By Joshua Kazemi
Our Short Film Fund has become home to incredible filmmakers, bursting at the seams with experience and advice for their fellow up-and-coming writers and directors. These award-winning success stories have built their films from the ground up. They wrote great scripts, they assembled great teams, and they made their visions a reality. The following is a series of quotes about filmmaking that any artist can learn from at any point in their career.
TIP #1: WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW
“Your experiences and the people you have met, the conversations you’ve had and the points of view you have formed, can serve as the touchpoint for your script. ‘What’s the most personal thing that I can write? What could I write that no one else can write?’ You know, weirdly, the more specific and personal you get, the more universal it is.” —Sam Baron, Grand Prize Winner of our 2017 Short Film Fund with THE ORGY. (Sam went on to complete a trilogy collaboration with actor Amit Shah on two other shorts, TALL DARK AND HANDSOME and BIG EARS; he completed principal photography on his debut feature, CIRCLES, in early 2026.)
“Dig into your own experiences and write. Write at least a few hours every day – this will keep you moving in the right direction and stay focused on your goals.” —Brendan Beachman, 2nd Place Winner of our Spring 2022 Short Film Fund with A WEDDING DAY, which went on to win audience awards at Dances With Films, Julien Dubuque, Calgary Underground, and more.
TIP #2: FIND A TEAM
“It’s really hard to do stuff on your own. Try and find a team who will help you.” —Claire Fowler, Grand Prize Winner of our inaugural Short Film Fund with SALAM, which premiered at Tribeca and went on to win a BAFTA Cymru in 2020. (Claire went on to be a Sundance Screenwriting Fellow for her feature TOAD in 2024.)
“Surround yourself with people you trust, who are as dedicated as you are. When I was making TWOBEARS, I didn’t feel for one minute that everyone on my team wasn’t giving it their all…That made me feel very comfortable, and that was the attitude I brought to it. It was my first narrative film and I wanted to trust and surround myself with experienced people who knew what they were doing so I could ask for direction or turn things over to them in areas where I might not have known what to do.” —Anthony Florez, Grand Prize Winner of our 2020 Short Film Fund with TWOBEARS, which was nominated for Best Short at Palm Springs ShortFest. (Anthony went on to write for the TV shows ‘Deputy’ (Amazon), ‘Dark Winds’ (AMC), and Power Book IV: Force (Starz).)
TIP #3: JUST MAKE YOUR FILM
“Just embark on it. Don’t treat your first short like it’s your only or last film, where you have to say everything you’ve ever wanted to say. Be present with the process. My first short was embarrassing, but I didn’t overthink it like I do now. Use your first film to make mistakes, your taste won’t likely be met, so just make it your first, not your last. Enjoy the chaos and the things that go wrong as much as the things that go right. They build your toolbox for the next project. Things will always go wrong, so believe in yourself and know it’s the first step of your journey, not the last. You’ll probably look back and cringe, but it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be yours.” —Jeremiah Towolawi, finishing funds winner of our 2025 Spring Short Film Fund with THE TRUTH ABOUT SPACE, which was selected for the HBO Short Film Award Showcase at the American Black Film Festival in 2026.
“Go big or go home. Not when it comes to toys or gear or anything. There’s no reason you need to be ‘realistic’ when it comes to a vision, however. I hate that word, truly. It’s the antithesis to creativity. I think it’s wise to take a risk when it comes to vision rather than try to create what someone tells you is ‘realistic’ and land at mediocrity. If you try and fail, you’ve tried, and that risk is what art is about. I think approaching a short like a feature is the key when it comes to this. Start early, think about where the movie could go. We got into discussions with British Airways about a partnership we landed for the film that may include non-exclusive distribution. We did this before production began. Think of your colours, lighting, visuals like a feature. Shorts are where you get to play and explore who you are as a visual storyteller. Yes, there is compromise because finances are limited, but why should you scale down to a vision that doesn’t represent you? There’s a balance to be struck—and that takes courage and not playing it safe. Reach for the stars so you land on the moon. It’s important to dream big. Dreams are the best friends of artists. Be patient and kind—kindness is a currency in this business. No one owes you anything. Fight for your vision but remember we make movies! It’s a privilege and quite frankly the coolest job in the world. We are all paving our way. Always move out of a place of love and passion.” —Anjini Taneja Azhar, Grand Prize Winner of our 2023 Fall Short Film Fund for WHO ARE YOU, NANU?, which premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and has screened at dozens of festivals worldwide.
“I would give the advice that was given to me, which is to just go make your first film. I was really scared to do that. I didn’t want to be a ‘bad director’ or ‘bad artist.’ But most of adulthood was the fear of being bad at it. And I’ve done a lot of work on myself. Often on self-esteem to be able to take risks and not be so afraid of making ‘bad art.’ I don’t really believe there’s such a thing as bad art. Art is about self-expression. You have to be brave and you have to believe that your self-worth is not so much tied to the product that you create in order to be an artist. I encourage everyone who’s starting out to just go make their first film and to see it as a learning experience above all. Making THIRSTYGIRL, I never thought it would get into a festival like Sundance.” —Alexandra Qin, 2nd Place Winner of our 2022 Fall Short Film Fund with THIRSTYGIRL, which was an Official Selection at Sundance 2024 and screened at over 50 festivals worldwide. (Alex went on to be a Sundance Screenwriting & Directing Fellow for the THIRSTYGIRL feature, and completed principal photography on the feature in 2026.)
