AFI Announces 2026-2027 Canva Fellowship Recipients
- Details
- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Wednesday, 09 September 2026 10:04
- Written by AFI
The American Film Institute announced the 2026-2027 Canva Fellowship recipients at the AFI Conservatory. This is the fourth year of Canva partnering with AFI to further its shared mission of educating and inspiring the next generation of filmmakers.
The scholarship supports one Fellow from each of the six disciplines at the AFI Conservatory: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Applications are now open to enter the AFI Conservatory in fall 2027 at Conservatory.AFI.com.
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The recipients of the Canva Fellowship for 2026-2027 are AFI First Year Fellows Divli Bhat (Producing), Elizaveta Kurilova (Screenwriting), Lauren Moreno (Directing), Zoey Punteney (Production Design), Colin Pham (Cinematography) and Auberin Strickland (Editing). The Fellows began their Master of Fine Arts filmmaking program at the AFI Conservatory on the AFI Campus in Los Angeles this August. Over the course of their two-year AFI Conservatory MFA program, each Fellow will receive a $40,000 scholarship, with a total of $240,000 awarded to the six recipients.
"At the AFI Conservatory, we are empowering Fellows to take the helm of creative departments across the entire filmmaking lifecycle," said Susan Ruskin, Dean of the AFI Conservatory. "Now in its fourth year, our partnership with Canva prepares Fellows to lead — amplifying their voices and sharing diverse perspectives with audiences worldwide, in pursuit of telling great stories."
The third class of The Canva Fellowship at the AFI Conservatory recently shared their thoughts after completing their first year of their education at AFI.
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"Four years into this partnership, we remain inspired by what these Fellows bring to their craft. At Canva, we believe great talent together with the right tools can bring creativity to life, and we're proud to support the next class as they find their voice and share it with the world," said Kate Marsden, Global Head of Brand Partnerships and Design School at Canva.
About the 2026-2027 Recipients
Divli Bhat - Producing
Divli Bhat is a film production student at San Jose State University and serves as president of the Film Production Society. She has developed strong skills in directing, producing, screenwriting and post production while contributing to numerous student films in roles ranging from director to assistant director. Her professional experience includes leadership as a Resident Advisor, equipment management in the SJSU Checkout Room and front desk operations at the Career Center, reflecting her strengths in organization, communication and problem-solving. Bhat has worked on award-winning short films such as MARGIE AND MANNEQUIN, taking on key production roles including unit production manager, production coordinator, line producer and first assistant director. She is also a trained SFX makeup artist, a Dean's Scholar and a certified scuba diver, bringing creativity, discipline and a collaborative spirit to every project she joins.
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Elizaveta Kurilova - Screenwriting
Elizaveta Kurilova is a Los Angeles–based writer and director whose work explores themes of identity, loss, intimacy and the fragile boundary between fantasy and reality, where the human condition comes into focus. She has written and directed several short films, including COME SWIM WITH ME, SHEEP and ANTS AND SUGAR, and has also written for institutional programs at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Her creative practice is shaped by a transnational upbringing across Russia and England, and by a deep engagement with cinema, theatre and visual art. Kurilova holds a BA in the History of Art from University College London, where she received the Frances Stracey Prize, and completed the One-Year Conservatory in Acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. She has also trained at RADA, the London Film Academy and in mime and photography.
Lauren Moreno - Directing
Lauren Moreno is a third-generation Mexican American filmmaker from the San Fernando Valley whose work centers on exploring the meaning of the human experience. Influenced by filmmakers like Terrence Malick, Chloé Zhao and Andrea Arnold, she creates intimate stories rooted in identity, resilience and connection. Her debut film PALMDALE earned multiple awards and festival selections, following an early breakthrough when her first written film screened at the Official Latino Film Festival. Known for casting non-actors and fostering deeply collaborative sets, she brings raw authenticity and emotional truth to her films. She aims to expand representation of Latino characters while crafting universally resonant stories that reflect the complexity of real life.
