28th Annual DGA Student Film Awards Winners
BEST AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT FILMMAKERS:
East Region
- Award Winner: Ralph Parker III of University of North Carolina School of the Arts — Sammy, Without Strings
- Jury Award: Clarke Phillips of University of North Carolina School of the Arts — Suga Brown
West Region
- Award Winner: Christian Kamaal of USC — Blackifier
- Jury Award: Danny Rogers of USC — The Fairchild
BEST ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENT FILMMAKERS:
East Region
- Award Winner: Minkyu Kang of Columbia University — Children of Light
- Jury Award: Maryam Mir of New York University — Sweet Refuge
West Region
- Award Winner: Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda of The University of Texas at Austin — Men in Blue
- Jury Award: Andy Yi Li of USC — After Sunset, Dawn Arrives
BEST LATINO STUDENT FILMMAKERS
East Region
- Award Winner: Anthony Fins of Florida State University — Mi Hija
- Jury Award: Vyky Saiz of Florida State University — Our Terminal
West Region
- Award Winner: Nicole Chi Amén of The University of Texas at Austin — Comadre
- Jury Award: César Velasco of Chapman University — A Song of the Land
BEST WOMEN STUDENT FILMMAKERS:
East Region
- Award Winner: Gonnie Zur of School of Visual Arts — Lemons
- Jury Award: Lensa Jeudy of Florida State University — Dream City
West Region
- Award Winner: McKenzi Vanderberg of USC — Morse Code
- Jury Award: Diya Correa of USC — The First Day of Being Black
BEST DOCUMENTARY STUDENT FILMMAKERS:
East Region
- Award Winner: Tayton Troidl of Rochester Institute of Technology — A Life in Boxes
- Jury Award: Kainoa Presbitero of City College of New York (CUNY) — A Hui Hou (Until We Meet Again)
West Region
- Award Winner: Kelsey McGee of USC — Danceable
- Jury Award: Guillermo Casarín De la Cabada of USC — Bad Hombrewood
The DGA Student Film Awards have highlighted dozens of African American, Asian American, Latino and Women filmmakers over the years. A number of past winners have gone on to enjoy successful directing careers, including:
- Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II; Grown-ish; Rapture; The Land)
- Jon M. Chu (In the Heights; Home Before Dark; Crazy Rich Asians; Now You See Me 2)
- Ryan Coogler (Black Panther; Creed; Fruitvale Station)
- Rashaad Ernesto Green (Premature; The Chi; Looking for Alaska; Luke Cage)
- Nicole Kassell (Watchmen; Castlerock; Westworld; The Americans)
- Patricia Riggen (Surveillance; Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan; Miracles From Heaven; The 33)
- Sylvain White (The Rookie; Fargo; The Umbrella Academy; Amazing Stories)
Eligible films must be made in the 2021/2022 school year (September 2021 through August 2022), and produced as a student project under the supervision of a faculty member. Animated films, experimental films, commercials, music videos and webisodes are not eligible. Applicants must be enrolled in, or be a recent (one-year) graduate from, an accredited post-secondary institution located in the United States and selected by the DGA. Eligible films are those in which students hold every major crew position.
The East Region screenings and ceremony took place at the Directors Guild of America Theater in New York on Wednesday, December 14, 2022. The West Region screenings and ceremony took place at the Directors Guild of America Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 15, 2022.
See a gallery of selected photos from this year's ceremonies below.
Click here to see the full galleries and recaps of the 2022 events.