Meet the 2026-2027 AWC Mentors

Since 2002, VC’s Armed With a Camera (AWC) Fellowship has supported over 175 emerging AANHPI filmmakers and media artists as they bring their stories to life.

We’re thrilled to welcome Sue Ding, Faroukh Virani, and Norbert Shieh to our 2026-2027 AWC Mentors team! Bringing a wealth of experience across filmmaking, editing, and cinematography, our newest mentors will share their knowledge, creative perspectives, and industry insight with the next generation of AANHPI storytellers.

ABOUT THE MENTORS

Sue Ding is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and visual artist based in Los Angeles. Her work explores race, gender, and diaspora through the lens of visual culture and place-based storytelling. Sue directed and edited the short documentaries The Claudia Kishi Club (SXSW ’20), Makeover Movie (IDFA ’23), and How the West Was Fun (True/False ’25). Her films can be found on Netflix, PBS, and Vimeo Staff Picks. In 2023, she was featured in Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film”. She is a 2026 Creative Capital Awardee and Concordia Fellow.

Faroukh Virani is an LA-based editor who works in both narrative and documentary formats, finding that one storytelling style informs the other in his work. Faroukh has recent post-production credits on ABC's "HIGH POTENTIAL" and CW's “WALKER.” He's an active member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild.

Norbert Shieh (he/him) is a Taiwanese American filmmaker and director of photography based in Los Angeles. His films span experimental and documentary work and have screened at venues including the Flaherty Seminar, New York Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Antimatter, and Jihlava International Film Festival. A Creative Capital Award recipient, Sundance/TAAF Collab Scholar, and 2022 CAAM Fellow, he was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film" in 2019. He also co-programs Shadow Kitchen, a Los Angeles filmmakers co-op supporting independent and experimental cinema.

We’re excited for Sue, Faroukh, and Norbert to share their expertise and experiences with our incoming Fellows as they embark on their creative journeys.