Congratulations to the Tisch alumni who won a DGA Student Film Award for African American, Asian American, Latino and Women directors in 2020. The awards are designed to honor, encourage and bring attention to exceptional diverse directors in film schools and universities across the country.
Best African American Student Filmmakers
East Region
Award Winner: Natalie Jasmine Harris '20 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) — Pure
Natalie Jasmine Harris is an emerging writer/director and producer from Maryland. As a filmmaker, her work often focuses on identity and coming-of-age as a way to re-imagine liberation for young girls, the Black community, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Passionate about the intersections between filmmaking and social justice, Natalie worked for Elizabeth Warren’s Presidential Campaign in 2019 and recently created a short documentary in collaboration with TIME Magazine and the Biden/Harris campaign. Natalie is currently developing her short film, Pure, into a feature-length screenplay of the same name that she hopes to become her feature directorial debut.
Best Asian American Student Filmmakers
East Region
Award Winner: Karishma Dev Dube '19 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) — Bittu
Karishma Dev Dube is award-winning filmmaker based in New York. She was introduced to film while working as a production assistant on several documentaries and independent features in Mumbai, including TED fellow Shalini Kantayya’s documentary Catching the Sun.
A recipient of the Dean’s fellowship for full-time attendance, Karishma recently graduated from NYU’s Film Program. Her award winning short film Devi (Goddess), has played in 52 festivals worldwide including BFI, Edinburgh FF, and Outfest LA, where it won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short.
As a filmmaker, Karishma intends to challenge assumptions about and within her country.