SPOTLIGHT ON DOCUMENTARIES

Spotlight on Documentaries offers emerging and established filmmakers the opportunity to introduce new work in production or post-production to the Project Market’s attending industry professionals.

Over the course of the Project Market, selected filmmakers are invited to meet with hundreds of industry representatives from companies such as A24, Cinetic, Dogwoof, Ford Foundation, HBO Documentary Films, IFC Films, Impact Partners, ITVS, MUBI, NEON, POV, Submarine, Sony Pictures Classics, Sundance Institute, SFFilm and more, and festival and market reps from Hot Docs, IDFA, Sheffield Doc/Fest, SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival and more.

Deadline for applications is May 23rd. Learn more and apply here.

THE AXS FILM FUND

The AXS Film Fund is for creators of color in documentary filmmaking or nonfiction new media who identify as living with a disability. They seek to bring visibility to creators who are oftentimes overlooked. While they ask that a person of color living with a disability is a key contributor to the project, they welcome diverse teams to apply. Five creators will be awarded with grants of up to $10,000 each to assist them in finishing their projects in any stage.

Deadline to apply is July 31st. Learn more here.

WOMEN'S FILM PRESERVATION FUND

The Women’s Film Preservation Fund of New York Women in Film & Television has opened its Preservation grant cycle. Since 1995 the WFPF has been bringing awareness to women’s enormous accomplishment in filmmaking by funding preservation of films made by American women everywhere and films made in the US by women from other countries. To date, they’ve preserved approximately 135 of these American-made films, bringing back into view important lost films and significant but overlooked films from the past, showing that women have been integral to filmmaking since its inception.

Deadline to apply is June 15th. 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.

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.

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.

Q WORLD PREMIERE AT TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

Q, produced and directed by Jude Chehab, will have its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival. Find more details and purchase tickets here.

God works in mysterious ways and so do women. Q dives deep into the spiritual hold a religious order has over the filmmaker, her mother and grandmother, a hold that not only stole her mother’s heart but her soul.

ADVENTURES IN MISCARRIAGE RECEIVES GRANT FROM ROOFTOP FILM 2023 FILMMAKERS FUND

Cheryl Furjanic was awarded a grant for her film ADVENTURES IN MISCARRIAGE from the Rooftop Films 2023 Filmmakers Fund. She received the NYCEDC Brooklyn Army Terminal Production Office Grant. Read more here.

ADVENTURES IN MISCARRIAGE is a moving and entertaining (yes, entertaining) documentary by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Cheryl Furjanic that pulls back the curtain on miscarriage. After enduring a second-trimester pregnancy loss in a hotel bathroom three thousand miles from home, this heartbroken lesbian filmmaker navigates her ongoing grief using dark humor, surrealist vignettes, and absurdist fantasy to reveal how far we have to go to improve miscarriage care in the United States.

DISSIDENTS RECEIVES GRANT FROM TAIWAN FOUNDATION FOR DEMOCRACY

DISSIDENTS, a film by Yi Chen, has received a grant from the Tawian Foundation for Democracy.

DISSIDENTS tells the story of three exiled Chinese dissidents taking their activism for democracy to the streets in the U.S. but who are targeted by the Chinese government’s transnational repression campaign – foreign governments who reach across borders to silence dissent among diasporas and exiles.

SALLY RECEIVES GRANT FROM JONATHAN LOGAN FAMILY FOUNDATION

Deborah Craig’s documentary SALLY about lesbian feminist Sally Gearhart and second wave feminism just received a $20,000 grant from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation to help with completion of the film. Deborah and team hope to finish a rough cut of the film by the end of the year. The Jonathan Logan Family Foundation supports organizations that advance social justice by empowering world-changing work in investigative journalism, documentary film and arts & culture.  

CISCO KID AT FESTIVALS

CISCO KID, directed by Emily Kaye Allen, will screen at two festivals in May: the film will play in the International Competition at BelDocs in Belgrade, Serbia (May 10-17), and at the Salida Film Festival in Colorado (May 12-15). Founded in 2008, BelDocs "has been endeavoring to create a unique space where the specificity of documentary film will be celebrated and the pressing issues facing humankind will be discussed outspokenly." The International Program includes "ten exceptional titles by bold authors who lay the foundations of a new pantheon of documentary." The Salida Film Festival, now in its second year, is a "celebration of the Mountain West" through film. 

THE BIG PAYBACK AND THE REPARATIONS COLLEGE DEBATE SERIES

THE BIG PAYBACK film team successfully completed the first phase of its Reparations College Debate Series, featuring film screenings and student-led debates at 8 HBCUs in North Carolina. Ben & Jerry's, one of the few companies in the country that has publicly endorsed reparations for Black Americans, partnered with the film team and were on-site at every campus scooping free ice cream and passing out social impact action-focused materials. Watch a video from the Bennett College event here.

FEELINGS ARE FACTS ON PBS

FEELINGS ARE FACTS: THE LIFE OF YVONNE RAINER, produced by Christine Murray and Jack Walsh, and directed by Jack, has its PBS premiere throughout the month of June to coincide with Pride Month. Offered by NETA nationwide, PBS World has scheduled the film for broadcast on June 30 at 7 p.m./ET (check local listings for times).

