Cinema helped Elie El Choufany survive during his tough childhood. As an adult, cinema has helped him thrive – both as a screenwriting instructor for UCLA Extension and now as a newly announced 2026 Academy Nicholl Fellowship winner.

“All my life, cinema has been what has pushed me to become who I am today. Being an Academy Nicholl Fellowship winner is a dream come true.” he said. “I create stories and enjoy seeing them be watched and understood.”

The Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting is considered one of the most prestigious contests for writers striving to make it in Hollywood. Awardees get to participate in pitch workshops, media training sessions, meet-and-greets and more, while receiving ongoing mentorship and career advancement support from the Academy.

“This always felt unreachable because they receive thousands and thousands of applications each year,” Choufany said, “I think they told us the odds of winning the fellowship is smaller than the odds of hitting a home run, or something like that. And so, when we won, I was ecstatic.”

Choufany knew who he was at a very young age, and it was during his childhood that the spark to create new worlds blossomed.

“I grew up in Lebanon during the civil war, and for the first few years of my life, I lived in an underground shelter with my family,” he said. “But my parents owned a VHS store right above the shelter that survived the fight. So, I would wait for my parents to fall asleep, and I would sneak upstairs, unlock the store and watch movies all throughout the night.”

As soon as he saw Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” he laid out his plans to make movies his career. Cinema took him to a new world. There were space adventures and the realm of new dimensions. No matter the genre, they all pulled him into an alternate reality, one that felt less like escape than belonging, a safe place he could exist inside. That was the feeling he realized he might be able to give other people, too.

“That’s the moment I thought about when I decided to become a film writing instructor at UCLA Extension,” he said. “I teach because I absolutely love storytelling, but also because it is part of my mission and passion to encourage people to be vocal and to tell their stories so that there's more understanding and empathy in the world that we live in.”

Choufany’s own path actually did not start with screenwriting. At first, he thought he would be in front of the camera.

“Funnily enough, I wanted to be an actor, but when I found out that the ones who are actually doing the storytelling are behind the scenes, I made the transition.” he said.

Choufany attended one of the largest universities in Lebanon, The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, and received a very thorough film studies education. He then completed his master's degree at the London Film School, and afterwards came to America to participate in a directing and screenwriting program at the New York Film Academy.

“Everything I’ve learned really solidified the idea that the art of cinema was for me, and it was the extra encouragement that I needed to go on to instruct at UCLA Extension, as well,” he said.

Choufany was inspired by the material he learned and wanted to share his excitement about the art of filmmaking with others. He began working with UCLA Extension in 2022 to teach screenwriting at its Writers’ Program. But while working as an instructor, he also continued making films and submitting to festivals and competitions.

One screenplay, in particular, began to gain notoriety. Choufany wrote a story that lives in the intersection between politics and religion, called “The Washroom,” with fellow screenwriter, film festival competitor and friend, Omar Al Dakheel.

“‘The Washroom’ is effectively a room in a mosque where Iman, the main character, washes the body of the deceased before they bury them. And it really encapsulates the core theme of the movie, which is the relationship between the living and the dead and how ultimately, we all have the same collective human experience.” Choufany said.

He and Al Dakheel took five years to perfect the final script, and originally submitted it to several film festivals where it gained traction. After his piece won awards from the Sundance Institute and the Islamic Scholarship Fund, he decided to give the Nicholl Fellowship competition a chance, hoping the script was ready to compete among more than 2,000 entrants.

“Winning the Nicholl Fellowship was the most validating thing I've ever experienced,” he said. “And now we're on our way to pre-production and shooting the movie later this year, and I am so excited.”

As Choufany continues his love of the art of filmmaking, he knows his future lies in furthering his goals of creating more worlds for people to be drawn to. And while he works on his upcoming film, he has much more in store both in the classroom at UCLA Extension and on the screen.

“When I see the joy on the faces of the people who are moved by what I’ve created, it makes me feel glad that I chose my path,” he said.