Chanel awarded the winner of its women’s filmmaker program last night.
Last night, the winner of the annual Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program was announced in New York City. Now in its 11th year, the program – a partnership between the brand and the host organization of the Tribeca Film Festival – brings together five female filmmaker teams for an intensive three-day workshop with industry leaders. Taking home the grand prize in 2026? Writer-director Gem Little and producer Kseniya Yorsh for their film COWARDS, receiving full financing to produce their short with support from Tribeca Studios.
The film follows Diamond, an eleven-year-old girl in Chicago, over one turbulent summer day as she navigates friendship and family. The story draws on Little’s own childhood, when she moved between relatives’ houses after her mother was incarcerated. The jury selected it because it “touched us the most as a compassionate, strong example of a story that is needed in our country right now.”
With an all-star jury that included Halle Berry, Meg Ryan, Regina King, Ella Rubin, and Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the group reviewed all five concepts before choosing one to produce. Alongside them, a group of mentors – Celine Song, Aleshea Harris, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Fala Chen, and Gina Prince-Bythewood – guided the filmmakers through the three-day process.
Speaking with the winning director and producer, it was clear how much the project had evolved in such a short time. Both credited the jury and mentors’ dedication for giving these young women the resources to realize their vision, and described the program as one built around community and exchange rather than competition. Beyond the grand prize, every participating team received a development grant to continue working toward production on their own films.
“This experience changed me,” Little says of Through Her Lens. That might be the biggest prize of all.
