Announcing the Spring 2026 Cohort of Documentary Film Fellows

The Shorenstein Center is proud to announce the Spring 2026 cohort of Documentary Film Fellows, who will be working closely with the Documentary Film in the Public Interest (DFPI) initiative. Through the fellows’ projects, the Shorenstein Center will engage in examinations of public impact and media policy. 

In spring 2026, Jax Deluca will be continuing her yearlong fellowship, and she will be joined by three new fellows: Patricia Finneran, Elizabeth Radshaw, and Khushboo Ranka.  

Shorenstein Center Director Nancy Gibbs said, “We are excited to welcome this new cohort to the Shorenstein Center, as we explore ways to advance public interest storytelling. These leaders in the field will probe the power of documentary to shape understanding and build a healthier public square.”  

“This fellows cohort boasts a deep bench of documentary field experience matched with new ideas and provocations,” shared DFPI Director Sara Archambault. “Each of these fellows is investigating public interest documentary and its audience in renewed ways. We’re excited to see not only what insights they generate, but how they might inform each other and provide new perspectives on the scope and impact of nonfiction filmmaking, over time and into the future!” 

More information is below. 

New Spring 2026 Documentary Film Fellows: 

Patricia Finneran is a leader in the documentary film and media impact community with a successful track record creating programs for organizations including AFI (Silverdocs), DocSociety, Good Pitch, Sundance, and IFP/New York. From 2022-24, she ran the StoryBoard Impact Fund in Geneva; her work increased awareness of impact distribution in Europe and supported more than 35 international filmmakers. 

 Patricia founded Story Matters to provide training and consulting services in documentary impact distribution, and work with nonprofit leaders to craft and activate strategies for organization advancement. She also frequently facilitates live programs and has worked with CPH DOX, DX Fest, FIFDH, IDFA, Movies that Matter, and more.   

 She holds a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University, is an AFI Producing alum, and completed National Arts Strategies Chief Executive and Ford JustFilms Rockwood Leadership programs. In addition to her research work at DFPI, upcoming projects include: co-creating Ireland’s first impact lab, launching director Neasa Ni Chianáin’s new climate-related feature, and Jonathan Stack’s new film SNIP TRIP.  

 While at Shorenstein, Patricia will look at how independent documentaries addressing climate change and fossil fuel extraction have affected interest in and the understanding of climate change issues, as measured by media impact data. 

Elizabeth Radshaw is an award-winning producer and cultural strategist with over 20 years of experience shaping the creative industries through strategy, partnerships, and storytelling innovation. As Director of Industry Programs at Hot Docs since 2009, she has guided the organization’s growth as a global hub for documentary and storytelling, managing a $12M portfolio of funds and programs that have supported thousands of filmmakers worldwide.  

Elizabeth has produced and executive produced acclaimed projects including IN THE NAME OF ALL CANADIANS, CITIZEN MINUTES, and ROADS TO REGENERATION, in partnership with the Governments of Canada and Ontario, SAP, and the Rossy Foundation. Through Hot Docs Partners, she has helped bring to life international titles such as UNDERLAND (dir. Rob Petit), FIREBALL (dir. Werner Herzog), LOUDMOUTH (dir. Josh Alexander), INFLUENCE (dir. Richard Poplak & Diana Neille), and THE LOST LEONARDO (dir. Andreas Koefoed). 

Previously, Elizabeth served as Head of Acquisitions at TVF International in London and worked with the National Film Board of Canada in publicity. She is also the Founder and Principal Cultural Strategist of Radical Heap, a consultancy focused on story, creative foresight, media innovation, and partnerships that connect culture, technology, and impact. 

During her time at Shorenstein, Elizabeth will work on new ways to strengthen brand and market value in public interest documentary and to improve audience discoverability.  

Khushboo Ranka is a Mumbai-based filmmaker known for AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN (2016), which became India’s highest-grossing political documentary. It premiered at TIFF, BFI, and over 55 international festivals, winning multiple awards, including the Doc Impact Hi5 Award for its groundbreaking campaign. She co-wrote SHIP OF THESEUS (2012), a philosophical exploration of identity and ethics, which won the National Award for Best Film and was celebrated at numerous international festivals.

Khushboo directed India’s first Virtual Reality Documentary, RIGHT TO PRAY (2016), which premiered at TIFF and Sheffield. She was also editor-in-chief of ElseVR, India’s first VR platform, producing several pioneering VR documentaries. Her first short film, CONTINUUM, won Best Short Film at the Hannover Film Festival. Most recently, she produced WHILE WE WATCHED, a Peabody and Henry Award-winning documentary on journalist Ravish Kumar, which won top awards at TIFF, Sheffield, and Sydney Film Festival.

Beyond filmmaking, she has been actively involved in mobilizing resources for nonfiction storytelling and content. Her latest project is a pulpy, noir-inspired detective series set in a fictional Indian town—a world of crime, rebellion, and shifting power dynamics—that explores autonomy, morality, and tradition in a rapidly changing landscape.  

While at Shorenstein, Khushboo will explore how a new generation of creators is turning to digital platforms—particularly YouTube—to tell urgent, investigative, and socially resonant stories. 

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This is the Shorenstein Center’s 6th class of documentary fellows. The inaugural class included filmmakers Jacqueline Olive, Mary Lampson, Natalie Bullock Brown, and Kirsten Johnson. The Spring 2024 class included Amy Hobby, Tabitha Jackson, and Karin Chien. The Fall 2024 class included Bernardo Ruiz and Abby Sun. The Spring 2025 class included Shirley Abraham and Sarafina DiFelice. The Fall 2025 class included Shirley Abraham, Patricia Aufderheide, and Jax Deluca.  

About the Documentary Film in the Public Interest Initiative 

The goal of the Shorenstein Center’s Documentary Film in the Public Interest (DFPI) initiative is to inspire a documentary film practice and infrastructure that can contribute to strong, informed societies. The initiative’s activities bridge thought and action. We bring together practitioners and researchers, journalists and documentary filmmakers, policy leaders and technologists in a shared project to build a resilient, ethical documentary field focused on serving the public good. 

For more information, go to: https://dfpi.shorensteincenter.org/