CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) and The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) named Beth de Araújo and Ravi Kapoor as the inaugural recipients of the 2025 Rising Filmmakers Finishing Fund.
The writer-directors will receive post-production grants of $50,000 each to complete their features “Josephine” and “Patel,” respectively.
The grantees will also receive networking opportunities through CAPE and TAAF’s networks, as well as Filmmaker Pro Memberships from Film Independent.
The Rising Filmmakers Finishing Fund, launched by CAPE and TAAF in Jan. 2025, aims to support the career longevity of Asian American and Pacific Islander filmmakers as demand for authentic AAPI stories grows. To qualify for the grants, applicants were required to submit live-action narrative feature film projects at least 90% through principal photography or in post-production. The project must also have been an applicant’s second, third, fourth, or fifth feature film.
“In light of the precipitous decline in funding support after a debut feature, CAPE is proud to partner with TAAF on the only funding opportunity of its kind that invests in sustaining filmmakers’ careers by supporting their second through fifth feature films,” said Michelle K. Sugihara, executive director & CEO of CAPE. “Both Beth de Araújo and Ravi Kapoor are talented storytellers with strong voices. Josephine and Patel could not be more different and they are important additions to the canon of Asian American storytelling.”
“We’ve seen unprecedented audience demand for more nuanced Asian American and Pacific Islander stories, and with it, incredible opportunities to invest in directors working to capture the full humanity of our community,” said Norman Chen, CEO of TAAF. “TAAF is proud to support Beth de Araújo and Ravi Kapoor through the Rising Filmmakers Finishing Fund. We believe in championing talented artists at all stages, and hope that programs like this can help grow and sustain their long-term careers.”
Araújo featured in Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film and was nominated for the 2022 Gotham Bingham Ray breakthrough director award for her debut film, “Soft & Quiet.” Her short film, based on her Gawker essay of the same name, “I Want To Marry A Creative Jewish Girl,” won best screenplay at Hollyshorts Film Festival.
Her film “Josephine” follows an 8-year-old who accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park. She acts out in search of a way to regain control of her safety, while adults are helpless to console her.
The cast includes Mason Lily Reeves, Gemma Chan, Channing Tatum, Phillip Ettinger and Syra McCarthy.
Kapoor is an L.A. based writer-director-actor. He wrote and directed the feature film “Four Samosas,” a quirky heist comedy set in L.A.’s Little India which premiered at Tribeca and was picked up for distribution by IFC.
“Patel” is a deadpan gangster tragedy based on “Macbeth,” set in the world of Indian American motel owners in the 90s, that asks: how big should an immigrant dream? The logline describes it as Wes Anderson meets Scorsese meets Shakespeare.
Utkarsh Ambudkar, Richa Moorjani, Kal Penn, Kunal Nayyar, Meera Simhan, Danny Pudi, Nik Dodani, Rizwan Manji and Pete Holmes are all set to star in the film.