TIP #4: DON’T FORGET WHY YOU TELL STORIES
“My advice for filmmakers would be to remember why you want to tell your story; it’s sometimes the only thing that keeps you going. Keep watching work that inspires you, where you want to be and how good you want to be. I watched DAUGHTERS with We Are Parable, a documentary about the daddy-daughter dance for incarcerated fathers in the American prison system. It hit me hard and reminded me why I’m making THE TRUTH ABOUT SPACE. I wanted to grab a camera and shoot that night. Stay inspired by work similar to yours, it gives you a new lease of life and motivation. Your film alone might not always be enough motivation, so find it wherever you can.” —Jeremiah Towolawi (THE TRUTH ABOUT SPACE)
MAKE YOUR SHORT FILM
Show off your best idea for a short film and add to the enduring legacy of the medium! Our Short Film Fund offers an opportunity for emerging screenwriters and filmmakers to receive much-needed financial support to get their work produced and distributed. Our partnerships with ARRI Rental, Oscar-nominated producer Maria Gracia Turgeon, and Tribeca short film programmer Kimberley Browning elevate the films that come through our Fund with free camera equipment, mentorship, and film festival strategy.
FULL WRITER/DIRECTOR BIOS
Sam Baron was a winner of our 2017 Short Film Fund with his screenplay THE ORGY. Starring Amit Shah and Alexandra Roach, his short went on to have a successful international festival run. Afterward, Sam was approached by several producers and developed the short into a television series with Sony Pictures. He has written and directed the award-winning short films BIG EARS and TALL DARK AND HANDSOME; went on to write for the TV shows CHLOE (BBC/Amazon), LOCKWOOD & CO (Netflix) and THE UNDERTOW (Netflix); has developed original TV projects with Netflix, BBC and Sky; and has written feature scripts for directors James Marsh, Scott Z. Burns and Alice Seabright. In 2026, Sam wrapped principal photography on his debut feature, CIRCLES, directed by Ariel Heller, written by Sam & Ariel.
Brendan Beachman is a graduate of Montana State University, where he studied film/photography, with an emphasis on screenwriting/directing and production design. His senior thesis film STASIS (2008) played at festivals worldwide. In 2009, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film. He cut his teeth writing/directing/producing/editing/sound designing, hundreds of advertisements & is now a full-time commercial director with worldwide representation. He has also written and directed many award-winning short films, including the semi-biographical dark comedy, “Intersection”. He has several feature film projects in varying stages of development. Brendan resides in Santa Monica, CA. with his wife, Angelyn, and son, Finn.
Claire Fowler is a filmmaker from North Wales working between the UK, New York and LA. Her Shore Scripts funded short, SALAM, had its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, won a BAFTA Cymru award, and travelled to over one hundred international film festivals. She recently attended the Sundance Screenwriters and Directors labs with her feature screenplay TOAD, and made her TV episodic debut with episode 414 of the WB/Netflix show Manifest.
Anthony Florez’s TWOBEARS premiered at the Palm Springs Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Short, and also played at the HollyShorts Festival. Anthony went on to win Best Director at IMDB’s Independent Short Film Festival as well. Anthony has gone on to work as a staff writer on the Netflix original western series DEPUTY and the AMC drama series DARK WINDS, starring Noah Emmerich. DARK WINDS was nominated for “Best action/thriller TV series” by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films.
Jeremiah Towolawi is a bold British-Nigerian filmmaker and playwright. Having started his career as a videographer, after studying advertising for three years at The University of West London, he quickly transitioned into pursuing filmmaking as a writer-director. He has written and/or directed five short films to date. His film, PEPPER SOUP, premiered in 2020 as part of the Women of The Lens Film Festival and has subsequently been selected by West African Film Festival, LAHFF and Black Film Festival of New Orleans Online Edition. His earlier film release of 2020, MISSED, was produced by FullyFocused UK and it was screened at S.O.U.L Fest via the BFI iPlayer. His first full-length stage play entitled THIS IS NOT A DRILL was shortlisted for the Edinburgh Untapped Award by Underbelly, New Diorama Theatre and Oberon Books. Jeremiah is currently working with Endor Productions to develop the play into a limited TV series.
Anjini Taneja Azhar is a director and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. She’s written and directed multiple award-winning shorts, produced for renowned companies such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and artists like Olivia Rodrigo, and co-wrote a feature for respected producers at CAA. Anjini’s previous narrative short, EVERYWHERE YOU GO, received its world premiere in-competition at the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts Int’l Festival and screened in-competition at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Anjini’s current narrative short, WHO ARE YOU, NANU? filmed in India in 2024 and is completing its festival circuit. It was a WritersxWriters Finalist and Hollyshorts Screenplay Competition 2nd Place Winner.
Alexandra Qin was the Fall 2022 2nd Place Winner with THIRSTYGIRL which went on to be an Official Selection at Sundance 2024 and won the inaugural Shorts to Features Honor at Gotham Week. The short is a proof-of-concept for a feature of the same name which is being produced by Asher Goldstein (American Born Chinese, Just Mercy), Carlos López Estrada (Didi), and Valerie Bush (Didi). Alex was also selected to participate in the inaugural Antigravity Academy Screenwriters Camp, The Black List Project Lab, and the 2025 Sundance Screenwriters Lab. After screening at over 50 festivals worldwide, THIRSTYGIRL is now available online and has over 4 million views on the Director’s Notes YouTube.
Joshua Kazemi is a Filipino-Iranian American screenwriter originally from Houston, Texas. After living in the San Francisco Bay Area for the better part of a decade, he moved back to Texas to study Radio, Television and Film at the University of Texas at Austin. From there, he went on to serve as a Content Creator/Director for Rooster Teeth Animation, a former division of Warner Bros. Discovery. Most recently, he was selected to participate in the 2024-25 Mentorship Matters program.
