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American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase Announces 2025 Winners
Emerging Filmmaker Showcase Filmmakers and Winners (Photo: Randall Michelson) The American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival has announced the winners of this year’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase sponsored by Gold House.
Gold House awarded the inaugural Cultural Impact award to Andy “Celeste” Diep for Happy New Year, Ms. Luna. This award was conceived to recognize a filmmaker across the showcase’s categories whose work exemplifies excellence in multicultural narratives or underrepresented perspectives. “Happy New Year, Ms. Luna” also won the Emerging Filmmaker LGBTQ+ Award. The film’s director, Andy “Celeste” Diep is a AmPav Student Program Alumni from 2015.
“It’s been wonderful to have almost all the 25 filmmakers with their teams attending the showcases and watching them network with The American Pavilion members these past days,” says Monika Skerbelis, Director of the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase.
“It’s more important than ever to champion bold, diverse storytellers. We’re proud to have returned to Cannes to celebrate the incredible talent shaping the future of film,”says Christine Yi, General Manager of Gold House Futures and General Partner of Gold House’s Creative Equity Fund.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Student Short Film Award: Before the Winter by Juan Zuloaga Eslait
Student Documentary Award (Tie): Handwoven by Dasha Levin, Mason Cazalet, Mihika Das, Matthew Wisdom
Student Documentary Award (Tie): Dancing in Tomorrowland by Jakob Roston
Emerging Filmmaker Showcase Short Film Award: Get Away by Michael Gabriele
Emerging Filmmaker Showcase Documentary Award: She is Us: The Story of Judge Songhai Armstead by Samara Hutman, C. Lily Ericsson
Emerging Filmmaker LGBTQ+ Award: Happy New Year, Ms. Luna by Andy “Celeste” Diep
Cultural Impact Award: Happy New Year, Ms. Luna by Andy “Celeste” Diep
The 2025 showcase featured 25 official selection films in three showcases – Student Short Films & Documentaries, Emerging Filmmaker Short Films & Documentaries, and the Emerging Filmmaker LGBTQ+ showcase films. Films were screened at The American Pavilion on Tuesday, May 20 (LGBTQ+ Showcase) and Wednesday, May 21 (Student and Emerging Showcase). Emerging showcase category winners were chosen by a jury that includes agents, managers, producers, industry members, and a team from Gold House.
The Showcase features 16 female directors. More than half of the films are either directed or co-directed by women. This year’s themes include short films and documentaries dealing with disability, deafness, dementia, immigration, media and identity, transitions, societal roles, and self-discovery. Celebrated artists associated with films this year include Rainn Wilson and Jason Reitman as producers and actors Flora Jiwu Hwang (Beef), Lisa Emery (Ozark, The Walking Dead), Susan Louise O’Conor (Orange is the New Black; Euphoria), Ian Oh (Beef), Clark Carmichael (House of Cards, The Irishman), Sydney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) and Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time).
The nine Student Showcase Films come from AFI Conservatory, Chapman University, Florida State University, Oaks Christian School, Savannah College of Art & Design, Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Southern California.
Three films this year are directed by alumni students who participated in The American Pavilion Cannes Student Program in the past: Ada and the Doc directed by Matison LeBlanc (2024 & 2025), Miriam directed by Josie Andrews (2017), Happy New Year, Ms. Luna, directed by Andy “Celeste” Diep (2015).
Prize packages are sponsored by: Gold House, Write Brothers Movie Magic Screenwriter, International Documentary Association, Screening Services Group, Simple DCP, Michael Wiese Productions Books, Cinelytic, and ESE Film Workshops Online.
ABOUT GOLD HOUSE
Gold House is the leading cultural ecosystem that unites, invests in, and champions Asian Pacific creators and companies to power tomorrow for all. Under a nonprofit umbrella, our innovative family of companies, programs, and platforms include membership systems and events to fortify relationships among the Asian Pacific community and with other marginalized communities (#StopAsianHate); first-of-its-kind investment vehicles and accelerators to propel the next generation of top Asian Pacific founders, creatives, and leaders (Gold House Ventures, Creative Equity Fund); and industry-leading research, consulting, and marketing to promote authentic and affirming portrayals (Gold Story Consultation, Gold Open, Gold List, A100 List). To learn more, visit www.goldhouse.org or follow @GoldHouseCo on Instagram,Facebook, X/Twitter, Threads, and LinkedIn.
ABOUT THE EMERGING FILMMAKER SHOWCASE
