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Photos Courtesy of Tribeca.
Tribeca and CHANEL today announced the winning recipient of the 11th annual Through Her Lens: The Tribeca CHANEL Women's Filmmaker Program. Writer and director Gem Little and producer Kseniya Yorsh were awarded this year’s grand prize for their film COWARDS and received full financing to produce their short film with support from Tribeca Studios. COWARDS follows eleven year old Diamond over the course of a summer day in 1999 Chicago, when a rift with her best friend tests everything she’s been taught about toughness.
“It’s an honor to stand here and even have the opportunity to tell this story. Cowards is near and dear to my heart, a true story about what it was like for me growing up,” said writer and director Gem Little. “I’m really excited to put this story into the world, and to continue to put more stories in the world that archive and showcase the type of stories that I grew up around.”
This year’s mentorship program brought together some of the most accomplished women in the industry to guide workshops, one-on-one mentorship sessions, and intimate conversations spanning script development, directing, music composition, and costume design.
Alongside fellow jury members Halle Berry, Meg Ryan, Regina King, and Ella Rubin, Autumn Durald Arkapaw said, “We were all so honored to watch these five confident women be vulnerable and express their visions, and show us the heart and soul in their projects. We all felt very confident that all of these talented women will make these films, and should. Their voices are so strong and empathetic.”
About selecting COWARDS as the winner, Arkapaw said “We did ultimately select one film that touched us the most as a compassionate, strong example of a story that is needed in our country right now.”
Congratulating the full cohort of filmmakers, Tribeca Enterprises CEO Rebecca Glashow commented, “I’ve really been blown away by what I’ve seen over the past couple of days. It’s such an incredible program on paper, but it’s so much more in real life. To create an environment where you can share so openly and feel so supported and safe is such a gift.”
(L-R) Kseniya Yorsh, Regina King, wearing CHANEL, and Gem Little attend the Through Her Lens: The Tribeca CHANEL Women's Filmmaker Program Cocktail at Greenwich Hotel on September 24, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)
About Tribeca Enterprises:
Tribeca Enterprises is a multi-platform media and entertainment company that owns and operates the Tribeca Festival, content division Tribeca Studios, film distribution label Tribeca Films, and production company missing i eces. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is synonymous with creative expression and entertainment. Founded in 2003 by Robert DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, Tribeca Enterprises brings artists and audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, music, audio storytelling, games, and immersive. Tribeca champions emerging and established voices, discovers award-winning talent, curates innovative experiences, and introduces new ideas through exclusive premieres, exhibitions, conversations, and live performances.
About CHANEL:
Chanel Limited is a private company and parent of the Chanel group, a world leader in creating, developing, manufacturing and distributing luxury products. Founded by Gabrielle Chanel at the beginning of the last century, Chanel offers a broad range of high-end creations, including Ready-to-Wear, Leather Goods, Fashion Accessories, Eyewear, Fragrances, Makeup, Skincare, Jewellery and Watches. Chanel is also renowned for its Haute Couture collections, presented twice yearly in Paris, and for having acquired a large number of specialized suppliers, collectively known as the Métiers d’art. Chanel is dedicated to ultimate luxury and to the highest level of craftsmanship. It is a brand whose core values remain historically grounded on exceptional creation. As such, Chanel promotes culture, art, creativity and “savoir-faire” throughout the world, and invests significantly in people, R&D, sustainable development and innovation. At the end of 2025, Chanel employed 38,000 people worldwide.
