The 2025 Tribeca Festival AT&T Untold Stories grant recipient has officially been unveiled. IndieWire can proudly announce that filmmaker Liz Sargent won $1 million to fund her feature “Take Me Home.” The film will premiere at the 2026 Tribeca Festival after Sargent receives year-round mentorship and promotional support, plus the funding.
Sargent is the eighth winner of the largest film production prize in the world. Her 2023 short film also titled “Take Me Home” previously debuted at Sundance and went on to screen at SXSW, Desertscape, and recently Slamdance Unstoppable. Her short centered on two estranged sisters, one of whom is cognitively disabled, who must learn to communicate after their mother’s death.
The logline for the feature adaptation reads: “Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting each other’s needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Anna’s routine, her future is uncertain — until she creates a world where she can thrive.”
“Take Me Home” was selected by the 2025 Untold Stories Greenlight Committee comprising of Stephanie Hsu, Andrew Ahn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Gina Rodriguez, AT&T Chief Marketing and Growth Officer Kellyn Kenny, and 2023 AT&T Untold Stories winner David Fortune (“Color Book”). The live pitch event panel was moderated by journalist and host Brooke Baldwin.
Other Untold Stories 2025 competing filmmakers included Meagan Noel Fulps (“Fight Like a Mother”), Masami Kawai (“Valley of the Tall Grass”), Jazz Pitcairn (“Ivan”), and Orlando Javier Torres (“Un Lugar De Agua”).
“This decision was incredibly difficult, we have love for all of these films. They are rich, textured, beautiful worlds that we have never seen before, and we want to acknowledge the time and effort that has gone into crafting these stories and characters,” the 2025 Greenlight Committee said in a joint statement. “While we believe all of these untold stories should be told, we have tremendous confidence that Liz Sargent’s ‘Take Me Home’ will make an incredibly, beautiful film. Congratulations Liz, our eighth winner of AT&T’s Untold Stories.”
While introducing this year’s program, Tribeca co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal told the audience that the Untold Stories program is “one of the most meaningful events” of the festival. “This isn’t just a competition. It’s a launchpad — and a lifeline — for emerging filmmakers,” Rosenthal said. “Untold Stories is the largest production prize of its kind in the world. There’s nowhere else you can walk away with a one-million-dollar grant and the promise of a festival premiere, with creative support every step of the way.”
Rosenthal applauded the five finalists for 2025 for representing “bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and the kind of storytelling that stays with you.” The iconic producer added, “I can’t wait to see what these incredible artists have created and to welcome another feature into the Tribeca family.”
Sargent said of her win, “I’m so honored to bring this story to life. I can’t wait to share my sister Anna’s awesomeness with the world. While this story belongs to her, we also know it’s a universal story that will resonate with audiences everywhere. We are so excited to be working with AT&T and Tribeca on this very special and personal story.”
The 2024 Untold Stories winner “Honeyjoon” is now premiering at Tribeca 2025. Lilian T. Mehrel told IndieWire that the Tribeca AT&T Untold Stories team supported her directorial debut with the “most kind, caring, brilliant mentors” Bryce Norbitz and Michelle Hamada, who offered feedback starting from the pitch for the film and even organized test screenings. “I felt complete creative freedom and trust in my directorial vision,” Mehrel said, adding that she is still in contact with her fellow Tribeca AT&T Untold Stories award winners. “Each director has their own distinct voice they were chosen for, but we’re all connected by this life-changing award. Especially the more recent alumni; I’ve seen their beautiful films, they’ve shared so much of their experiences with me, and I can’t wait to pass it forward to the next.”
