Ryan Mekenian’s short documentary, "Spokespeople," which celebrates the dynamic bicycle communities of LA, won the Jury Prize for Best Short Doc at the Annapolis Film Festival. "Spokespeople" also screened at prestigious events such as the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival and other Oscar-qualifying festivals, including the Rhode Island International Film Festival, Santa Fe International Film Festival, Bogotá Short Film Festival, and Edmonton International Film Festival.
His feature screenplay, "The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair," was named a quarterfinalist for the Academy Nicholl Fellowship and received the Screenwriting Discovery Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Ryan holds an MFA from USC's School of Cinematic Arts and a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. In 2023, he was honored with the Emerging Arts Fellowship from the California Arts Council for his promising work in the field.