LIFT UPDATES AND SCREENINGS

The Ford Foundation honored the LIFT documentary and New York Theatre Ballet with a special screening on March 23, 2023, attended by principal advisor Misty Copeland and many figures from the world of dance and social justice. 

The film had its Latin American premiere at the 62nd Cartagena International Film Festival - FICCI 62, in Colombia on March 22 - 27, 2023 and screened at the Port Washington Documentary Series on Long Island on April 10. It also screened at the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, FL.

LIFT is an official selection of the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) and will screen May 14 & 15, 2023. Director David Petersen, producer Mary Recine, and LIFT star Steven Melendez will attend both Q&As.

LIFT will be the centerpiece of the Nova Frontier Arts Festival, screening at the Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn, with special outreach to communities in Crown Heights, Bed-stuy, and East New York on July 8, 2023. Steven Melendez will attend the Q&A. In July, The Alliance to End Homelessness plans to feature LIFT at their annual conference in Washington, DC on July 17-19, 2023. Director David Petersen, producer Mary Recine, and LIFT star Steven Melendez will attend both Q&As.

LIFT will screen at the Jacob’s Pillow, the renowned dance performance centre in Becket, Massachusetts as part of the Pillow Talk series on July 22, 2023. Artistic Director of NYTB, Steven Melendez and founder of NYTB and LIFT Diana Byer will serve as panelists.

THE SECRET SONG HOMETOWN DEBUT

After stops in Austin, Sarasota, Sedona, and beyond, THE SECRET SONG will finally have its San Francisco premiere at SF DocFest on June 2nd! The filmmakers are excited to be part of the festival’s opening weekend, and it’s such a joy to be able to present this film to friends and family at one of their favorite movie houses anywhere – a huge pillar for the local indie film scene – the Roxie Theater. In other news, last month they were part of the Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, still going strong after 71 years.

PERFECT STRANGERS UPDATE

PERFECT STRANGERS was presented in late April in a webinar hosted by EndPKD Canada. Sixty people were in attendance and the screening was followed by a discussion with the director, Jan Krawitz, and one of the film’s participants.

PERFECT STRANGERS raises questions about what motivates an individual towards an extreme act of compassion. The film tells the story of two unique and engaging characters. Ellie embarks on an unpredictable journey of twists and turns, determined to give away one of her kidneys. Five hundred miles away, Kathy endures nightly dialysis and loses hope of receiving a transplant until Ellie reads her profile on an online website. Both women face unexpected challenges as their parallel stories unfold over the course of four years. Why are we unnerved by the idea of such an extreme gift?

WORK-IN-PROGRESS SCREENING EVENT IN CAMBRIDGE

Bill Lichtenstein will lead a free works-in-progress screening event on Tuesday, May 16th from 7-9pm at Cambridge Community TV. Filmmakers may share a rough cut, trailer, assembly or any other material from a work-in-progress. Submissions must be 10 minutes or less. Send your name and a link to the work you'd like to screen to peter@cctvcambridge.org.

THE SUM OF OUR PARTS NYC FUNDRAISER PARTY

THE SUM OF OUR PARTS is a queer love story that embraces trans joy; with the myriad threats to trans people sweeping our nation, now more than ever we need to finish the film and share another positive portrayal of trans identity. 

The filmmakers are throwing a party and silent auction in New York City on Saturday, May 20 to support the next phase of their edit. If you're able to join, please come and meet them and other makers and creators at the Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV). More details -- Empanada Mama, BKE Kombucha, Bronx Brewery & Tolago Hard seltzer! -- and tickets are for sale here, they'd love to see any local CID friends. If you're interested in participating in the silent auction from anywhere in the US, you can register here. 

ZERO GRAVITY NOW AVAILABLE ON DEMAND

The award-winning feature documentary ZERO GRAVITY follows a diverse group of middle-school students from San Jose, California, as they compete in a nationwide NASA tournament to code satellites aboard the International Space Station. Directed by Thomas Verrette, this inspiring and heartfelt story is now available to Rent or Buy on Amazon Prime Video and Vimeo On Demand, and will arrive to Apple TV and other VOD outlets beginning in May. 

The On-Demand release coincides with the U.S. broadcast premiere of Zero Gravity, on KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS station, and Link TV, the national independent non-commercial satellite television network, as part of the EARTH FOCUS PRESENTS banner for spring 2023. Zero Gravity premieres Wed., May 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV (Dish Network 9410) and Sun., May 7 at 8 p.m. on KCET with 14-day catch up streaming at linktv.org. The film also kicked off last spring’s KCET and PBS SoCal’s 2022 EARTH FOCUS Environmental Film Festival at Carnegie Observatories. 

QUAHOGGERS: RHODE ISLAND'S ICONIC SHELL-FISHERMEN AT IFFBOSTON

At the beginning of May, David H. Wells' new film QUAHOGGERS: RHODE ISLAND'S ICONIC SHELL-FISHERMEN screened at the Independent Film Festival Boston. Read more here.