The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the 10 emerging filmmakers selected for the yearlong Sundance Institute Ignite x Adobe Fellowship, which begins with the Ignite Lab at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, taking place June 23–27. This year marks 10 years of the Ignite Lab, created as a program to springboard storytellers ages 18 to 25 by offering them artist-centered support and professional development throughout their creative process.
This year, two NYU Tisch alumni and one student were chosen for the program, selected from over 1,000 applicants worldwide. See the Tisch alumni fellows below and find the full list of the 2025 Sundance Institute Ignite x Adobe Fellows here.
Harlan Banks '26 (Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) is a writer, director, editor, and Miles Morales fanatic from Stanford, California. He’s interested in shining new lights on often overshadowed perspectives through telling stories that subvert genre conventions while blurring lines between documentary and narrative.
Giles Perkins '21 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) is a Brooklyn-based writer and director from Baltimore, Maryland. A graduate of NYU Tisch, his work explores interpersonal conflict shaped by misguided American ideals. His latest short, Expiration Date, premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival.
Anooya Swamy '25 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) is a New York–based Indian filmmaker born and raised in Bangalore pursuing her MFA at Tisch School of Arts in film/TV production. She is an Ang Lee Scholar, a BAFTA Scholar, and Spike Lee’s current assistant. Her films are for women and people who live life in pursuit of love.
*We apologize for any ommissions or errors! Please send edits or additions to tsoa.alumni@nyu.edu.