Meet our Grantees
Congratulations to our five inaugural Mother Project Grantees: Natalie Pattillo, Stephanie Wang-Breal, Gabriela Arp, Aisha Allen and Vaishali Sinha. We’re so excited to welcome you to the Studio IX family and can’t wait to see your films.
Natalie Pattillo
Natalie Pattillo is a New York-based multimedia journalist. She is the producer, writer, and co-director of AND SO I STAYED, a forthcoming documentary about domestic violence survivors who killed their abusers in self-defense. Her reporting bylines include the New York Times, MSNBC, VICE, Jezebel, New York Magazine, Al Jazeera America and Salon. She covers issues such as access to childcare, domestic violence, food and culture, and more. In 2020, she received the Media Award from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She received a Master's degree from Columbia Journalism School in 2017. Before moving to New York in 2015, she freelanced for Marfa Public Radio and West Texas Public Radio. She lives in Harlem with her husband and two daughters.
Stephanie Wang-Breal
Stephanie Wang-Breal uses film as a tool to subvert the narrative. Her work explores institutions and the people who reside at the core of these institutions. Stephanie’s films include Wo Ai Ni Mommy (2010), Tough Love (2014) and Blowin’ Up (2018). Wo Ai Ni Mommy was awarded the SilverDocs Grand Jury Prize, the SFIAAFF Best Documentary Award, as well as an Emmy nomination. Blowin’ Up was a New York Times’ critics pick and received the Society of Authors Award at the Film Des Femmes Festival in Paris, France. Each film was broadcast on PBS’ POV.
Stephanie is a co-founder of Once in a Blue films, a female-run production company. Her work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, the Ford Foundation, NYSCA and the Jerome Foundation; she is the recipient of a 2019 Chicken and Egg Artist Award, as well as a 2020 Creative Capital Artist Award.
Gabriela Arp
Gabriela Arp is a filmmaker who is passionate about re-imagining the documentary space through hybrid, immersive and participatory filmmaking. She has produced short films, exhibits and interactive experiences for news organizations, non-profits, cultural spaces and commercial clients. Some of her clients include New York Times, Blue Chalk Media, CNN International, Univision, International Rescue Committee, the United Nations and The New Museum. Her most recent virtual reality film, Meeting a Monster, exploring the memories and motivations of former white supremacist Angela King, premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. It was also shown at Cannes NEXT, Sheffield Doc and won the best immersive experience at North Bend Film Festival. Gabriela’s film Traces won the Adobe Creative Advocacy Award, the Alexia student grant, and was one of Tribeca’s virtual reality selections for its YouTube Channel. Her work has been shown at festivals all over the world and is known for how it pushes the boundaries of documentary, effortlessly moving between fictional and non-fictional realms. Gabriela has a Master's in Visual Communication from the University of North Carolina. She was a Knight Fellow with the Sundance Institute New Frontier Program and was a participant in the Oculus VR for Good Creators Lab.
Aisha Allen
Aisha Allen is a filmmaker, writer and Founder of Reel Mamas Chicago.She graduated from Fisk University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dramatics and Speech. She completed her MFA in Cinema Directing at Columbia College Chicago. She has written and directed several short films which include her award winning short film Bump)ED. In May of 2018, she started Reel Mamas Chicago, LLC a Digital Media Company/ Online Magazine dedicated to empowering and inspiring women filmmakers. The online magazine features the latest interviews, film reviews, articles and essays about women working behind the camera. RMC has covered film festivals around the country including the Chicago International Film Festival, SXSW and Sundance. Aisha recently graduated from Kartemquin Films and Community Film Workshop’s Diverse Voices in Documentary Fellowship where she worked on developing her first feature documentary “The Cost of Time.”
Vaishali Sinha
Vaishali Sinha is an award-winning filmmaker currently based in New York and originally from India. She is the director/producer of the recently released feature documentary ASK THE SEXPERT about a 93-year-old sex advice columnist in India who gains popularity despite the ban on sex education in schools in several states in India. The film co-produced by ITVS premiered at Hot Docs International Film Festival 2017. The film has won the jury award for Best Documentary at the New Orleans Film Festival, received a nomination for a Grierson Award and the Critics Choice Award for "Best Documentary" in India. ASK THE SEXPERT has traveled to over 40 prestigious film festivals globally and was invited to IDFA Amsterdam as "Best of Fests". The film premiered on PBS' Doc World in the US. ASK THE SEXPERT is also available on Netflix India as a top pick and will have a theatrical release in select cities in India in early 2019.
Vaishali also Co-Directed/Produced the feature documentary MADE IN INDIA about the personal stories behind the phenomenon of outsourcing surrogate mothers to India. The film premiered at Hot Docs Film Festival and aired on PBS in 2012. MADE IN INDIA received several Jury awards at festivals and was nominated for the Ridenhour Prize for excellence in truth-telling. The film is currently a case study at Harvard Business School for their class on ethics.
Vaishali is a graduate of New York's The New School University in film production and Mumbai's St. Xavier's College with a BSc. in Physics. Her films have traveled to museums, film festivals, theaters, community screenings, conferences and more. Her films have been supported by acclaimed foundations and broadcasters.