Princess Grace Foundation Supports Independent Projects at Film School

Zawahry at Princess Grace Award ceremony

For the second year in a row, an FSU Film School student has won a lucrative Princess Grace Award. The Princess Grace Foundation—created in honor of the late Princess Grace to support young artists in the areas of film, dance and theater—awarded MFA student Iman Zawahry $20,000 to help her make a short film about a Muslim undercover detective. Zawahry was honored at a Gala in October, along with Glenn Close, who received the Prince Rainier III Award in recognition of her outstanding career and contribution to the arts. Also in attendance were Mariska Hargatay and Jeff Goldblum. Zawahry has recently finished production on her film, a Directed Independent Study (DIS) project that she shot here at FSU.

Zawahry is making a niche for herself, shining a comedic spotlight on Muslim subjects. She won a student Emmy last year for her film “Tough Crowd,” about a Muslim-American female stand-up comic. “Tough Crowd” was also a finalist in the NBC Short Cuts contest.

Last year another MFA student, Paul Seetachitt, was awarded $2,000 by the Princess Grace Foundation to help fund his short film “Jealous Husband Returns,” which was based on a short story by Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Olen Butler. Also shot as a DIS, “Jealous Husband” premieres at the Florida Film Festival.