The Los Angeles Film Critics Association congratulates Sebastian Carrasco and ellie sunlight moon as the 2025 recipients of the LAFCA Ruth Batchelor Scholarship, supported by Rotten Tomatoes. The award was established in honor of the organization’s founder Ruth Batchelor to encourage and support aspiring film critics.

Sebastian Carrasco is a dual-degree graduate of Latin American history and violin performance from Bard College who has spent the last half decade synthesizing his profound love of cinema and academic interests into two parallel avenues: making films with his production company, Self-Exiled Productions, and co-hosting the film podcast Breaking the 180. Through these two ventures, Sebastian and his creative partner Alci Rengifo have dedicated themselves to keeping the tradition of cultural criticism alive, while also pushing forward those very critical elements into filmmaking. Self-Exiled Productions has produced many award-winning shorts that have competed around the world, including the Emerging Filmmakers Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival, LA Shorts International Film Festival, Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, Prague Independent Film Festival, and many more. In 2025, Sebastian’s short film No Return won the Best Director award at the OnlyShorts in Munich, and he is currently producing a film about the legendary Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton. Sebastian recently applied for the MFA program in Cinema Studies at UCLA.

ellie sunlight moon is a writer and graphic designer born and raised in Los Angeles. Spending their youth frequenting dark theaters for matinee showings and fluorescent-light Korean VHS stores, they are now a freelance film critic and the art director for L.A. Review of the Moving Image, one of the rare local print publications for film criticism in Los Angeles besides the Hollywood trades. They are also pursuing screenwriting after taking an interest in classes at Santa Monica College. Their favorite film of 2025 was Happyend, directed by Neo Sora, which they watched at Vidiots as part of the Los Angeles Festival of Movies.

Carrasco and moon will receive their $3,000 awards, plus Fandango gift cards, at the LAFCA awards ceremony on Saturday, January 10, at The Biltmore Los Angeles.