2023 SUNDANCE DOCUMENTARY FUND

The Documentary Fund celebrates excellence in craft, clarity in vision, and a deep connection to the stories being told, prioritizing productions where the creative and editorial control is held within the core creative team. Applicants may submit at any production phase from development through post-production. All proposals must convey some vision for a finished film.

Deadline for applications is April 17th. Learn more and apply here.

CHICKEN & EGG PICTURES RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT GRANT

The Chicken & Egg Pictures Research and Development Grant is currently accepting applications. The grant supports filmmakers from around the world who have directed at least two feature-length documentaries and are in the research & development stage of their next feature-length film. Each year, The Chicken & Egg Pictures Research & Development Grant will offer up to thirty (30) filmmaking teams a $10,000 USD grant for research or a $20,000 USD grant for development.

Deadline to apply is April 24th. Learn more here.

POINTS NORTH FELLOWSHIP

The Points North Fellowship invites up to 6 teams of early and mid-career filmmakers to Maine to accelerate the development of their feature documentary, culminating in the public presentation of the works-in-progress at the Points North Pitch. The Fellowship will take place in person in Maine. Anticipated dates are September 11-17, followed by virtual 1:1 industry meetings from Sep. 28th - October 3rd.

Deadline to apply is April 24th. Learn more here.

LEF/CIFF FELLOWSHIP

Developed in partnership with LEF New England, LEF/CIFF Fellowship is an opportunity for 5 New England-based filmmaking teams to attend the 2023 Camden International Film Festival and connect with other filmmakers and industry leaders through a series of mentor-led project development workshops, networking events, and curated 1:1 meetings taking place both in-person during the festival and virtually in the weeks following.

Deadline to apply is May 19th. Learn more here.

NORTH STAR FELLOWSHIP

Developed in collaboration with Kickstarter, the North Star Fellowship is one of the cornerstones of the Points North Institute, supporting four innovative media artists and filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds who are developing projects that span the latitudes of creative nonfiction. These might include film, video installation, audio and photo-based work, immersive experiences, performance or other modes and genres. The program culminates during 4 days of CIFF, where North Star Fellows plug into a global community of storytellers and artists, attending screenings, artist talks, panel discussions, industry meetings, and special events.

Deadline to apply is May 8th. Learn more here.

ORIGINAL VOICES SHORTS PITCH

Original Voices Shorts Pitch, a collaboration between IF/ThenShorts, NBCU Academy, and NBC News Studios, is now accepting applications. Five non-fiction filmmaking teams will receive $6,000 and the opportunity to pitch their projects. One team will also receive a $100,000 investment and commission deal from NBC News Studios.

Eligible filmmakers are US-based documentarians who identify as, or showcase stories highlighting social issues affecting, women, LGBTQ+ folx, communities of color, and people with disabilities regardless of career stage.

Deadline to apply is April 14th. Learn more here.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS LAVINE/KEN BURNS PRIZE FOR FILM

The Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film is a $200,000 cash award presented annually to an independent filmmaker for an original, feature-length U.S. historical documentary in the tradition of Ken Burns. Funding is provided by a generous gift from Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine and the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation. In addition, a $50,000 cash prize is awarded to the runner-up and $25,000 is awarded to 3-4 finalists. Films must reflect the highest standards of historical research, balance, accuracy, and dramatic storytelling. Funding is provided by The Better Angels Society.

Deadline to apply is May 15th. Learn more here.

CRITICAL JUNCTURE 2023

Critical Juncture is QWOCMAP’s new program that offers resources and support to emerging and early career LBTQIA+ filmmakers of color.

In 2023, Critical Juncture will serve LBTQIA+ Black/African Descent filmmakers who live, work, learn, or create in San Francisco. In future years, Critical Juncture will grow to support LBTQIA+ people of color filmmakers across the U.S.

Deadline to apply is April 30th. Learn more here.

MOFFOM DOCUMENTARY GRANT

Denver Films' Music on Film-Film on Music (MOFFOM) Documentary Grant provides up to $20,000 annually in finishing funds for scoring, composition, and music licensing efforts for feature-length documentaries directly related to music in post-production. Please review the guidelines and submission requirements here to determine whether your project qualifies.

Deadline for applications is June 1st. Learn more here.

