Wavelength 2026 WAVE Grant Recipients Revealed

EXCLUSIVE: Wavelength has revealed the 2026 recipients of its WAVE Grant. Brittany Bendabout, Kat Schulze, Christina Nieves, Jaelyn Ellis and Isobel Obrecht each will receive a financial grant and hands-on mentorship as they develop and produce their first short narrative films.

Bendabout was selected for Faster, Schulze for The Great Disappointment, Nieves for Summer Thing, Ellis for Spoils of Office and Obrecht for Bring Your Own Forks. Read a bio for each recipient below.

The WAVE Grant, which stands for “Women at the Very Edge,” offers mentorship across every stage of the filmmaking process, including development, production, post-production, festival strategy and publicity. Recipients also participate in peer sessions and master classes led by industry leaders, creating a collaborative environment that extends beyond the grant period.

The vision is to build a sustainable pipeline of bold, new storytellers and help launch their careers.

“We are living in a moment that demands fresh voices and authentic storytelling, and this year’s grantees answer that call beautifully,” Wavelength founder and CEO Jenifer Westphal said. “What moved us most was the rare combination of technical mastery and emotional intuition they each bring to their work, a creative voice that is wholly their own, yet deeply aligned with the Wavelength spirit of storytelling. We are immensely proud to champion their work and look forward to seeing their creations resonate far and wide.”

In addition to the seed funding, WAVE Grant has partnered with several organizations to its filmmakers with provide in-kind services including Film Independent fiscal sponsorships; a five-part Seed&Spark workshop series covering crowdfunding, budgeting and distribution (open to grantees and anyone who applied for the WAVE Grant); Fujifilm cameras and lenses; a one-year WeTransfer Ultimate subscription; and color grading and post-finishing services provided by Nice Shoes.

WAVE Grant alumni have premiered film at major festivals, joined writers rooms and advanced into feature development. This year, Wavelength also celebrates its recent grantees on screen, with the short films Blush (2025 grantee Ana Chavez) which premiered at the Aspen Shortsfest, Keep My Brother (2024 grantee Sharona D’Ornellas) and When They’re Gone (2025 grantees Lauryn Darden & Ragan Henderson) premiering at the American Black Film Festival.