NewFest and Netflix have named five emerging filmmakers as recipients of the 2026 New Voices Filmmaker Grant, supporting directors whose work presents LGBTQ+ stories through varied genres and perspectives. The initiative matters because it provides both funding and professional development to queer filmmakers at an early stage of their careers.

Georgia Krause, Star Amerasu, Deborah Devyn Chuang, and directing pair AJ Dubler and Carmela Murphy will each receive $25,000, after being selected from more than 500 applications. The fifth annual programme also offers career support, with recipients’ work expected to feature at NewFest’s New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival in October; previous grantees have gained television writing credits and developed feature films.