Halle Berry, Regina King and Meg Ryan are putting their eyes on Hollywood’s next generation of filmmakers. The three actors will serve on the jury for the 11th edition of Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program, the annual artist-development initiative from Tribeca Enterprises and Chanel supporting emerging women and non-binary filmmakers. Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw (“Sinners”) and “Sterling Point” actress Ella Rubin round out this year’s jury.
Taking place Sept. 22-24 in New York City, the three-day program will bring together five filmmaking teams for workshops, one-on-one mentorship and industry conversations before culminating in a live pitch to the jury. One team will receive full financing to produce its short film with support from Tribeca Studios, while the remaining four will receive development grants. The 2026 class includes Jasmine J.
Johnson and producer Katy Wicker with “Break,” about a young Black surfer grappling with the fallout after a wipeout goes viral; Jinsui Song and Shen Wei with “Camouflage,” set during mandatory military training in 2007 Shenzhen; Victoria Trow and Sabina Friedman-Seitz with “Cold Embrace,” about a woman prescribed an emotional-support python; Gem Little and Kseniya Yorsh with the 1999 Chicago-set “Cowards”; and Carlen May-Mann and Cacá Montagnana with “Grippy Socks,” following a woman during a 36-hour stay in an emergency room. This year’s mentors include “Past Lives” and “Materialists” filmmaker Celine Song, playwright and filmmaker Aleshea Harris, producer Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, actress Fala Chen and “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood. H.E.R., composer Laura Karpman, costume designer Miyako Bellizzi, director Patty Jenkins, casting director Cassandra Kulukundis and producer Riva Marker will lead additional conversations throughout the workshop.
Founded by Tribeca and Chanel in 2015, Through Her Lens has become one of the companies’ most prominent efforts to develop emerging filmmakers, offering participants access to established directors, actors, producers and craftspeople alongside funding to move their projects toward production. The initiative has developed 50 short films over its first 11 editions, with 10 winning projects receiving full financing. Alumni projects have gone on to screen at Sundance and TIFF and land distribution through companies including Max, Searchlight and Criterion.
The program has also served as an early career touchpoint for filmmakers who have since moved into features. Rockwell, who went on to direct “A Thousand and One”; Nikyatu Jusu, director of “Nanny”; Numa Perrier, who helmed “The Perfect Find”; and Hannah Peterson, whose “Via Negativa” premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. Through Her Lens is part of a broader, two-decade relationship between Chanel and Tribeca.
The luxury house and festival organization first partnered in 2005 and have since expanded their collaboration across filmmaker development initiatives, festival programming and artist-focused events. Earlier this year, the program presented a Tribeca Festival conversation with Teyana Taylor focused on mentorship, creative leadership and opportunities for women filmmakers; Taylor also joined Through Her Lens’ advisory committee. That committee currently includes Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal, Taylor, Lucy Liu, Tessa Thompson, Olivia Wilde, Jane Fonda, Jenkins, Karpman, Rockwell and Kerry Washington.
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