Zach Cregger, Issa López and Jay Duplass Among Mentors for Alliance of Women Directors Fellowship

The Alliance of Women Directors has found a roster of Hollywood mentors for its class of 2026 fellows.

Set to serve as mentors for AWD’s Rising Director Fellowship are Weapons and Barbarian helmer Zach Cregger, True Detective: Night Country creator Issa López, veteran filmmaker and The Baltimorons director Jay Duplass, The Wedding Banquet helmer Andrew Ahn, Little Miss Sunshine co-director Valerie Faris, and Shirley’s Josephine Decker.

The fellowship was launched to help support fledgling directors as they navigate the “transition to larger-scale projects and advance their careers in film and television” by providing mentorship, community and career advancement opportunities, per the nonprofit.

For the first time in its history, AWD has recruited a roster of producing mentors to round out the fellowship. Joining as inaugural mentors on the producing side are It franchise producer Barbara Muschietti, Oscar nominee Emily V. Gordon, Nope’s Win Rosenfeld, veteran producer Andrea Sperling whose latest is Something Very Bad is Going to Happen, Together’s Julia Hammer and Lucky Lu’s Tony Yang.

As previously announced, the six Rising Director fellows are Aeryn Michelle Williams (Umbrella Academy), Alexandra Hsu (Sophie), Ann Marie Pace (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), Marcella Ochoa (Hour of Blood), Taylor Lee Nagel (Lady Liberty) and Tijuana Ricks (All Souls).

“The Rising Director Fellowship has always been about creating meaningful relationships between emerging directors and accomplished filmmakers. This year, we’re adding another layer by bringing producers into the program,” explained AWD’s executive director Kylie Eaton. “By pairing our fellows with both extraordinarily talented directing and producing mentors, we’re giving them a broader perspective on how projects come together and equipping them with invaluable insights into the collaborative process that drives successful filmmaking.”