Center For
Independent
Documentary
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Resources & Opportunities |
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BFI DOC SOCIETY FEATURES FUND |
The BFI Doc Society Fund aims to develop storytellers from all parts of the UK, backing feature projects with bold cultural and social ambitions. The fund supports features at any stage including development, production and completion.
The deadline for submissions is September 16th. Learn more and apply here.
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[Image Description: The BFI Doc Society logo] |
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Starting at the height of the pandemic in 2020, Tasveer Film Fund was one of the first funds in the US solely dedicated to supporting South Asian filmmakers. Winners receive a monetary grant and year-long mentorship. With partal support from Netflix, Tasveer has expanded the program to support short film, documentary, and LGBTQIA+ short film projects.
Early bird deadline is August 25th. Learn more here.
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[Image Description: Tasveer logo] |
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SOUTHERN DOCUMENTARY FUND PRODUCTION GRANT |
The Southern Documentary Fund Production Grant program seeks to bring visibility to makers and communities who are oftentimes overlooked. Directors should reside or have deep roots in one of twelve Southern states. Eligible projects are nonfiction documentaries that are in production.
Deadline to apply is July 18th. Learn more here.
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[Image Description:Southern Documentary Fund logo] |
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DOCUMENTARY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE |
The Documentary Development Initiative is a new partnership between The Gotham and HBO Documentary Films. The program is created for storytellers who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or storytellers with disabilities. The program's intent is to provide resources to develop thought-provoking, character-driven contemporary ideas for documentary films and limited series. Up to 10 selected filmmakers will be given grants of $50,000 for research and creative development at an early stage.
Deadline to submit is July 26th. Learn more here.
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[Image Description: Poster with a teal background and bold black text that reads: "2022 Documentary Development Initiative. Apply by July 26th" At the bottom are logos for HBO Documentary Films, OneFifty, WBD Access and The Gotham. ] |
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AMERICAN STORIES DOCUMENTARY FELLOWSHIP |
The American Stories Documentary Fellowship will support five filmmaking teams from underrepresented backgrounds making creative, cinematic and character-driven documentaries about modern America. Fellows will receive a $10,000 grant to support production or post-production costs. From September 11-18, they'll participate in an immersive, creative retreat on the coast of Maine, where they'll workshop their stories with experienced mentors and industry leaders in the week leading up to the Camden International Film Festival. Fellows will also have opportunities to participate in industry meetings during CIFF and a virtual market following the festival.
Deadline to apply is July 12th. Learn more and apply here.
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[Image Description: Poster in shades of purple with a group of smiling people in the background. Large white text reads: "American Stories Documentary Fellowship: $10,000 Grant & Creative Retreat in Maine. Deadline July 12th." Points North logo is in the lower right hand corner.] |
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The AXS Film Fund supports creators of color in documentary filmmaking or nonfiction new media who identify as having a disability. They seek to bring visibility to creators who are oftentimes overlooked. While they ask that a person of color with a disability is a key contributor to the project, they welcome diverse teams to apply. Each year, up to five creators are awarded with grants of up to $10,000 to assist them in finishing their projects in any stage of production.
Deadline to apply is July 31st. Learn more and apply here.
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[Image Description: AXS Film Fund logo"] |
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PBS/FIRELIGHT WILLIAM GREAVES PRODUCTION FUND |
The PBS/Firelight William Greaves Production Fund will resource documentary productions by mid-career filmmakers from diverse communities in the US that are intended for distribution on PBS through finishing funds or co-production funding.
Deadline to apply is August 8th. Learn more here.
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[Image Description: Firelight Media logo] |
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WILLIAM GREAVES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUND |
The William Greaves Research and Development Fund resources talented, mid-career nonfiction storytellers from racially and ethnically underrepresented communities in the US, as well as filmmakers from Mexico, Brazil, Purto Rico, and Colombia with a particular interest in those who identify as being of Indigenous and/or of African descent.
Deadline to apply is August 8th. Learn more and apply here.
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[Image Description: Firelight Media logo] |
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CATAPULT FILM FUND DEVELOPMENT GRANT |
Catapult gives early support to propel projects forward that hold the promise of a story that should be uniquely told in film. The Development Grant provides development funding, up to $20,000, to documentary filmmakers who have a strong story to tell, have secured access, and are ready to create a fundraising piece to help unlock critical production funding.
Deadline to apply is August 31st. Learn more here.
