Films Fellowship

BDC Films Fellowships

About the Program

The BDC Films Fellowship is a free, year-long program designed to support traditionally underrepresented documentary filmmakers. Through mentorship, professional development, and hands-on training, Fellows gain the skills and resources needed to advance their careers in documentary filmmaking.

The Fellowship was established to help expand opportunities for Bronx-based filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds, providing them with access to the industry and pathways to employment in creative fields.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Program Benefits:
Fellows receive:

  • A $3,000 stipend for the year
  • Documentary filmmaking courses and professional development workshops
  • Mentorship from BDC staff and visiting filmmakers
  • Access to documentary film screenings, panel discussions, and networking opportunities
  • Equipment loans and low-cost rentals
  • Free meeting and workspace, including a video editing suite
  • A peer-to-peer support network to strengthen BDC’s artistic community

Cancel or pause anytime.

Eligibility Criteria:
The BDC seeks Fellows who:

  • Identify with a historically underrepresented racial, cultural, or economic background
  • Are 18 years or older
  • Live and work in New York City, with preference given to Bronx residents
  • Can attend all program sessions from October – May, with a final screening in June


    This fellowship is not open to applicants who:
    ❌ Are currently enrolled in a degree-granting program
    ❌ Are participating in another fellowship, residency, or development program
    ❌ Have directed, written, or produced a feature-length documentary that has screened at a national or international festival
    ❌ Are full-time employees or board members of the BDC

    The selection process prioritizes applicants who would benefit most from the program’s opportunities and demonstrate a strong creative vision, commitment to documentary filmmaking, artistic excellence, and potential for growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need prior filmmaking experience to apply?

While prior experience is not required, applicants should demonstrate a strong creative vision, commitment to documentary filmmaking, artistic excellence, and potential for growth.

How much time do Fellows need to commit to the program?

Fellows must be able to attend all scheduled program sessions from October to May. The program concludes with a final screening in June.

What is the selection process for the fellowship?

The selection process prioritizes applicants who would benefit most from the program’s opportunities and who exhibit a strong creative vision, dedication to documentary filmmaking, and potential for artistic growth.

What type of equipment and resources are available to Fellows?

Fellows have access to:

  • Documentary filmmaking tools needed to complete their projects
  • Equipment loans and low-cost rentals
  • Free workspace, including a video editing suite

Have questions?
Please contact our BDC Films Fellowship Manager Tânia Cypriano.
tania@bronxdoc.org

Past Fellows:

2023/2024 FELLOWS

Amber Alesawy

Amber Alesawy is a NYC-based visual artist, with a concentration on environmental and anthropological filmmaking and photography. Her work explores the ways that people interact with their environment, and how, in turn, the environment shapes how they interact with each other, shaping unique cultural practices.

Cacau Araujo

Cacau Araujo is a filmmaker from Brazil, now based in New York City. Her work revolves around places, language, memory, and identity; especially women’s identities, and the events that shape and shift them. Her debut short doc, The Great Find (2022) was selected for DOC NYC, Arena Theater Short Film Festival. It was also a finalist for best student documentary NYIFA, nominated to the NBR Student Grand, and broadcast on Bronxnet TV.

Jordana Bermúdez

Jordana Bermúdez is a documentary photographer and photo editor based in New York City.  Her work focuses on identity as it relates to gender, youth, and immigration. She is particularly proud of her long-term project Girls Can’t Skate, which focuses on an all-female and queer skateboarding community in NYC. Having spent most of her life in México, where gender-based violence and machismo culture are long-standing issues, she wants to amplify women and queer voices. 

Nicholas Chiofalo

Born and raised in the Bronx, Nicholas Chiofalo has been a storyteller since childhood, making home movies in Windows Movie Maker. Whether writing, filming, editing or photographing, Nicholas has a passion for entertaining and educating audiences,  moving between different creative projects and researching old media. 

Cayla Clements

Cayla Clements is a documentary filmmaker based in New York City. Raised in North Carolina, her passion for storytelling arose from hearing her grandmother tell stories growing up in the Jim Crow South. She believes documentaries have the ability to enact change and shift perspectives, and she hopes to make documentaries that tell authentic and multifaceted stories of the BIPOC community. 

Daniel Emuna

Daniel Emuna is a Caribbean-American image-maker from the Bronx. His work seeks to explore the topic of movement and place across cultural landscapes, in particular the African diaspora. He seeks to examine social understanding about concepts such as truth, love and justice. 

Joshua Guerra

Joshua Guerra incorporates documentary-style photography and video production into his work with grassroots community organizations in New York City. Over the last decade, his work has tended to focus on the communities that emerge around sports, most especially soccer, examining how individuals within these communities leverage the game and the passions it inspires to do good. 

Lorena Nicole Vicente

Lorena Nicole Vicente is a Dominican, Bronx-based photographer and filmmaker whose work focuses on the Black and Caribbean experience.  She is completing an undergraduate BA in Film and Television from New York University Tisch School of the Arts.


