October 22, 2025
TDE has selected five LA-based filmmakers with diverse stories to tell as part of its inaugural Short Film Fund.
TDE Films, the film division of Grammy-winning Top Dawg Entertainment, has announced five Los Angeles-based filmmakers as recipients of its inaugural Short Film Fund.
On Oct. 22, rising filmmakers Diamond Batiste, Ciara Boniface, Jeremy Hsing, Alejandra López, and Brittany Alexia Young were named the inaugural cohort for TDE’s first-ever Short Film Fund. The initiative, launched by the media powerhouse behind Grammy-winning artists Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and Doechii, will provide the filmmakers with full resources to produce short films exploring issues affecting their communities.
“Our goal with TDE Films’ Short Film Fund is to assemble a roster of filmmakers who have powerful stories to tell and support them with the financing, tools, resources, and mentorship they need to thrive in TV and film,” TDE Founder and CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith said in a press release.
Among the upcoming shorts, Diamond Batiste’s The Art of Deception follows a struggling freelance artist who becomes the sugar baby of a world-renowned artist and collector in her pursuit of fame and fortune. Her quest takes a dark turn when she discovers the artist is a serial killer who turns victims into macabre works of art. Jeremy Hsing’s Big Baller Boy explores the story of an anxious 15-year-old trying to impress his former basketball-phenom father by making the school team, only for both father and son to learn there’s more to life than basketball.
Brittany Young’s Bossanova follows a washed-up WWE star who receives an unexpected lesson in self-acceptance after confronting his drag queen son for using his stage name. Alejandra López’s Salmon Run tells the story of a desperate Puerto Rican mother who takes a job at a salmon factory in urban Los Angeles, only to uncover a sinister plot after her best friend mysteriously disappears. Ciara Boniface’s Sweet Vincent centers on a professional jazz musician and her former lover, both haunted by grief as they struggle to reconcile on the day of a life-changing performance.
Launched in March 2025, TDE Films continues the brand’s legacy of masterful storytelling by amplifying diverse stories that reflect bold, authentic, and provocative narratives that challenge and inspire culture. Following its initial foray into film with the December 2024 premiere of writer/director Britt Banks’ short, We Are Not Okay, the company was inspired by the positive reception and created the Short Film Fund to provide emerging filmmakers with the resources needed to bring their unique visions to life.
“We have a track record of creating the biggest artists in the world who are known for their fearless storytelling,” Tiffith said. “I believe this fund will help us discover a new generation of behind-the-camera talent whose stories are ready to be seen.”
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