Alumni

Enrique Pedráza-Botero Named 2027 New America Fellow

Pedráza-Botero's (MFA '23) current documentary series, S.E.C.T.O.R. B, examines how border security infrastructure is transforming immigrant communities across the United States

Reid Davenport Named 2026 Guggenheim Fellow

Stanford MFA alum receives the prestigious fellowship in Film-Video.

Stanford Alumni Films Premiere at 2026 Tribeca

Documentary films by Stanford MFA alumni are screening at Tribeca 2025, including a World Premiere that reimagines a former institution's dark history through performance.

Stanford Doc Program Alumni Earn 2026 Emmy Nominations

Stanford documentary alumni have been nominated for News & Documentary Emmy Awards including directing and producing nods for a film about disability rights and editing recognition for a climate crisis investigation

Stanford Alumni and Students Featured at SFIFF

Numerous alumni and one current MFA student have work screening at SFIFF, ranging from labor organizing to Girl Scout cookies, longevity hacking history to personal narratives

American Pachuco Wins at 2026 Sundance Film Festival

The documentary by David Alvarado ’10 won the “Audience Award: U.S. Documentary” and the “Festival Favorite Award.”

Three Stanford thesis films at True/False Film Festival

Thesis films by Carlo Nassise, Enrique Pedráza-Botero and Dominic Yarabe to play at boundary-pushing fest

Reid Davenport's LIFE AFTER wins Special Jury Award at Sundance

Stanford MFA alum's documentary on disability rights and end-of-life debates praised for its "unflinching approach" to complex ethical questions

Sundance to feature five films with ties to Stanford documentary program

Films directed by Dominic Yarabe, Ethan Wu, Aurora Brachman and Reid Davenport selected for Sundance 2025

Elizabeth Lo’s MISTRESS DISPELLER awarded in Venice

Lo's second feature focuses on a new industry devoted to helping couples stay married in the face of infidelity

Stanford alumni and faculty win ITVS grants

Work by alums Reid Davenport, Laura Gamse, professor Jamie Meltzer and others receives ITVS funding.

Student and alumni films premiere at Telluride

Dominic Yarabe, Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk premiere films at Telluride

Adrian Burrell (MFA ‘21) wins 2024 Rainin Foundation Fellowship and releases new book

This fellowship includes a $100,000 unrestricted grant, recognizing Burrell’s contributions to the Bay Area’s cultural scene.

Carla Gutiérrez (MFA ‘04) premieres new film FRIDA at Sundance

Carla Gutiérrez (MFA ‘04), premiered her latest film, Frida, at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Enrique Pedraza Botero (MFA ‘23) co-leads Documentary Film Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center

In his role as Manager of Special Projects, Pedraza Botero will work to support new research, analysis, innovation, and provocation around core issues facing the documentary field.

Two Stanford alumnae named in Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film

Faye Tsakas (MFA '23) and Aurora Brachman (MFA '21) featured in Filmmaker Magazine's 2023 selection of up-and-coming filmmakers

Jon Ayon (MFA ‘21) joins UC Santa Cruz as Assistant Professor in the Film & Digital Media Department

Drew de Pinto (MFA ‘22) receives 2023 New Voices Filmmaker Grant from Netflix and NewFest

Drew de Pinto, an alum of Stanford's MFA in Documentary Film program, has been selected as one of the recipients of the 2023 New Voices Filmmaker Grant, awarded by Netflix and NewFest. This grant recognizes emerging LGBTQ+ filmmakers.

Two Stanford Films at Hot Docs Film Festival

Two Stanford thesis films are playing at Hot Docs this year: ENTITIES WITH KNOWLEDGE by Max Mueller and STILL WATERS by Aurora Brachman