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[Image Description: Catapult Film Fund logo] |
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SUNDANCE DOCUMENTARY EDIT AND STORY LAB |
The Sundance Institute has set the participants and projects for its Documentary Edit and Story Lab. The list includes CID sponsored filmmaking partners Jude Chehab and Fahd Ahmed (Q).
The Institute also named the artists selected for the second edition of its Art of Editing Fellowship. The fellows include CID sponsored filmmaker Luna X. Moya (WHAT THE PIER GAVE US).
Read the full list of fellows here.
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[Image Description: Sundance Institute logo] |
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BROWN GIRLS DOC MAFIA FEEDBACK LOOP |
Brown Girls Doc Mafia have announced their 2022 Feedback Loop selected projects, which include the CID sponsored film BASEBALL BEHIND BARBED WIRE (directed by Yuriko Romer, associate producer Loi Ameera Almeron.)
Feedback Loop aims to help BGDM members take greater leaps towards their project goals by providing them with in-depth feedback directly from Creative and Industry advisors. Read the full list of selected projects here.
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[Image Description: Brown Girls Doc Mafia logo] |
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LIFT AT TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
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LIFT (directed by David Petersen; produced by Mary Recine and David Petersen) had its world premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival with three sold out screenings and a fourth added by popular demand. The film won the 2nd place Audience Award for Documentary Feature.
Filmed over ten years, LIFT shines a spotlight on the invisible story of homelessness in America through the eyes of a group of young homeless and home-insecure ballet dancers in New York City. Follow LIFT on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @liftdocumentary #LiftDoc
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[Image Description: A ballet dancer gracefully leaps across a stage as several ballet dancers stand watching in the background. Large white text reads "LIFT". The 2022 Tribeca Film Festival laurel is above the text.] |
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THE STREET PROJECT RELEASE
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On August 25th, a new documentary distributed through PBS International will highlight the global, citizen-led fight to make our streets safer: THE STREET PROJECT. Created by the multiple Emmy-winning team at Boyd Productions, The Street Project takes viewers across the globe in an uplifting narrative, from cycling-friendly meccas in Europe, to New York City and Phoenix, Arizona - the most dangerous city in America for pedestrians - for a deep dive into how America views our streets and how they can be made safer. In the USA, the documentary will be available for streaming on Amazon, Apple, and other platforms.
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[Image Description: A poster for the film The Street Project with a photograph of a person riding a bike, wearing a red hat, a black and white scarf, and sunglasses. Small text at the top of the poster reads "From the 9X Emmy Award Winning Director Jennifer Boyd" Below that, larger text reads "THE STREET PROJECT". In a graphic of a white crosswalk, with splatters of red, text reads "THE FIGHT TO MAKE OUR STREETS SAFER."].} |
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LOVE & STUFF, directed by Judith Helfand, will premiere on September 5th, 2022 on PBS' "POV", the longest running series for independent documentaries on television.
Seven months after helping her terminally ill mother have a "good death" in home-hospice, filmmaker Judith Helfand becomes a "new old" single mother at 50. Love & Stuff explores the transformative power of parenting, our complex and very emotional attachment to "stuff," and what it is we really need to leave our children.
Read the full lineup for the 35th season of "POV" here.
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[Image Description: Filmmaker Judith Helfand sits on a red couch holding her baby. She gazes directly ahead into the camera. Packages of diapers and other "stuff" are stacked behind her.] |
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SONG OF SALT AT MIMESIS DOC FESTIVAL
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SONG OF SALT, directed by Emma Baiada and Nicolas Snyder, will be the Opening Night Film at the Mimesis Documentary Festival on August 2nd in Boulder, Colorado. Tickets for the in-person screening and Q&A will be available beginning July 19. The film will also be streaming for the duration of the festival (August 2 - 7) for those who want to watch it from home.
Set in an isolated mining town on the outskirts of Death Valley, Song of Salt is an immersive glimpse into the struggles and celebrations within a tight-knit community as its residents, suspended between the past and the future, face the present realities of an eroding economy. Watch the trailer and visit the film's website here.
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[Image Description: A person stands bent over in a shallow lake filled with piles of salt. They are harvesting the rocks, wrapping them in newspaper, and placing them in cardboard boxes. At the top of the image are laurels for the DocFest and Lighthouse International Film festivals.] |
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OCIA PRODUCTIONS NEW WEBSITE |
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[Image Description: A poster in neon yellow, green and pink reads "OCIA Productions, www.ociapla.com, Los Angeles."] |
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WE WANT THE AIRWAVES RELEASED BY GRAVITAS VENTURES
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The award-winning feature documentary WE WANT THE AIRWAVES is being released by Gravitas Ventures. It is available to rent or purchase here. It is also available on VOD and cable pay-per-view.
