Mwosa Wins Brother Thomas Fellowship to Complete Film

Filmmaker and Assistant Professor Thato Mwosa ’01 was recently honored as one of 17 artists selected as 2025 Brother Thomas Fellows.

The unrestricted fellowship provides $15,000 to $20,000 to artists, who can use the funds without stipulations. Mwosa plans to use the funds to complete a short film she’s currently working on that she hopes to develop into a feature film.

In her application for the fellowship, Mwosa emphasized her mission to amplify stories from marginalized communities, particularly those of immigrants.

“Until Further Notice, [is] about a trans African woman in Boston who must make an impossible choice after her asylum is denied – run from the life she’s built or wait to be taken,” said Mwosa.

Mwosa also received support from Emerson through a Faculty Advancement Fund Grant (FAFG) to cover production costs. Mwosa would like to use the remaining funds allocated to develop a feature adaptation of Until Further Notice into a film called Fireflies Don’t Burn.

“[Fireflies Don’t Burn] follows a headstrong teen who flees her strict African parents and finds refuge with her transgender aunt, unearthing family trauma and embarking on a journey of self-discovery,” said Mwosa.

The Brother Thomas Fund has provided more than $1.7 million to 108 artists across a spectrum of experience levels and disciplines, including cartoonists, filmmakers, poets, ceramic artist, violinists, and more. The fund was established at The Boston Foundation to honor the legacy of Brother Thomas Bezanson, a Benedectine monk and world-renowned ceramic artist who wanted the sale of his work to support artists at critical junctures in their careers.