2024 FELLOW | USC

Born in conservative ‘90s Pakistan, gay and genderqueer AJ Currie was “othered” from the get-go, and started world-building nice and early as a way of escaping the confines of his reality. An immigrant who adores a good fashion moment, AJ writes about outsiders trying to find a way in. His work balances humanist contemplation with theatrical flair — because complicated cultural conversations are more fun in high heels with a wine pairing and Hello Dollie! blasting in the background.

AJ is the recipient of the Humanitas New Voices Fellowship 2024, Disruptors Fellowship 2024 and The Diverso Fellowship 2024.

2024 FELLOW | UNC-Chapel Hill

Osaro Lee is a Los Angeles-based, southern-raised, Nigerian-American screenwriter and director. Shaped by the limitations and expectations of a low-income, first-generation immigrant household from a young age, he found hope and comfort in Reddit deep dives, sketchy PDF book files, and “What If” YouTube rabbit holes. With television development experience at NBCUniversal’s Peacock and Media Res Studio, Osaro is an alum of the 2024 Gotham Film & Media Career Development Program. Through his love for Afrofuturism, he hopes to remind his BIPOC peers of the hero within.

2024 FELLOW | NYU

Louise Zhang is a Chinese-born, New York-based writer, director, and cinematographer. Her work explores the experiences of expats and individuals who exist between cultures and landscapes, traversing boundaries of distance, time, and history in pursuit of happiness. Louise blends an Eastern sensibility with Western storytelling, evoking universal emotions through specific, personal narratives. Her films have been screened at festivals worldwide, including Palm Springs ShortFest, HollyShorts, and the Cairo International Film Festival.