2022/2023 FELLOWS

Sarah Alvira

Sarah Alvira is a Bronx native filmmaker, and has a BA from SUNY Purchase in Arts Management. Sarah is known for her guerilla-style videography work for the viral performance artist, Jonothon Lyons. Though her work mostly consists of surrealist narratives, she looks forward to transitioning to documentaries. 

Agasha Irving

Agasha Irving is a visual artist from Atlanta, Georgia, currently based in New York. Their work focuses on education, public health and uplifting marginalized communities. They aim to use documentary filmmaking to reach larger audiences about social issues and to connect people from different walks of life. Agasha holds a BA in Film and Television Production from New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Auralynn Rosario

Auralynn Rosario is a Harlem-based filmmaker. She is the 2019 recipient of the Helen Gurley Brown Magic Grant from Smith College, a 2020 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Scholar and was awarded the 2021 New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) scholarship award. As a filmmaker, she strives to tell stories that challenge the status quo, raise questions, and affect social change.

Similejesu (Simi) Sonubi

Similejesu (Simi) Sonubi is a Nigerian-born, Bronx-based filmmaker with a deep focus on narratives that highlight the black femme experience. Her previous work has dealt with mental illness in African immigrant communities on the East Coast. Similejesu is truly passionate about Nigerian affairs, especially Yoruba history and culture. In the interim, she is growing as an animator, comic creator, and writer.


2021/2022 FELLOWS

Samantha Alvarez

Samantha Alvarez is a Bronx-based filmmaker blending her background in painting and journalism to amplify underrepresented voices. She studied Documentary Filmmaking at City College of New York and is an NBCU Academy Fellow.

Sean Josahi Brown

Sean Josahi Brown is a Harlem-born documentarian focused on the dignity and resilience of inner-city communities, using film to raise awareness of social issues.

Xavier Cousens

Xavier Cousens is a NYC-based documentary filmmaker and journalist. His work has screened at the St. Louis and Woods Hole Film Festivals. He has worked on The Great Hack (2019) and The Vow (2020) and holds degrees in Anthropology and Journalism.

Sofie Vasquez

Sofie Vasquez is a Bronx-born documentary photographer of Ecuadorian descent. Her work on subcultures has appeared in The New York Times and been exhibited at the Bronx Museum, BDC, and beyond. She is an alumna of ICP’s Community Fellows program.


2020/2021 FELLOWS

Daniela López Amézquita

Daniela López Amézquita is a Mexican-born, Bronx-based visual storyteller with a background in social communication and curatorial work. A graduate of ICP’s New Media Narratives program, she has worked at Mana Contemporary and contributes to Fotodemic.

Kimberly López Castellanos

Kimberly López Castellanos is a Bronx-raised Mexican-American filmmaker focused on preserving community oral histories. She holds a BA from the College of the Atlantic and works as a nonprofit communications associate.

Aryana Alexis Anderson

Aryana Alexis Anderson is a producer and emerging director with credits at the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, PBS, and World Channel. She holds a BFA from SUNY Purchase and lectures in film, with fellowships at NYU Wagner and CCCADI.

Adiana Rivera

Adiana Rivera is a Bronx-based filmmaker exploring gentrification and community life. A SUNY New Paltz graduate, her first documentary series, Bronx Boys, highlights the everyday experiences of young Bronx men.


2019/2020 FELLOWS

Rebecca Blandón

Rebecca Blandón is a Bronx-born filmmaker of Nicaraguan descent. A Brown University neuroscience graduate, she transitioned to documentary storytelling, earning an MA from NYU Journalism. Her work focuses on Bronx communities, immigration, and human rights.

Alex Núñez Caba

Alex Núñez Caba is a Dominican-born filmmaker and photographer with a BFA from SVA. He has worked in photography and scenic design and seeks to contribute to the growing community of emerging POC filmmakers.

Troi Hall

Troi Hall is a Bronx documentarian dedicated to authentic storytelling that empowers her community. She aims to spotlight overlooked narratives that inspire social change.

Sarah Moawad

Sarah Moawad is an Egyptian filmmaker and journalist covering Middle Eastern and diaspora issues. She holds degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, Harvard, and Columbia Journalism, with a focus on grassroots struggles.


2018/2019 FELLOWS

Teresa Castillo

Teresa Castillo is a documentary filmmaker specializing in community and family dynamics. A SUNY Albany graduate, she has worked with National Geographic and PBS.

Jia Chen

Jia Chen is a China-raised, NYC-based documentary storyteller with a background in journalism and international relations. She focuses on social justice and human rights.

Harry Montás

Harry Montás is a Bronx-born filmmaker of Dominican descent. He studied at Guttman College (CUNY) and works as a teaching assistant at the BDC and freelance photographer.

Shakeima Cooks

Shakeima Cooks is a City College Documentary Studies graduate with experience at BET and as a film instructor for at-risk youth. A Bronx native, she aims to create social change through documentary filmmaking.