The San Francisco Transgender Film Festival is delighted to award our 2026 Dream Commissions.
Dream Commissions are investments in the ongoing artistic, creative, and community practices of filmmakers. We are extending $1,000 to 6 BIPOC trans, transgender, gender-nonconforming, Indigenous Two-Spirit, non-binary, gender-expansive, and genderqueer filmmakers.
Our 2026 recipients are these talented artists:
A.B. ODDMAN (they/them)
A. B. Oddman is a South Florida-raised, Los Angeles-based filmmaker who is passionate about bringing a diverse range of underrepresented experiences to life on screens of all sizes. In 2021, Oddman received a B.A. in African and African American Studies with Honors in the Arts from Stanford University. Oddman is currently an MFA Candidate in Film & Television Production at USC where they were awarded the prestigious George Lucas Scholarship. They have previously interned with Monkeypaw Productions, Sundance Institute, the Television Academy, and served as a Programming Coordinator for Lifetime Original Movies.
fÉLIX ENDARA (HE/HIM/EL)
Félix is an independent filmmaker based in New York City, producing films that have screened at festivals like Berlinale, Mill Valley, and SXSW. Notable projects include producing “NORTH BY CURRENT” (POV, 2021) and “unseen” (POV, 2023), and directing “GRIT & GRIND,” (2013, Berlinale). His most recent short, “ALQUIMIA TRANS,” highlights the powerful experiences of trans masculine activists across Latin America. A champion for trans storytelling, Félix co-founded the Trans Affinity Group (TAG) within the Documentary Producers Alliance, advancing equity and inclusion in the field. He chairs the Board of Working Films and serves on the Board of Chicken & Egg Films.
John e. Kilberg (THEY/THEM)
John e. has always been inspired by people and how they express themselves through their gender. They identify as Non-Binary, a supported filmmaker through The Future of Film is Female, and graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Beginning with documentary segments shown on NBC and independently produced and directed narrative shorts shown at Inside Out, NewFest, Outfest, Bentonville, and Maryland Film Festival. John e. has been written up in Deadline, The San Francisco Chronicle, and screened at MoMA through FOFIF (“Pierce Me.”) and through Out On Film on PBS (“Vestirse.”) Learn more about them here.
Shirin Mori (they/them)
Shirin Mori grew up in an Iranian-Japanese multigenerational San Francisco household, where as they tried to sleep, they could overhear their grandmother praying to die. Shirin is an award-winning writer and director particularly interested in horror, identity and how we care for each other. Their proof-of-concept fertility horror starring a non-binary protagonist, Navel Gazer, debuted in 2024 and is being adapted into a feature. Their most recent short, Prisoner’s Cinema, debuted at the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival. When not manifesting their nightmares into films, Shirin does caregiving work. Learn more about them here.
ROGELIO SALINAS (THEY/them)
Rogelio Salinas is a non-binary Mexican filmmaker from St. Paul, Minnesota, whose work focuses on the multiplicity of love and intergenerational joy. Their love for stories—whether romantic, communal, or spiritual—allows their films to highlight the complex experiences of the communities they serve, emphasizing healing, intimacy, and grace. Since relocating to Los Angeles, their work as a writer and director has been recognized by Outfest Fusion, HollyShorts, and the Pan African Film & Arts Festival. They received the “Emerging Content Creator” award from the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) and are featured as an artist at the Mexican Center for Culture and Cinematic Arts. Learn more about Rogelio.
Kai Tillman (HE/THEY)
Kai Tillman is a trans non-binary filmmaker whose working-class roots and years of living on the fringe have shaped their approach to storytelling. They are an award-winning filmmaker and have attended in-person workshops with Abbas Kiarostami and Werner Herzog. Their films have screened internationally, including Locarno Film Festival, Outfest Los Angeles, Frameline, Queer Screen’s Mardi Gras Film Festival (Sydney), and San Francisco Transgender Film Festival. Kai has worked as an educator, teaching filmmaking workshops for houseless and marginalized youth. Kai is currently directing a new series called In The Midst Of… Love Flourishes, bringing trans love stories to the screen.