The American Film Institute (AFI) has named six emerging filmmakers as recipients of the 2026-2027 Canva Fellowship at the AFI Conservatory, continuing a partnership designed to support the next generation of filmmakers across every major production discipline.
Now entering its fourth year, the fellowship provides one student in each of the AFI Conservatory’s six disciplines — cinematography, directing, editing, producing, production design and screenwriting — with financial support during the two-year MFA program.
The 2026-2027 Canva Fellows are:
- Divli Bhat — Producing
- Elizaveta Kurilova — Screenwriting
- Lauren Moreno — Directing
- Zoey Punteney — Production Design
- Colin Pham — Cinematography
- Auberin Strickland — Editing
Each Fellow will receive a $40,000 scholarship, representing a total investment of $240,000 across the six recipients.
The new class began the AFI Conservatory MFA program on the institute’s Los Angeles campus in August. “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.” Meet them below:
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The fellowship reflects AFI and Canva’s shared goal of supporting filmmakers not only creatively, but across the different departments required to turn a story into a finished production.
For Canva, the continued partnership also emphasizes combining filmmaking fundamentals with the evolving tools available to emerging creators.
“Four years into this partnership, we remain inspired by what these Fellows bring to their craft,” said Kate Marsden, Global Head of Brand Partnerships and Design School at Canva. “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.”
The fellowship launched as part of a broader collaboration between AFI and Canva and has now supported four classes of Conservatory Fellows.
AFI has also opened applications for students seeking to enter the Conservatory in fall 2027.
The two-year MFA program centers on intensive, hands-on filmmaking, with Fellows working collaboratively across the same six disciplines supported by the Canva Fellowship.
For this year’s recipients, that education now comes with something every emerging filmmaker can appreciate: a little more financial room to concentrate on the work.