Colin Pham - Cinematography
Colin Pham is a Texas-based cinematographer whose work spans narrative film, commercial projects and corporate media, with experience as a director of photography, assistant camera and G&E professional. His approach is grounded in a rigorous understanding of light, exposure and camera mechanics, developed through hands-on work in camera departments and lighting crews across features, shorts and commercial productions. Pham's cinematography prioritizes storytelling over coverage, aiming to create restrained, human and emotionally precise images that serve character and theme. He has served as director of photography on multiple award-winning short films and has supported larger productions in key technical roles, reflecting both creative leadership and collaborative discipline. Through continued freelance work and formal training in Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin, Colin is committed to advancing a thoughtful, craft-driven cinematic voice.
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Zoey Punteney - Production Design
Zoey Punteney is a graduate of the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts, where she gained hands-on experience across screenwriting, directing, production, lighting and editing. With a minor in Studio Art, she strengthened her visual sensibilities through traditional mediums like graphite, acrylics and charcoal, enriching her approach to design and storytelling. She completed a competitive internship with Infosys through the globally top-ranked InStep program, creating professional promotional video content. Before entering the industry, Punteney built a YouTube channel with 10,000 subscribers, sparking her early passion for video creation. Originally from Omaha and open to relocating, she is pursuing opportunities in video editing or production design with the long-term goal of working on major feature films.
Auberin Strickland - Editing
Auberin Strickland is an Alaska-born filmmaker who creates authentic, character-driven stories shaped by the rugged beauty and social vibrancy of his home state. He runs Crooked Footprint Productions with his brother, Dune Strickland, focusing on films that celebrate shared humanity and elevate overlooked narratives. His collaborative experience includes working with filmmakers such as Dmitry Vasyukov, Hunter Nolan, Gina Papabeis, Vickie Curtis, Eyal Levy, Rachel Friedman and Grant Lafferty. Having grown up in Europe and fluent in French, German and Italian, Auberin values diverse perspectives and recognizes the limits of his own. He believes meaningful stories exist everywhere — from quiet moments to major events — and it's the humanity within them that drives his passion for filmmaking.
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About the American Film Institute (AFI)
The American Film Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States. In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. The Conservatory, which counts Deniese Davis, Affonso Gonçalves, Susannah Grant, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Melina Matsoukas and Rachel Morrison as Alumni, is ranked as one of the top film schools in America. AFI's enduring traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations. AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST presented by Canva and year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Maryland. AFI Movie Club is a destination for movie lovers from around the world to celebrate and engage with the art form every day. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at elevating emerging storytellers and technology, including AFI DWW+ and the AFI Cinematography Intensive Workshop.
Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, X.com/AmericanFilm,
TikTok.com/@americanfilminstitute and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.
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About the AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory opened its doors in 1969 to an inaugural class that included Terrence Malick, Caleb Deschanel and Paul Schrader. Today, the Conservatory offers a two-year MFA degree in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. In a collaborative production environment, AFI Fellows learn to master the art of storytelling, collectively creating up to 175 films a year. Fellows actively participate in the entire life cycle of a film, from development through production and exhibition.
Alumni of this elite program, ranging from modern masters to bold new voices defining the state of the art form, include Andrea Arnold, Darren Aronofsky, Ari Aster, Deniese Davis, Sam Esmail, Brad Falchuk, Affonso Gonçalves, Susannah Grant, Liz Hannah, Patty Jenkins, Janusz Kamiński, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Melina Matsoukas, Polly Morgan, Rachel Morrison and Wally Pfister, among others.
About Canva
Launched in 2013, Canva is the world's leading all-in-one platform for visual communication and collaboration. Built to empower everyone to design, the company serves the creative and design needs of enterprises, small businesses, consumers and students in more than 190 countries worldwide.
Whether you're a novice taking your first steps in design, or a creative professional seeking powerful tools, Canva ensures users have what they need to transform an idea into something beautiful. Underpinned by the world's most comprehensive library of designer-made content, Canva is powered by a suite of products and proprietary AI tools which elevate how individuals and teams create, collaborate, and communicate with ease.