NATHAN-ISM WORLD PREMIERE AT HOT DOCS

NATHAN-ISM will have its world premiere at the Hot Docs Festival. See details and purchase tickets here.

At 18 years old, Nathan Hilu, a Syrian Jew from New York, received an assignment from the US Army that would grow to define his life – to guard the masterminds of the Holocaust at the Nuremberg trials. This experience fueled a lifetime of artistic inspiration for Nathan, a virtually unknown “outsider” artist, who spent the next 70 years obsessively creating a visual narrative from his memories. But what happens when those memories take on a life of their own?

NATHAN-ISM explores Nathan’s relationship with his own stories, and the compulsion he has to share them with a world that doesn’t always listen.

KING LUCK WINS DOC-A-CHUSETTS PITCH

KING LUCK, a film by Emily Graham-Handley, has won the Salem Film Festival's Doc-a-chusetts Pitch. The prize is sound mix or color correction services from Modulus Studios.

Commonly known as the Charles Xavier of beatbox, Kid Lucky once saved the dying American beatbox scene by tracking down hundreds of vocal X-Men and bringing them together. Now, a deadly cancer diagnosis threatens to tear his life apart. With limited time and a mountain of healthcare costs, Kid has to harness his ability to inspire a movement. In a country where healthcare is a privilege for the lucky, he must mobilize the community he built to save his life and legacy. But first, he faces his biggest adversary yet: the insidious racial bias plaguing the US medical system.

CREDIBLE FEAR AND THE STAY INDIE PROJECT

CREDIBLE FEAR, directed by Gabrielle Ewing and produced by Azadeh Nikzadeh, has been selected as a participant of the Stay Indie Project. As a part of the Stay Indie Project, BFD Productions, the production company behind The Lower East Side Film Festival, will provide development and production support to selected project participants.

The Stay Indie Project has grown out of 13 years of partnership between The Lower East Side Film Festival and BFD Productions, combining LESFF’s commitment to support independent filmmakers, and BFD Production’s track record of producing high quality film and television content for major networks and streamers. 

THE FAITHFUL WINS BEST ESSAY

THE FAITHFUL, a film by Annie Berman, has won the prize for Best Essay at The International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA).

"The prize for Best Essay goes to The Faithful, The King, The Pope, The Princess , a unique investigation into idolatry and the power of images. The jury would like to salute the intimate commitment and the research of the director who knew how to touch, implicitly, a feeling of universal loneliness difficult to grasp."

DISSIDENTS WORK-IN-PROGRESS SCREENING

DCTV and IDA are hosting a DocuClub work-in-progress screening of the film DISSIDENTS. Following the screening, filmmakers Yi Chen and Titi Yu will be present for a feedback discussion.

Dissidents is a verite documentary about three exiled Chinese dissidents’ unyielding pursuit of justice and determination to defend democracy. The story follows the extraordinary journey of an artist, an activist, and a protestor confronting transnational surveillance, threats, and assaults in the US.

The screening will take place on April 24th at 7pm at the Firehouse Cinema (87 Lafayette Street New York, NY 10003.) More information here.

DESIRE LINES FUNDRAISING EVENT

The filmmaking team is delighted to announce the first public event connected to Jules Rosskam's CID-supported film, DESIRE LINES. The team will be holding an in-person fundraising event in Los Angeles on April 28th 6-8pm. At the event, they'll screen a short pilot concept of the film and have a conversation about trans masculine representation onscreen with celebrated icons in the community, including AMOS MAC (TV writer & Founding Editor of Original Plumbing); SCOTT TURNER SCHOFIELD (Emmy-nominated actor Executive Producer of They/Them); D'LO, Actor, Writer, & Comedian (HBO, NETFLIX, AMAZON, CW); including a special performance by EZRA MICHEL, musician & Founder of Pussyboy clothing brand, and more to be announced! Director, JULES ROSSKAM, Producer ANDRE PEREZ, and Executive Producer AJ CHRISTIAN will also be in person!

Advanced tickets are required; get tickets for the event here. 

LIFT UPDATES AND SCREENINGS

Miami Film Festival invited LIFT for a virtual and in-person screenings March 3 - 12, 2023. LIFT was invited to the 62nd Cartagena International Film Festival, the oldest one in Latin America on March 22 - 27, 2023. As part of the film's outreach efforts, it screened at the Los Angeles Public Library for an outreach screening on 3/28. 

