AFI DWW+ Announces Class of 2026 with Marie Jamora Named Guest Director

The American Film Institute (AFI) has officially announced the eight filmmakers for the upcoming AFI DWW+ Class of 2026, where each will go through the production cycle of a short film. IndieWire shares the class exclusively here.

The artists selected for the AFI DWW+ Class of 2026 are Ragini Bhasin, Reena Dutt, Maja Fernqvist, Melissa Fisher, Ran Jing, Eunice Levis, Chaconne Martin-Berkowicz, and Destinee Stewart.

Each participant went through a rigorous selection process and was ultimately selected from 20 finalists who met with a final selection committee. AFI also announced that Marie Jamora (a graduate of AFI DWW 2020) has been named the AFI DWW+ guest artistic director for the Class of 2026.

“For over 50 years, AFI DWW+ has had a meaningful impact on the industry,” said Susan Ruskin, dean of the AFI Conservatory and executive vice president of the American Film Institute. “We are honored that AFI DWW+ Alum and trailblazing director, Marie Jamora, will be guiding the new cohort as they create their films and showcase their unique visions. We look forward to watching the Class of 2026 flourish as directors and inspire the next generation of filmmakers.”

“AFI’s DWW changed my life — the short film that I produced in the program became my calling card that launched me into the television directing career I aspired to,” said Jamora. “The filmmakers in my class are not just my dearest friends, we continue to provide each other with support and feedback in our ongoing projects. I’m honored to be able to give back to the program that gave me so much, to design the curriculum setting up this amazing new cohort for success. Now more than ever, we need to elevate voices like theirs to contribute to the film industry that we all love and grew up dreaming about.”

Jamora will act as a mentor for the DWW+ participants throughout the production cycle and industry showcase, which will take place in spring 2026.

The AFI DDW+ program debuted in 1974 as a directing workshop for women. Since the program’s inception, DWW+ has trained over 350 filmmakers who give voice to historically underrepresented perspectives. Alums include Lesli Linka Glatter, Siân Heder, Dime Davis, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Lee Grant, Maya Angelou, Anne Bancroft, Cicely Tyson, Joanne Woodward, Ellen Burstyn, and more.

Bios of this year’s participants are below, with language courtesy of the filmmakers.

Ragini Bhasin

Ragini Bhasin is a South Asian writer/director and graduate of Chapman University film school who specializes in everyday thrillers and socially conscious films told with a feminist lens. Her shorts have screened at several Oscar-qualifying festivals, including two recent shorts opening at Palm Springs ShortFest. Her films have also been featured in The Wrap’s ShortList festival, selected as Vimeo Staff Pick, and distributed by ARTE Channel, ShortsTV, Argo Channel and PBS. She received the Meredith MacRae Memorial Award from WIF, was a BAFTA Newcomer (2021–2024), won the 2022 Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge hosted by CAPE and Janet Yang Productions, and was a 2023 Film Independent’s Project Involve Directing fellow.

Reena Dutt

Reena Dutt is dedicated to new and reimagined texts that catapult polarizing conversations through unexpected stories of the underheard. Her short film, FOUND is being used to start conversations within the transracial adoptee community, and TOO MANY BODIES was supported by NoRAnow.org and Survivors Empowered, advocating for gun reform. As a producer, her films have been screened at over 80 festivals including Sundance, Outfest, SF Dance and Frameline. She was a past producing fellow with SFFilm, TAP and Film Independent. Dutt is also a theater director working regionally in the USA and her next production opens in Long Beach in March.

Maja Fernqvist 

Maja Fernqvist is a multi-award-winning creative director, with many years of experience in the advertising industry. Fernqvist focuses on telling stories in artful and visually arresting ways. Her work includes music videos, art films, commercials and short films officially selected by film festivals such as LA Short Fest and Brooklyn Film Festival. Fernqvist was chosen by Lionsgate to direct a short film from the Twilight Saga Universe and selected as one of the emerging directors for SHOOT New Directors Showcase. Fernqvist’s work has received worldwide recognition from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Clios and British Television Advertising Awards.

Melissa Fisher

Melissa Fisher is an accomplished director, writer and multi-hyphenate in the industry with over 12 years of experience on Academy Award-winning sets such as Damien Chazelle’s LA LA LAND and FIRST MAN, and Emmy Award-winning shows like GLOW and THE DROPOUT. A graduate of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film, Fisher’s directorial work merges technical skill with poetic imagery to create emotionally evocative drama, tackling social justice themes and highlighting marginalized communities. Fisher’s recent short BUSCANDO ALMA focused on immigration and gender identity, and won numerous awards including the Oscar-Qualifying Jury Award at Atlanta’s Out On Film Festival.

Ran Jing

Ran Jing is a transnational writer and director, acclaimed for her debut feature MODEL, which was featured in Variety China, won multiple awards at Academy Award- and BAFTA-qualifying festivals, and had a theatrical release in China. Named one of ISA’s Top 25 Writers to Watch, Jing has written features for Ruyi Films. A former storyboard artist at Blue Sky Studios, she worked on blockbusters such as SPIES IN DISGUISE, THE PEANUTS MOVIE and the ICE AGE franchise. Her extensive experience in both Hollywood and China profoundly informs her passion for crafting nuanced, character-driven stories that explore themes of identity and belonging.

Eunice Levis

Writer and director, Eunice Levis, is a first-generation Dominican American from the Bronx, New York. Levis’ work focuses on genre-bending stories that explore technology, race, gender, history and diaspora identity. She was most recently a 2024 NALIP Media Accelerator fellow, and a Starz #TakeTheLead Writer’s Lab Intensive fellow. Levis was previously a Stowe Story Lab Fellow and a Netflix/NALIP Women of Color Short Film Incubator fellow. Her latest short, RO & THE STARDUST, a bilingual space fantasy, is currently streaming on Netflix. Levis is a film adjunct professor and holds an MA from New York University.

Chaconne Martin-Berkowicz 

Chaconne Martin-Berkowicz is a writer and director whose work explores desire, power dynamics and the female gaze. Her television writing credits include Amazon’s CRUEL INTENTIONS and Amazon’s I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. As a director, Martin-Berkowicz’s short film SCOTTY’S VAG premiered at SXSW and is now streaming on Vimeo, where it received a Staff Pick. Her previous short, IN SYNC, premiered at the Maryland Film Festival and is streaming on NoBudge. Martin-Berkowicz is a 2024 Sony Pictures TV Diverse Directors fellow and is developing her feature directorial debut. She holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University.

Destinee Stewart

Destinee Stewart is a director and writer from Dallas, Texas, now based in Los Angeles, who explores identity, resilience and connection. Her most recent film, THE OTHER PARTNERS, premiered in 2024 at the Oscar-qualifying RiverRun Film Festival, and her feature, WADE IN THE WATER, a psychological horror, has been supported by BendFilm: Basecamp and the Cucalorus Writing Residency. She is developing her proof-of-concept short film for her feature WADE IN THE WATER. Previously, she led international dubbing productions for Netflix, collaborating on global projects like LOVE IS BLIND, REPRESENT and IN HIS SHADOW.