The New Orleans Film Society (NOFS) has announced the seven producers from across the South selected to participate in the 2025-2026 Southern Producers Lab produced by the New Orleans Film Society this May. The Southern Producers Lab is a New Orleans Film Society development program designed to help emerging, diverse South-based producers discover their producing niche and strengthen their community connections. The program includes industry mentorship, a five-day intensive lab, and supported travel to two major industry convenings including the New Orleans Film Festival. Read more about the Southern Producers Lab program here.
The 2025-2026 Southern Producers Lab (SPL) fellows include Alex Garcia (New Orleans, LA), Castel Sweet (Oxford, MS), Erin Semine Kokdil (Norman, OK), Grace Olivia Goen (San Antonio, TX), Lovelyne Legerme (Dallas, TX), O’Shay Foreman (Memphis, TN), and Stacey Davis (Birmingham, AL). Meet our ’25-’26 fellows and learn about their projects here.
This year’s cohort will be the first to experience a new 18-month format that kicks off in a retreat-style environment at Docville Farm in St. Bernard Parish. This retreat-style setting will enable fellows to establish deep connections with their cohort as they immerse themselves in the workshops, advising, and offsite activities designed to enhance their projects and respective career trajectories. Additionally, participants will engage in thought partnership with a number of experienced industry professionals and award-winning producers. The curriculum will explore the many different types of producing roles that exist as well as how to sustain a filmmaking career in the US South in this unique economic climate. At the completion of the lab, NOFS will award lab participants $2000 each to support their work.
The 2025-2026 Southern Producers Lab cohort and the 2024-2025 Emerging Voices Directors Lab cohort will also convene on May 10th for an alumni screening, post-film Q&A and reception at Zeitgeist Theater. This event is free and open to the public. Register here.
Maren Scott, Manager of NOFS Filmmaker Services said: “I am excited to announce our transition to an 18-month cohort. With this extended format, we will be better able to support the lifecycle of our fellows’ projects and early stages of their careers. We will convene them quarterly both in-person and virtually – creating more opportunities to foster collaboration and community, empowering filmmakers to respond to the evolving market.”
The Southern Producers Lab is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; the Ford Foundation; Perspective Fund; the MacArthur Foundation; and the Meraux Foundation.