“We’re incredibly proud to mark our third year of partnership with AFI, continuing our support for this vital fellowship. At Canva, we strongly believe in empowering the next generation of visual storytellers, and it’s truly inspiring to see these emerging creators flourish and bring their unique visions to life through this program,” said Kate Marsden, Global Head of Brand Partnerships and Design School at Canva. ”
About the 2025-2026 Recipients
Maghsoud “Hami” Eghrari – Screenwriting Fellow
Maghsoud “Hami” Eghrari moved to the U.S. from Iran in 2017 and recently graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas where he earned a BS in Healthcare Studies. Driven by a passion for storytelling, he pivoted to filmmaking. Since 2022, he has co-directed large-scale theatrical productions, A NEW DRESS FOR MONA and THE KINGFISHER’S WING. His work in coordinating intensive community-building programs in underserved Dallas neighborhoods inspired him to write “Even Birds Have a Nest,” his fiction work published in “The Southern Quill” in 2023. In 2024, Eghrari created the short films WRONG WHITE and BLIND SPOT, marking his filmmaking debut.
Brianna Kolybaba – Production Design Fellow
Brianna Kolybaba is a Canadian-Ukrainian film, theater, and opera designer. She brings her passion for world-building through design. She has a BFA in Theatre Design from the University of Alberta. She was a contributor of Prague Quadrennial Performance Design and Space conference in 2019 and 2023. Kolybaba won the Outstanding Production Design Award at FAVA Fest in 2024 for her work on the short NIGIQTUQ ᓂᒋᖅᑐᖅ. Her credits include BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND, THE LAND OF NOD, UNSPEAKABLE, and THE MURDER OF JONBENET RAMSEY.
Zhizong “Jason” Qu – Editing Fellow
Zhizong “Jason” Qu is a recent graduate of SCAD, with a BFA in Film and TV and a minor in Sound Editing. Qu is interested in editing narratives and trailers while also having a passion for production audio. He will often do both production audio and editing on the same project to get the best audio and workflow. Qu is currently editing the feature film, SECRETS OF SAVANNAH.
Aemilia Scott – Directing Fellow
Aemilia Scott graduated from Columbia University with a degree in History. Before directing and writing she worked as an actor in TV, Film and at Second City Chicago. Her most recent short film, HELP ME UNDERSTAND, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Her first short film, BEST IF USED BY, premiered at Clermont-Ferrand and won a BAFTA LA Award at Aspen Shortsfest. Her feature screenplay,”Three Hours,” was a semifinalist for the Academy Nicholl Screenwriter’s prize and won the Blacklist/Cassian Elwes Screenwriter’s Fellowship. Scott’s feature screenplay, “Donna,” was a finalist at the Austin Screenwriter’s Competition.
Mahsati Moorhead – Cinematography Fellow
Mahsati Moorhead is a graduate of Spelman College with a BA in Photography and Cultural Anthropology. She studied in Paris and London assisting cinematographer Bradford Young, ASC, with film installations and Tribe 7 archives. She interned at TRIBE7 London, worked with Rap Research Lab and supported Simone Leigh’s “Loophole of Retreat” at the Venice Biennale. Moorhead’s film AUSPICIOUS RETURN screened at BlackStar Film Festival and Maryland Film Festival and is featured in programs at Georgetown University and Duke Ellington School. She has worked in the camera and art departments on SPACE JAM, REALLY LOVE, AS TOLD TO G/D THYSELF, THE KING & AND THE VIKING, and the Telfar brand.
Allisa Tsukimori – Producing Fellow
Allisa Tsukimori is an Australian Japanese producer based in Queensland, Australia. She has produced the feature film THE AEGEAN as well as PLANTED, an eight-episode web series. Outside of her work in film, Tsukimori has earned her Bachelor of Laws (LLBHons) from Queensland University of Technology and has built a legal career focused on employment and discrimination law working in the not-for-profit space.
