The Tribeca Festival and AT&T have increased their AT&T Untold Stories program’s top production prize from $1 million to $1.2 million for the festival’s 25th anniversary in 2026. The program, which provides funding, empowerment and support for emerging filmmakers, is the largest unrestricted film production award of its kind in the world.
The program launched in 2017 and each year awards one new filmmaker full funding to produce a feature along with mentorship, support and a guaranteed premiere at the Tribeca Festival. Since its inception, the program has supported 40 projects and produced eight winning films, some of which have garnered distribution on major platforms such as Netflix and HBO Max.
“Independent filmmaking has never been tougher, and too many vital stories never make it to the screen. Untold Stories changes that,” said Jane Rosenthal, CEO and Co-Founder of Tribeca Enterprises. “It doesn’t just give filmmakers the means to create — it helps ensure their work is seen. With funding, mentorship, and distribution support, the program opens doors that might otherwise stay shut. This expanded prize will give bold storytellers the chance to dream bigger, go further, and reach the audiences their stories deserve.”
Applications for the 2026 Untold Stories award are now open and close on Feb. 6. The winner will receive the $1.2 million grant at next year’s festival.
Filmmakers can apply now at tribecafilm.com/untoldstories.
Monday, October 6
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Reveals 2025 Student Academy Awards Placements
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have unveiled the recipients of this year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze placements and universities around the world at the 52nd Student Academy Awards ceremony. The recipients were chosen from 3,127 entries from 988 colleges and universities worldwide.
The Student Academy Award placements for 2025 include:
Alternative/Experimental
Gold: Xindi Zhang, “The Song of Drifters,” University of Southern California
Silver: Vega Moltke-Leth, “Without Perfection,” University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Bronze: Mati Granica, “flower_gan,” London College of Communication, United Kingdom
Animation
Gold: Tobias Eckerlin, “A Sparrow’s Song,” Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Silver: Lucas Ansel, “The 12 Inch Pianist,” Rhode Island School of Design
Bronze: Sofiia Chuikovska, Loïck du Plessis D’Argentré & Maud Le Bras, “The Shyness of Trees,” Gobelins, France
Documentary
Gold: Tatiana McCabe, “Tides of Life,” University of the West of England Bristol, United Kingdom
Silver: Rebeka Bizubová, “Confession,” Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia
Bronze: Jane Deng, “I Remember,” New York University
Narrative
Gold: Jan Saczek, “Dad’s Not Home,” Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School, Poland
Silver: Meyer Levinson-Blount, “Butcher’s Stain,” Tel Aviv University, Israel
Bronze: ZEFAN, “Kubrick, Like I Love You,” Columbia University
The Student Academy Award-winning films are now eligible to compete for the 98th Oscars in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film or Documentary Short Film categories.
variety.com
#Tribecas #Untold #Stories #Prize #Increases #25th #Anniversary #Festival
