Jessica Sanders to Receive 2025 Lynn Shelton Of a Certain Age Grant

Exclusive: Jessica Sanders will receive a grant of $25,000 to support the making of her debut narrative feature film," I Want to Feel Fun."

Northwest Film Forum (NWFF) has announced filmmaker Jessica Sanders as the recipient of the 2025 Lynn Shelton Of a Certain Age Grant, as IndieWire shares exclusively.

Co-founded by Duplass Brothers Productions (DBP) with NWFF, the grant is now in its sixth year. It awards $25,000 to a U.S.-based woman, nonbinary, or transgender filmmaker, age 39 or older, who has yet to direct a narrative feature. “The grant seeks to recognize a film director for their distinct vision, storytelling, and singularity,” per the release.

Sanders is an Oscar-nominated (short subject “Sing!” at the 2002 Oscars), Sundance, SXSW, and Cannes-winning director and producer of short films, commercials, and feature documentaries. Sanders will receive an unrestricted award of $25,000 to support the making of her debut narrative feature film,” I Want to Feel Fun,” which she describes as an “improvised comedy set in Los Angeles, weaving intersecting stories of love, longing, and connection. Blending comedy greats with everyday people, the film is an unexpected, emotional adventure across the city’s diverse neighborhoods.”

The film began as a short that premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival.

“It is an honor to receive this grant as Lynn Shelton is a filmmaking pioneer who was a major inspiration to me,” said Sanders. “I feel her spirit lives in this film, which is totally improvised, made in the spirit to create, have fun, and craft a film that celebrates the comedy and textures of life.”

Sanders was selected from a list of nine finalists. The other eight finalists were Andrea Maxwell, Erin Brown Thomas, Lana Wilson, Radha Mehta, Fatemeh Hosseini, Masami Kawai, Esther Casas Roura, and Celine Tricart. The award selection committee was composed of three film industry professionals: Miciana Alise, Olivia Newman, and Suzi Yoonessi. This year’s award process was stewarded by NWFF and grant manager Emily Zimmerman.

Last year’s recipient of the Lynn Shelton Of A Certain Age grant was Jing Zou for her film “A Girl Unknown,” currently in development.