LIFT has been selected by the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, FL to screen April 27-30 in conjunction with a special screening at the Warehouse Arts District Association (WADA). The film was just invited to the Seattle International Film Festival in May.

LIFT will screen on April 10th at the Port Washington Documentary Series on Long Island and in July, The Alliance to End Homelessness plans to feature LIFT at their annual conference in Washington, DC.

Lastly, the film will screen at Jacob’s Pillow, the renowned dance performance centre in Becket, Massachusetts as part of the Pillow Talk series.

FOUR WINTERS AT THE 92ND STREET Y, NYC

Join Director Julia Mintz and Moderator Annette Insdorf at the 92NY on April 17th at 7PM for a special event screening and post-screening discussion of the award-winning film FOUR WINTERS, held in commemoration of and on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Tickets here.

For information on upcoming screenings near you: fourwintersfilm.com/screenings

ENDURING DEMOCRACY UPDATES

ENDURING DEMOCRACY: THE MONTEREY PETITION premiered at the Cinequest Film Festival in August 2022 to sold out audiences and standing ovations. It recently screened at part of the 12th Annual Nichi Bei Films of Remembrance Event in San Francisco. This annual International event commemorates the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans in American concentration camps during WW II.

The team is proud to announce the recent addition of Sara Needham as Impact Producer. Inquiries about community screenings and festivals can be sent to her at sara@filmpath.com.

FROM BAGHDAD TO THE BAY BROADCAST

FROM BAGHDAD TO THE BAY will be airing on Contra Costa County public access TV (EdTV and CCTV) throughout the month of May in celebration of National Arab American Heritage Month. Schedule to be announced here when finalized. Or sign up for the newsletter (footer of homepage) to receive the schedule directly in your inbox!

From Baghdad To The Bay is a documentary that follows the journey of an Iraqi refugee and former translator for the US military. Wrongfully accused of being a double agent, tortured by the U.S., and ostracized from his family and country, Ghazwan Alsharif struggles to rebuild his life in the United States while coming out as an openly gay man. Visit the film's website here.

APA FOUNDATION UNDERWRITES NATIONAL MEDICAL SCHOOL TOUR OF CURED

The American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF) is providing a $50,000 grant to support the presentation of CURED at eight medical schools around the U.S. in the fall of 2023. APAF previously stepped forward as the Presenting Sponsor of the Outreach and Engagement campaign for the film, which premiered nationally on PBS' Independent Lens series in the fall of 2021 and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2022. In announcing the grant, APA CEO & Medical Director Dr. Saul Levin commented:  “CURED covers a pivotal moment in APA’s and psychiatry’s history that impacts millions of people’s lives to this day. It’s an important story that must be told to advance our collective work toward more perfect unions.” To learn more about the partnership between APAF and CURED, visit here.

COEXIST STREAMING

In honor of Genocide Awareness and Prevention month, COEXIST is free to stream at home for all of April. Upstander Project’s first film, produced in association with Center for Independent Documentary, focuses on Rwanda’s unprecedented social experiment in government-mandated reconciliation is revealed for the first time through the eyes of a diverse range of survivors: victims, perpetrators, and those who bore witness to the 1994 genocide.

WALKING CINEMA PROJECT: "MIGRANT FOOTSTEPS"

WALKING CINEMA is excited to announce the launch of our latest immersive documentary project, Migrant Footsteps. This is a series of three place-based audio and augmented reality experiences set in San Francisco neighborhoods—Chinatown, the Castro, and the Mission. Made in collaboration with the California Migration Museum, these immersive, multi sensory walks tell the stories of unconventional immigrants who reshaped the city. The stories are narrated in prose and song by diverse Bay Area musicians. They tours are FREE, available through an app, downloadable here.

We're also looking forward to our D.C. immersive walking tour, Before the Bulldozers, being featured at Sound Scene. Sound Scene is an interactive sound and multi-sensory arts festival that takes place at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. on June 3+4, 2023. If you're in the D.C. area, be sure to stop by and check out the booth!

Walking Cinema is hiring an audio producer, still and motion graphics designer, and a social media intern. See www.walkingcinema.org/hiring for more details.