Kim Blanck '10 (BFA, Drama) was recently named the Cycle 7 Winner of the Women Directing Mentorship, a competition designed to discover aspiring female directors with unique voices and provide a launchpad for their careers. Founded in 2019, The Women Directing Mentorship is anchored by the prestigious opportunity to shadow a director on an episode of a Shondaland original series.
Kim Blanck’s short film Gloria, supported by the Berkeley FILM Foundation, Dementia Spring Foundation and PANO Network, made its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. It won both the Narrative Short Jury Award and the Audience Award at the 2025 Austin Asian American Film Festival, and was described by the jury as “a richly emotional experience…with an eye for the beauty in the mundane.”
Finalists for the prize include Abbesi Akhamie '17 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film)and Meera Angelica Joshi '13 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV).