TDE Films, the film division of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), has announced the five filmmakers and projects selected for its inaugural Short Film Fund: Diamond Basté (The Art of Deception), Jeremy Hsing (Big Baller Boy), Brittany Alexia Young (Bossanova), Alejandra López (Salmon Run), and Ciara Boniface (Sweet Vincent).
Launched by TDE Founder and CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, the fund provides full financial backing, mentorship, and tailored production resources to help emerging voices bring their stories to life. “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,” said Tiffith.
After receiving nearly 1,000 submissions, TDE Films selected five filmmakers whose proposed short films reflect cultural depth, emotional resonance, and fearless creativity.
The Projects
The Art of Deception — Written by Diamond Basté
A struggling artisan seduced by fame and fortune becomes the sugar baby of a world-renowned artist, only to discover he’s a serial killer who turns his victims into macabre works of art.
About Basté: Basté, a South Central Los Angeles native and U.S. Army veteran, is known for directing acclaimed shorts like Don’t Hang Up and Stand Up, which screened internationally and earned multiple festival honors.
Big Baller Boy — Written by Jeremy Hsing
An anxious 15-year-old tries out for his high school basketball team to make his former pro-athlete father proud, but both learn there’s more to life than chasing success.
About Hsing: A Taiwanese American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, Hsing’s work explores identity, mental health, and emotional catharsis through genre-driven storytelling. His projects have screened nationally, including the Webby-winning Renegades – Judy-Lynn Del Rey: The Galaxy Gal for PBS.
Bossanova — Written by Brittany Alexia Young
After a crushing defeat in his comeback fight, a washed-up wrestler confronts his drag queen son who’s taken his stage name, leading to an unexpected lesson in self-acceptance.
About Young: A Florida-born filmmaker and former Division I athlete, Young is celebrated for creating genre-blending, coming-of-age stories that spotlight Black and queer protagonists beyond trauma. She’s also a 2025 Sundance Ignite Fellow and recipient of The Future of Film is Female x Neon Grant.
Salmon Run — Written by Alejandra López
A Puerto Rican mother joins a Los Angeles salmon factory to support her family, but when her best friend disappears, she uncovers a dangerous secret threatening them all.
About López: Born and raised in Puerto Rico, López was the first Latina to direct for Marvel Entertainment and is known for her award-winning short The Blue Cape. She’s an alum of the Warner Bros. Discovery Access Directors Program and the Women in Film Directing Fellowship.
Sweet Vincent — Written and Directed by Ciara Boniface
A professional jazz musician and her old lover, both haunted by grief, struggle to reconcile on the day of a life-changing performance.
About Boniface: Boniface, a New Orleans native now based in Los Angeles, is a writer, director, and editor whose storytelling blends Southern culture, grief, and identity. Her short Blue Porcelain premiered at the Micheaux Film Festival and is being adapted into her debut feature, The Okra Tree.
TDE Films first entered the film space in 2024 with Britt Banks’ short We Are Not Okay, which premiered at MoMA’s The Future of Film Is Female showcase and went on to screen at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival and the Micheaux Film Festival. The success of that project inspired the creation of the Short Film Fund to bridge the resource gap for underrepresented filmmakers.
Currently, TDE Films is developing its debut feature The Zone in partnership with 20th Century Studios, with Dallas Jackson directing and David Hayter (X-Men) co-writing.
Through the Short Film Fund, TDE continues its legacy of amplifying fearless storytellers — not just in music, but now on screen.