2026 Mycoskie Fellows
Production & Post Production
Otilia Padua
Mexican film director. She studied architecture at Cambridge University and the Architectural Association, London. Her works include: "Three Voices", which screened at SXSW, Ambulante, Morelia, DocsMX, Margaret Mead Film Festival, Documenta Madrid, Lima Film Festival, FIDBA Buenos Aires; and "Birders", a short documentary she directed and wrote for Netflix. She has received grants from Mexico’s Ministry of Culture, the Mexican Institute for Cinematography, and the Sundance Institute. "Daughters of the Forest" won the First Look prize at the Hot Docs Forum and received support from Sundance-Sandbox, the Redford Center, and the Doc Society Climate Fund.
Production & Post Production
Alexandra Roca
Alexandra Roca is an award-winning filmmaker who has directed and produced documentaries across more than 14 countries, with her work screening at over 20 festivals worldwide. She has also presented series and hosted documentaries for platforms such as National Geographic and Amazon Prime. Her work is defined by a quiet, attentive approach that allows space for reflection, presence, and emotional nuance.
Her current documentary follows the journey of Eli as he moves through addiction and recovery with the support of psychedelic-assisted treatment using Ibogaine. The film gently explores how this still-controversial treatment—illegal in the United States but legal in other countries—can help people confront trauma, rethink healing, and move toward profound personal transformation.
Production & Post Production
Will Wertz
Will Wertz is a Midwestern filmmaker whose work reflects deep attention to emotional truth. A listener first, his background in music production trained him to hear what isn't being said. His study of psychology taught him to stay present long enough to receive it.
For over fifteen years, Will has directed award-winning short films and commercial projects, crafting intimate narratives that explore the quiet complexities of human experience. His empathetic approach adapts to inhabit whatever a story requires, prizing honesty over spectacle.
“Forever, For Now” marks his feature debut. A film about presence and the choice to stay alive, it is the culmination of a life behind the camera.
Research & Development
Jia Li & Josh Frank
Jia Li is a Chinese-American documentary director, cinematographer, and editor. She studied studio art, journalism, and interaction science before picking up the camera. Striving to bring art and dignity through her lens, her short films have screened at the Brooklyn Film Festival, the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the New Orleans Film Festival, and many others. Her work in documentary film has won three Emmy Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award. As a founder of the documentary collective HiLo, she leads by telling deeply immersive, beautiful stories of humanity.
Jia is co-directing the film with Joshua Frank, a longtime collaborator and fellow director, cinematographer, and HiLo co-founder.
Born in Montreal and raised in Beijing, Hong Kong and New Delhi, Joshua is drawn to the intersection of cultures, seeking out the unexpected juxtapositions of tradition and technology, hyperlocal and universal. His films focus on labour, architecture, migration, food culture and music; he applies his background in small-footprint news and documentary shooting to share intimate, human stories, told with patience, a cinematic eye, and journalistic rigor. Joshua’s work has been presented by festivals including DOC NYC, the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Shanghai Biennale and RIDM, and broadcast by outlets including HBO and VICE.
Research & Development
Julia Ngeow & Rebecca Basaure
Julia 秀英 Ngeow is a Chinese-Australian film director based in NYC, who has created award-winning documentaries across the globe. Graduating with a BSc, Julia undertook research with the Australian Cancer Council investigating the anti-cancer potential of traditional Aboriginal medicinal plants. Many of Julia’s recent films revolve around health, wellness, and nature - exploring the intersection between art and science. Her films have screened at Cannes Short Film Corner, SXSW Edu, and Slamdance, gaining global recognition, and has earned a Gold Clio and a Silver GEMA Award for brand integration.
Julia is co-directing her film with Rebecca Basaure, who is a Bolivian-American director and cinematographer with 12+ years of experience working with Netflix, Disney, Apple, PBS, A&E, and National Geographic. Her work blends art, science, and environmental storytelling, including the award-winning short Refugio and the Vans/NOWNESS film Imillaskate: The Cholita Skaters of Bolivia. She is a certified diver, underwater cinematographer, and member of IATSE Local 600.
Research & Development
Ewan Waddell
Ewan Waddell is an award-winning British filmmaker based in Berlin and the latest recipient of the Wim Wenders Award. His films investigate elements of the modernity crisis, spanning narrative, non-fiction and experimental works. His debut documentary, “The Longer You Bleed”, premiered at Hot Docs 2025, was nominated for Best Documentary and the Supreme Jury Prize at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, and later won the esteemed FIPRESCI Prize at Beyond Borders Festival in Greece. He holds First-class Honours from Leeds University and was Valedictorian in his MA at Catalyst Institute, Berlin. Waddell's next film in development examines clinical research into psychedelic-assisted trauma therapy in wartime Ukraine, situating it within broader histories of collective and intergenerational trauma.
Student
Claire Crawford
Claire Crawford is a filmmaker based in LA and originally from Colorado. Drawn to naturalistic storytelling across both documentary and narrative film, Claire focuses her work on urgent themes, from environmental resilience to the complexities of identity and perception. Claire is currently earning her MFA in Documentary Directing at UCLA, where she is deepening her craft in filmmaking and editing. Her recent films include "My Body That is Earth" and "Storied Bodies". She is currently developing a short documentary about Topanga Canyon.
Previously, she earned a degree in Environmental Science and Political Science from the University of Southern California, and then worked on the creative marketing team at POLITICO for 3+ years.