We Want the Airwaves follows three first time TV makers who set out on a bold, visionary Hollywood adventure: to change television as we know it. The trio creates, films and pitches their groundbreaking advocacy docuseries masterpiece, "Manifesto!" all over the world, with the goal of starting a citizen's platform and giving a broadcast voice to a generation.
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[Image Description: A close-up photograph of a man wearing aviator-style sunglasses and staring straight ahead. A crowd of people can be seen in the reflection of the sunglass lenses. Rainbow colored text in all caps reads "WE WANT THE AIRWAVES"] |
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UNRAVELING AT STOWE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
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UNRAVELING, directed by Jeff Swimmer and produced by Stacey Ravel Abarbanel, will screen at the Stowe Jewish Film Festival in Vermont on July 21st. The film will be followed by a post-screening talk via Zoom with Stacey Ravel Abarbanel and scholar Maxwell E. Greenberg, who appears in the film. More details and tickets available here.
Delve into memory, history, and contemporary life in Columbus, New Mexico - famed for being raided by Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution - as the filmmaker explores a rumor that Villa invaded the town seeking revenge on her grandfather.
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[Image Description: A sepia-toned poster divided down the center with a photo of Sam Ravel on one side, and a photo of Pancho Villa on the other. In the center is a photo of filmmaker Stacey Ravel Abarbanel walking towards the camera. The film's title "Unraveling" is in large text at the top. Smaller text below reads "My grandfather, Pancho Villa, and me."] |
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QUEERING YOGA AT MELBOURNE DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
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QUEERING YOGA, a film by Ewan Duarte, will have its International and Australian premiere in the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival online during July 1st-July 31st. More information can be found here.
Queering Yoga tells the story of 6 Queer/Trans/QTPOC yoga teachers and their personal stories of healing, transformation, and yoga journey. Visit the film's website here and watch the trailer.
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[Image Description: Queering Yoga logo] |
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76 DAYS AT MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM
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Through August 14th, visitors to the Mystic Seaport Museum will be able to see the trailer from the documentary 76 DAYS, a film that tells the true story of Steven Callahan's epic survival ordeal as told in his best-selling book, "Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea." The trailer will be available to watch as part of the Museum's newest exhibition, "Story Boats: The Tales They Tell." "Story Boats" gathers a diverse selection of boats, large and small, to offer a fresh and exciting view into the American maritime experience. Learn more and purchase your tickets here.
The first test screening of 76 DAYS will be held in Rockland, ME at The Strand Theater on August 12th.
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[Image Description: A small white boat floating on calm blue waters. Text reads: "Story Boats. The tales they tell." ] |
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DOC FILMMAKING COURSES SCHEDULED FOR SUMMER |
Please help spread the word about these upcoming doc filmmaking courses:
“Michael Sheridan is one of the best teachers one could hope to have. He has a genuine commitment to facilitating students’ ability to realize their vision, which is backed by a deep understanding of technology and technique. I had the pleasure of hiring Michael to teach over twenty years, and student reviews were always excellent.” – Anne Marie Stein, Former Executive Director, Boston Film/Video Foundation and Dean Emeritus, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
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[Image Description: The survivors of the Deoli camp stand together outside in a large group holding handwritten signs in protest. A few protesters also hold large printed banners.] |
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"The Deoliwallahs"
Directed and produced by Lulu Men
Co-produced by Joy Ma
The untold history of nearly 3,000 Chinese Indian incarcerated in a prison camp in Deoli in 1962. What have they done? And where are they now? The Deoliwallahs tells the story of the survivors' attempts at justice sixty years later and the history's impact on their everyday lives.
Read more and contribute to the film here.
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Featured Resource Of The Month |
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[Image Description: PBS logo] |
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Since its inception in 2012, the PBS Short Film Festival has showcased independent films of all genres. This year's festival is from July 11th - 22nd. All participating films will be streaming on PBS.org and PBS's social media channels starting July 11th.
Check out the full list of films here.
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Want to support CID while you shop? Sign up for AmazonSmile and select The Center for Independent Documentary, Inc. as your preferred charity at smile.amazon.com/ch/04-2738458. Remember to shop for deals at smile.amazon.com, or with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon app, and AmazonSmile will donate to us at no cost to you.
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We are grateful for the generous support of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Mass Cultural Council, and administered by the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture. |
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Center For Independent Documentary | 1-339-364-1278 | www.documentaries.org |
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