Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1545910
3 2 I D G A M O N T H L Y DGA members and their guests attended ceremonies for the 31st Annual DGA Student Spotlight Awards for Underrepresented Directors. These awards are provided to encourage and bring attention to outstanding film students from historically underrepresented groups and the participants were enrolled in or had recently graduated from U.S. based post-secondary institutions nationwide and completed their films between September 2024 and December 2025. See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. DGA Events Roundup photo by Howard Wise 31st Annual DGA Student Spotlight Awards West Region winners and finalists pose for a photo with the presenters during the ceremony in Los Angeles. photo by Marcie Revens 31st Annual DGA Student Spotlight Awards East Region winners and finalists pose for a photo with the presenters during the ceremony in New York. New York At the June 23 East Coast ceremony in the Guild's New York Theater, DGA Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Joyce Thomas welcomed the audience. The Eastern Region awards presentations were from Director Lisa Cortes to Undergraduate Documentary category-winner, Asahni Williams of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for Against A Sharp White Background and to Graduate Documentary category-winner Jean Chapiro from Columbia University for La Mar; Director Rashaad Ernesto Green to Undergraduate Narrative East category-winner Ainsley Wiseman from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for I Love My Shower, first runner up Claire de Vries from the University of Michigan for We're Not the Same and second runner up Chrisshea Owens from the University of North Caroline School of the Arts for A Crimson Harvest; and Director Afia Nathanial to Graduate Narrative category-winner Taylor Sanghyun Lee from New York University for Parkside East, first runner up Ana Alpizar from New York University for Norheimsund and second runner up Wenjing Zheng from Columbia University for Everything She Believes In. 2026 DGA Student Spotlight Awards for Underrepresented Directors Los Angeles At the West Coast ceremony on June 18, at the Guild's Theater complex in Los Angeles, Director HIKARI, the evening's MC, welcomed the audience. The Western Region awards presentations were from Documentary Committee Co-Chair Alexandria Stapleton to Undergraduate Documentary category-winner, Hisonni Mustafa Johnson of The College of Southern Nevada for Legend Has It: The Remarkable Rise of Stephen McCain and to Graduate Documentary category-winner Candace Williamson from The University of Southern California for Boil That Cabbage Down; Director Patricia Cardoso to Undergraduate Narrative West category-winner Shayan Habibnejad from the University of Texas at Austin for Each Other, first runner up Paola Valencia from New York Film Academy for The Joke's on Him and second runner up Aristides de Jesus Mantilla Artigas from New York Film Academy for In the Still of the Night; and Director Kelly Park to the Graduate Narrative category-winner Rohit Relan from the American Film Institute Conservatory for Patakha/Firecracker, first runner up Amirah Adem from The University of Southern California for John and second runner up Karim ElDin ElAlfy from The University of Southern California for Empty Lands.