NYU Film Students and Alumni Awarded Prestigious Marcie Bloom Fellowships
New York, NY – Four filmmakers affiliated with NYU’s Graduate Film Program have been named 2025 Marcie Bloom Fellows, a highly competitive honor supporting emerging cinematic voices. The recipients – Owain Astles, Mariano Dongo, Roxy Moskowitz, and recent alum Raven Jackson – will receive support as they develop their projects, continuing a legacy of fostering groundbreaking independent film.
The Marcie Bloom Fellowship, now in its 18th edition, provides crucial resources to filmmakers at pivotal stages in their careers. This year’s cohort represents a diverse range of backgrounds and storytelling approaches, from ensemble coming-of-age dramas to urban horror and deeply personal explorations of faith and identity. The fellowship has previously supported Hasan Hadi,whose film The President’s Cake received the camera d’Or for best first film at Cannes 2025,Directors Fortnight’s Audience Award,and was selected as Iraq’s official submission to the 2026 Academy Awards.
Owain Astles, a current Grad Film MFA candidate, is developing a feature film about young people experiencing homelessness in Bristol, co-created with those directly affected. His prior work includes co-directing films with men in London prisons. Fellow MFA candidate Mariano Dongo, whose short “Mucho Mucho amor” was commissioned by MASS MoCA, is working on an urban horror film, “The Moment of Truth,” set in Queens. Roxy Moskowitz, also an MFA candidate, is developing a feature about internet addiction and Muay Thai training, alongside a short film exploring a family impacted by messianic belief.
Raven Jackson, a Grad Film alum, saw her film All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt open the Sundance Film Festival in 2023, solidifying the program’s track record of launching successful careers.
The Marcie Bloom Fellowship is designed to empower filmmakers with the financial and creative freedom to bring their unique visions to the screen. Further details on the fellowship and its recipients can be found at https://variety.com/2025/film/global/marcie-bloom-fellowship-filmmakers-18th-edition-1236540662/.
