FILMGATE FELLOWSHIP 2026

FilmGate Miami is excited to launch the FilmGate Fellowship 2026, a transformative 6-month program aimed at supporting emerging Florida filmmakers in developing and refining their feature film projects.

FilmGate Miami is thrilled to reveal the 2026 FilmGate Feature Film Fellows — a powerhouse group of next-wave storytellers shaping Miami’s next great films. After a marathon of reviews, intense debate, and at least one existential crisis about distribution strategies, our panel selected 12 filmmakers whose ideas are too good to ignore.

These artists are stepping into a transformative six-month journey designed to level up their films and their careers.

What They’ll Receive (aka their Filmmaker Upgrade Package):
• Full FilmGate Membership and creative community access
• Six months of immersive mentorship (Jan–Jun 2026)
• Script refinement + development labs
• Packaging, financing, and producing intensives
• A fierce live pitch event — where 2 projects will secure seed funding + full FilmGate production support to launch into reality

Meet the Class of 2026 & Their Films in Development

Every storytelling voice here is fresh, ambitious, and deeply connected to the cultural pulse of Miami and beyond:

2026 Feature Fellows

Michael Arcos & Yamil Rodriguez

Biting Susan

A coming-of-age horror adventure set in a Miami cul-de-sac during the summer of ’91, where a 10-year-old boy’s friendship with his neighbor-and first love-unravels into a surreal tale of obsession, violence , and lost innocence.

Donate

Brian Robau

Departures

When a drive to the airport takes an unexpected detour, two exes try and find closure over the course of an evening full of conversation, old feelings and new discoveries.

Donate

Gabriel Lopez

Graveyard Shift

Two undocumented immigrant workers, Miguel, an Argentine chasing citizenship, and Juliana, a Cuban who has stopped chasing it, must survive a zombie outbreak at their gas station during the overnight shift.

Donate

Freddy Rodriguez

Project Ballroom

A closeted black queer teen attempts to escape the trapping of poverty by achieving vogueing greatness, while a broken HIV educator searches for answers in Miami’s underground gay ballroom scene of the 1990’s.

Donate

Crissa-Jean Chappell

NARC

Aaron Foster is human wallpaper. A stoner wastecaste at school....until he's forced to go undercover as a narc. Too bad he couldn't help falling in love.

Donate

Nathan Aaron & Larry White

The Final Armada

A young boy defeats a mysterious video game, only to realize it was a recruitment tool for an alien race that puts him in the forefront of an intergalactic space battle, while he broadcasts every moment for the rest of the world to watch.

Donate

Tina Cottin & David Chocarro

Anniversary Dinner

After stumbling upon her parents’ secret swinger night, a rebellious teen uncovers a far more horrifying truth—the invited couple are cannibals—and must race against time to stop dinner from becoming deadly.

Donate

Roberto Pazos

Chamito

Chamito is the drama of Percy, a gay latino undocumented immigrant with singing aspirations who tries all means available to obtain his legal status but his past complicates his ability to achieve his goals.

Donate

David Hamzik

CIG

A day in the life of a young man who struggles to settle down with a rich woman in hopes of escaping his lower class life.

Donate

Scott Grainger

Grub Street

A Miami film production company that's out to make a difference works to pay the bills with any project they can get.

Donate

Pedro Delguy

Weekend

On the run from her violent, mafia-tied boyfriend, Eva finds an unexpected ally in a clever young man, but their electric connection turns a spontaneous escape from Miami into a perilous chase that could cost them everything.

Donate

Andreina Gonzalez & Jessi Calidonio

Otra Noche en Miami

Otra Noche en Miami follows five high school seniors on their last hangout before graduating. Amidst the chaos in “the best city on Earth”, these teens navigate the tensions of friendship, romance, money, and growing up.

Donate

FilmGate Miami remains committed to empowering local talent and boosting homegrown cinema onto the global stage. Over the coming months, these projects will evolve, surprise, provoke, and delight — exactly how indie film should.

Stick around. The next wave is rising.

Previous fellows:

Fxrbes

Freddy Rodriguez

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is the maximum grant above the $15K mentioned?  

A: The maximum grant is upwards of $150k and awarding that amount will be determined per project. For clarity, it would not be up to $150k per project but up to $150k split between the 2 selected features.  

Q: Where can I submit? 

A: www.filmfreeway.com/FilmGateFestival

Q: Can my script be in another language? 

A: All scripts submitted must have an English version. Spanglish in the script is permissible but will still need translation.

Q: Can I submit a work-in-progress, proposal, or draft?

A: No, the submitted script should be in its final drafts and between 60 to 130 pages.

Q: Will there be an information session?

A: There will be an information session in-person for fellows once they have been selected.