Rashaad Newsome

Rashaad Newsome is a trailblazing filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist whose work blends film, performance, technology, and community organizing to reimagine the future of storytelling. Through immersive, genre-defying experiences, he challenges dominant narratives and creates expansive space for Black, queer, and trans voices. His practice draws from a philosophy of collage—merging animation, sculpture, music, and artificial intelligence to deconstruct and reconstruct cultural realities. A recipient of an honorary doctoral degree in Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut, Newsome’s work has been exhibited and performed globally at venues such as the Hayward Gallery (London), The Studio Museum in Harlem, Centre Pompidou (Paris), and Park Avenue Armory (NYC), and has screened at Sundance, SXSW, and on PBS. His honors include a 2025 Creative Capital Award, 2025 United States Artist Fellowship, Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nica, and the NEWFEST Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award.