EXCLUSIVE: Film Independent has launched the Film Independent CineBridge Samuel and Ruth P. Cohen Fellowship, a new program for international filmmakers, backed by a $1.1 million gift from the Estate of Samuel and Ruth P. Cohen.
Founded by filmmaker Richard Tanne, who conceived and developed the initiative in collaboration with Film Independent’s International team, the fellowship is designed to elevate creatives whose work reflects a strong creative vision and the potential to connect with audiences in the U.S. and beyond.
The inaugural CineBridge fellows, selected from a pool of over 100 nominated submissions from 40 countries, are Tomás Fleck and Fisnik Maxville, who will respectively develop the projects The Other America and Reel Skin as part of their participation.
This month, the fellows will participate in a combination of virtual sessions and a one-month in-person residency in Los Angeles in September. The virtual program will include development support to strengthen their screenplays, as well as advice on creating a compelling project package and refining their pitching skills in preparation for their residency in Los Angeles. The in-person residency will include meetings with industry professionals, as well as access to masterclasses, case studies and other Film Independent programs, including the annual Film Independent Forum, where they will be able to experience the industry and pitch their projects on a public stage.
A writer, director and producer whose work includes the Sundance Grand Jury Prize-nominated Southside with You and Amazon MGM’s coming-of-age drama Chemical Hearts, who has served as a mentor in Film Independent’s International Programs since 2018, Tanne will play an active role going forward in selecting, mentoring and supporting fellows as they develop their projects and navigate the industry.
“CineBridge was built as a literal bridge for international filmmakers into the Hollywood system, not just to develop their work, but to position it to succeed at the highest level,” Tanne said. “Tomás and Fisnik are exactly the kind of filmmakers we’re looking for: bold, distinctive voices working in genres that can reach big audiences. I’m excited to see how their films move forward as they step into the industry here in Los Angeles.”
Added María Raquel Bozzi, Film Independent’s Senior Director of Education and International Programs, “We are excited to collaborate with filmmaker Richard Tanne on this initiative and are grateful to the Samuel and Ruth P. Cohen Estate for this important gift to amplify our work cultivating the careers of filmmakers across borders. It’s an honor to see Richard, who has been involved in our programs as a mentor, be inspired to invest in our mission in such an intentional and committed way.”
CineBridge candidates are considered by nominations from a pool of partners and filmmakers associated with Film Independent. Calls for nominations will be held once a year in the fall.
Learn more about the inaugural fellows and their projects below.
Fisnik Maxville
Fisnik Maxville was born in Kosovo, in the former Yugoslavia. Exiled to Switzerland, he grew up there as a war refugee. After studying International Politics, he began directing in 2015. Since then, he has written and directed four short films, three documentaries and a fiction feature film. His work has been showcased at numerous international film festivals, including Locarno, Tallinn, Clermont-Ferrand, Raindance, Visions du Réel and São Paulo. He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents and the Ateliers d’Angers. His debut fiction feature, The Land Within, won Best First Feature at the 2022 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Fisnik is currently developing two fiction features.
Project: Reel Skin
Logline: In the lineage of female-driven body horror like The Substance and Titane, Reel Skin follows an undocumented woman who has spent years making herself invisible to survive. When a bite from a genetically engineered snake begins transforming her in terrifying ways, the body the world tried to erase becomes the one thing they can’t stop.
Tomás Fleck
Tomás is a writer/director focused on blending genres and connecting with audiences. His debut feature, You Gotta Have Faith (Minerva Pictures, TVCO), premiered at LABRFF, where it won two awards. He has participated in prestigious programs such as the Academy Award–recognized Cine Qua Non Script Revision Lab with his project My Luminous Shadow, which is being filmed in May 2026, and began developing his story for The Other America as an Oxbelly Fellow. Tomás has written and directed series that were exhibited on Netflix, Globo, and Amazon Prime in Brazil and his films have screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals such as Cinequest, Nashville Film Festival, and the major Brazilian Festival de Gramado.
Project: The Other America
Logline: In the tradition of recent Brazilian Oscar contenders like The Secret Agent and I’m Still Here, The Other America is a romantic espionage thriller about a CIA operative sent to Brazil who falls in love with his fabricated life — and the woman in it. When both governments close in, he must choose between the American he was built to be and the Brazilian he became.
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