 50% off submission fees on their FINAL DEADLINE (August 7th). Submit via Film Freeway.
The Santa Cruz Film Festival supports and promotes the love of the cinematic arts within Santa Cruz and the Greater Monterey Bay Area.
Through the production of an annual film festival, year-round events and educational programming, the Santa Cruz Film Festival engages the community in their appreciation of filmmaking, from short and experimental films, to narrative and documentary features. Since 2000, SCFF has screened over 2000 independent films, including scores of locally-produced works in front of tens of thousands of dedicated cinephiles.
Now in its 26th year, SCFF invites bold, innovative vision. All genres welcomed.
The festival is proud to not only showcase new creative movers and shakers, but also to provide an interactive experience where filmmakers, musicians, performers, and the community come together to celebrate cinematic creativity in an unforgettable week. Join Santa Cruz this October for a much-needed movie date.
Don’t forget! The American Int’l Short Film Festival is screening an AWD BLOCK of films and providing 50% off submission fees for their final deadline.
Submit via their Film Freeway page. Special deadline is August 1st.
*Short scripts also accepted into competition.
American International Short Film Festival (AISFF) was founded with the mission to create a platform for filmmakers to celebrate all peoples and their cultures, beliefs , and genders. We invite filmmakers from all walks of life to share their unique perspective as we showcase the best talent worldwide.
Based in Los Angeles, the epicenter of the film industry, AISFF offers filmmakers an opportunity to become part of a supportive and expansive community that is ever-evolving. Our goal is to spotlight burgeoning talent and advance their journey as artists. Along the way, we look to help filmmakers gain exposure through partnerships with streaming services and help them hone their skills by partnering with writing programs and production companies.
We are happy to partner with the Worldwide Women’s Film Festival! They will program an AWD BLOCK of films and offer their early bird submission fee for short films ($25) on all deadlines.
Submit via their Film Freeway page.
Regular deadline: Sept. 31
Late deadline: October 31
From the festival: The Worldwide Women’s Film Festival supports women in film by educating and empowering women in the collaborative endeavor of filmmaking while we shine a light on women’s stories and other diverse experiences across all genders.
We are excited to partner with Cinequest Film Festival to offer 50% off submission fees!
Submit through Film Freeway.
From the festival: Cinequest is a legendary empowerment bastion for over 300 films, television projects, and media experiences. As we prepare for the 36th edition of Cinequest in 2027, we invite you to showcase your work at the festival voted “Best Film Festival” by USA Today readers.
Cinequest programs 85 to 90 percent of its festival from paid submissions annually, one of the highest percentages among the world’s most influential film festivals.
Cinequest connects artists, innovators, media, and audiences as people converge to experience a powerful mix of immersive stories from around the globe and breakthrough technologies. Cinequest’s stellar reputation rests not only on its ability to curate a compelling lineup, but also on its success in securing distribution for many of its honored filmmakers. Netflix, IFC Films, Amazon, MSNBC Films, Roadside Attractions, 1091 Pictures, Oscilloscope, Sony Pictures, Magnolia Pictures, Kino Lorber, eOne, Lionsgate, PBS, and HBO are just a few of the many companies that have signed deals with Cinequest success stories.
As an Academy qualifying festival for the short film categories, Cinequest proudly honors the winners of its Best Short Narrative and Best Short Animation awards with a chance at every filmmaker’s dream: Oscar gold.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Early Bird: August 10, 2026
Regular: October 12, 2026
Late: October 23, 2026
Special Film Freeway Extended November 1, 2026
We are thrilled to again partner with the Latina Independent Film Extravaganza to offer 40% off submission fees!
Submit via Film Freeway.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Regular Deadline: September 15, 2026
Late Deadline : December 1, 2026
The Latina Independent Film Extravaganza (LIFE) is a film festival dedicated to championing Latina directors and expanding opportunities for Latina voices in film. Through screenings, panels, and community-driven programming, LIFE creates space for bold storytelling while connecting filmmakers to industry access and real pathways forward. By elevating voices both on screen and behind the camera, LIFE is helping shape a more inclusive future for cinema.