EXCLUSIVE: King Richard and Bob Marley: One Love director Reinaldo Marcus Green has launched Office Hours, a new filmmaker fellowship at his alma mater the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. The fellowship has also selected its inaugural class of five filmmakers who are all recent alums or current students in the graduate film program.
The fellowship, created to provide emerging filmmakers with access, mentorship and candid conversation about the creative and professional realities of building a career in film, will bring its fellows together with Green for a series of intimate sessions throughout the academic year on topics like developing a voice, choosing material, working with actors and collaborators, navigating representation and relationships, dealing with setbacks, and building a sustainable career.
This year’s cohort — Alex Jiang, Maissa Lihedheb, Skyla Page, Andre Shen and Taylor Sanghyun Lee — were selected by a committee of filmmakers including Kasi Lemmons, John Tintori, Chiara Bernasconi and Mia Cioffi Henry. (See details about the inaugural class below.)
“When I was coming out of NYU, what I needed as much as anything was access — someone I could call, ask the questions I didn’t know how to ask, and have an honest conversation about what this career actually looks like,” Green said.
He added: “Office Hours is my attempt to create that space for the next generation of filmmakers. These five filmmakers already have extraordinary voices. My job isn’t to tell them what kind of filmmakers to become. It’s to listen, challenge them, share what I’ve learned, and hopefully help them get where they’re trying to go.”
Green directed 2021’s King Richard, the story of the rise of tennis’ Venus and Serena Williams and their father-coach. The pic scored six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and earned star Will Smith the Best Actor Oscar. He follow that up co-writing and directing 2024’s Bob Marley: One Love. His credits also include the TV series We Own This City and Netflix’s Top Boy.
His debut feature, Monsters and Men starring John David Washington, Anthony Ramos and Kelvin Harrison Jr., world premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
He’s now working on Sky’s TV adaptation The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, on which he directs and executive produces.
“Having this kind of guidance from an established filmmaker like Rei is an incredible opportunity for our students and recent alumni as they navigate their first steps in the industry,” says Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, chair of the Tisch Department of Graduate Film.
Below are more details on this year’s fellows, per Office Hours:
ALEX JIANG
Alex Jiang is a Hong Kong-born, New York-based filmmaker exploring bodily autonomy and queer desire through folklore and a feminist, Asian diasporic lens. A USC BFA graduate and NYU Tisch MFA candidate, her shorts have screened at Palm Springs ShortFest, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and Taiwan International Queer Film Festival. She participated in the Shanghai International Film Festival Director’s Lab and Diverso Fellowship and is a member of the 2026 Film at Lincoln Center Artists Academy. As a producer, she is developing Circle, one of 12 projects selected for the 15th Biennale College Cinema.
MAISSA LIHEDHEB
Maissa Lihedheb is a German-Tunisian filmmaker whose work explores identity, performance and the contradictions of belonging through dark humor and emotionally charged storytelling. Her films have screened at Tribeca, BFI London, Palm Springs ShortFest and El Gouna. Her work has been featured by Vogue Arabia, Rolling Stone MENA, ARTE and Highsnobiety. A two-time Ang Lee Scholar, Spike Lee Grant recipient and Princess Grace honoree, she completed her MFA at NYU Tisch Graduate Film and is currently developing the feature films Wedding and a Funeral, Carapace and The Good One.
SKYLA PAGE
Skyla Page is a writer, director and cinematographer from Chicago, now based in Brooklyn. She earned her MFA from NYU Tisch Graduate Film. As a cinematographer, she received the Nestor Almendros Craft Award for Cinematography, and her work has screened at the First Run and Atlanta Film Festivals. She received the Spike Lee Production Fund for her upcoming short Rise & Fly and is currently developing her debut narrative feature, Full Bloom.
ANDRE SHEN
Andre Shen is a Shanghainese writer-director and graphic designer based in New York. His work explores queer longing and emotional exposure through pop culture, orbiting an obsession with performance across gender, theater and sex. His films have screened at BFI Flare, MiXMilano and FiveFilmsForFreedom in partnership with the British Council. His upcoming short Hit It Out of the Park follows a rising pop star and his self-proclaimed creative director as their music video shoot unravels. He is currently preparing his feature.
TAYLOR SANGHYUN LEE
Born and raised in California, Taylor Sanghyun Lee is a New York-based filmmaker whose work spans writing, directing and cinematography. His directorial debut feature, ROUNDS, was selected for the 2026 Sundance Directors & Screenwriters Lab, the 2026 NYU Purple List and the 2025 TIFF & CJ K-Story Fund. He earned his MFA in Directing from NYU Tisch Graduate Film, where he received the Ang Lee Scholarship. His upcoming short Parkside East won the 2026 DGA Student Spotlight Award and was a semifinalist for the 2026 Student Academy Awards.