Portrait of Devon Blackwell
Devon Blackwell
Headshot of Devon Blackwell
Director

Devon Blackwell (she/her), is a director and editor from Silver Spring, Maryland. A 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and a Sundance Ignite Fellow, she is known for her debut film Goodbye Morganza, which premiered at Tribeca and earned a special jury mention, was shortlisted by DOC NYC, and won Best Documentary Short at the 2024 Atlanta Film Festival. Formerly an associate producer at The New Yorker, she has produced acclaimed documentaries including You’ll Be Happier and Nina & Irena which screened at Mountain Film, DOC NYC, and Big Sky among other prominent festivals.

Follow
Program cohorts
(Egg)celerator Lab 2026
films by Devon Blackwell
There are two species of giant pandas today. One lives on the wild eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau; the other is a caged emissary of soft power. For centuries, China has positioned pandas as gestures of goodwill, their presence in zoos the result of diplomatic negotiations. But for all they are adored, these bamboo-munching bears are genetically inferior versions of their former selves, lacking any ability to re-enter the wild. Leased for high fees, their fates are determined by political whim. Capturing the irony and heartbreak of these unwitting animals caught in geo-political conservation, the film questions whether pandas will ever be allowed to exist as just pandas.
Untitled Panda Film
Still from Untitled Panda Film
more (Egg)celerator Lab 2026 winners
Headshot of Director Sara Chisht, seated in a light-colored shirt against a plain background.
Sara Chishti
Headshot of Sara Chishti
Photo of a white woman with shoulder-length hair, crossing her arms, looking at the camera with bookshelves in the background.
Alyse Shorland
Headshot of Alyse Shorland