The LEF Moving Image Fund is now accepting applications for its 2021 Early Development and Pre-Production grants, both with a deadline of June 4, 2021 at 11:59pm (midnight).

Learn more and apply here.

The Firelight Media Documentary Lab is an 18-month fellowship program that supports filmmakers in the United States from racially and ethnically underrepresented communities working on their first or second feature-length documentary film. The Lab provides filmmakers with customized mentorship from prominent leaders in the documentary world, as well as funding, professional development workshops, and networking opportunities.

Doc Society's New Perspective Fellowship is a two year artist development opportunity supporting daring new works by US-based directors, including Puerto Rico and US territories, who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or as members of historically underrepresented communities including race, religion, geographic region, physical ability or citizenship status who are dedicated to the art and craft of creative nonfiction.

FAIRFIELD FILM FESTIVAL is offering CID filmmakers an exclusive 75% submission waiver. Films are screened at the state-of-the-art 460-seat SHU Community Theatre in the heart of downtown Fairfield, one of Connecticut’s most charming and sophisticated towns with easy access via MetroNorth. FFF is a filmmaker friendly, 50/50 gender parity festival run by long-time

CID filmmaker, Megan Smith-Harris. All film submissions are considered for the live, in-person

festival (running November 4-7, 2021), as well as for the monthly Festival Favorites Series.

CODE: FFFcid75

Find out more here.

ASCENSION, directed by Jessica Kingdon, will have its world premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival! The absorbingly cinematic Ascension explores the pursuit of the “Chinese Dream.” Driven by mesmerizing—and sometimes humorous—imagery, this observational documentary presents a contemporary vision of China that prioritizes productivity and innovation above all. In Chinese with English subtitles.

Read the full lineup for the Tribeca Film Festival here. The festival will take place from June 9- June 20th.

California Humanities has announced $350,000 in awards to 13 new film and podcast productions through the 2021 California Documentary Project grant program. Grantees include the below CID sponsored films:

BLACK MOTHERS, directed by Débora Souza Silva, is the first feature-length documentary to examine the “Mothers of the Movement”, a growing, nationwide network of mothers whose children have been victims of racial violence.

SALLY, directed by Deborah Craig, is a portrait of Sally Gearhart, a “good Southern girl” who then helped transform the world for women and queer people.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has announced $24 million in grants for 225 humanities projects nationwide. We are thrilled to share that CID has received a Media Projects Development grant towards OUR MR. MATSURA, directed by Beth Harrington!

Our Mr. Matsura is a documentary feature film about Japanese-born photographer Frank Matsura, who made his way to rural Washington State in the early 1900s from Tokyo, endeared himself to the community of miners, loggers, cowboys, business people and Native Americans he encountered, and became its leading chronicler and, arguably, its most beloved citizen.

PatchWorks Films' LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS will have a theatrical release on May 14th. In LA and Miami it will be LIVE. All other cities are virtual. Details and tickets available here.

The filmmakers are thrilled to see their film with an audience and welcome all CIDers to enjoy! Watch the trailer here.

CREDIBLE FEAR, directed by Gabrielle Ewing, has been selected for Hot Docs Deal Maker! Hot Docs Deal Maker is a one-on-one pitch meeting program for producers seeking financing from the international marketplace. The program will take place online from May 6-19.

It’s been ten years since Paul Lamont and Scott Sackett began work on THE SONGPOET, and they are happy to share the news

Andersen. The Songpoet will be broadcast by more than 200 public television stations across

You can also watch The Songpoet on PBS.org here. You can see more about Paul and Scott's work at thesongpoetfilm.com.

WBCN & THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION will air on WGBH May 6th at 9pm ET. Now available in pre-sale: "WBCN and the American Revolution: How a radio station defined politics, counterculture, and rock and roll" coming Fall 2021 from MIT Press/Penguin Random House. Order your copy now.

CURED, a new documentary by Patrick Sammon and Bennett Singer, has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 Audiovisual & Film Award from the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. This annual award recognizes a film, video or live theater production that makes a significant contribution to AASECT’s vision of sexual health and to the clinical and educational standards of the field. Cured previously won the Audience Awards at Frameline and NewFest, as well as a $50,000 award in the 2020 Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film. Described as

Film Institute, the film tells the story of the LGBTQ activists who persuaded the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses in 1973. Cured will be broadcast nationally on PBS’ Independent Lens series in October 2021.

WE WANT THE AIRWAVES has started its film festival run. It premiered at Worldfest Houston International Film Festival last week where it won a Remi Award. The film heads to Philadelphia Independent Film Festival next.

Set in 2005 and filmed over the course of ten years, We Want the Airwaves follows the story of a trio of first time TV makers who risk it all to get their groundbreaking, activist focused docuseries Manifesto! on the air. We Want the Airwaves is an thoughtful exploration of the power of our collective first amendment. It's also a rare, unvarnished glimpse of the dark underside of unscripted Hollywood.

Jonathan Skurnik's YOUTH AND GENDER MEDIA PROJECT film BECOMING JOHANNA will have a national broadcast on PBS in June. It will also premiere on the World Channel on:

In addition, Jonathan and his partners Kenny Kilfara and Marco Williams recently received an NEH development grant for their film Canada Lee, Native Son.

Upstander Project is pleased to announce the May 7th worldwide streaming premiere of their new short film DEAR GEORGINA!

Dear Georgina follows Passamaquoddy elder Georgina Sappier-Richardson as she tries to better understand herself and her cultural heritage, after having been removed from her home and community in downeast Maine by child protection services at age two. Dear Georgina is a film by Adam Mazo and Ben Pender-Cudlip, produced by Adam Mazo, Tracy Rector and N. Bruce Duthu.

The film is a follow-up to the Emmy® award-winner Dawnland.

Visit https://upstanderproject.org/georgina to stream it starting 5/7!

Several films in EVERY SECOND BREATH's series of shorts are being screened at a number of film festivals. These include:

BARBARA CRITES: SNORKELING ST JOHN won the 2021 Community Science Award from the International Ocean Film Festival that originates in San Francisco. The jury was moved by the story of the film and are excited to share the film online from April 15 - May 2, 2021. BARBARA CRITES was also included in Fort Myers and the Blue Water Film Festivals also taking place this spring. This film was directed by Andrea Leland and co-produced by Andrea Leland & Cynthia Abbott. 

DICK OGG: FISHERMAN has two screenings at the 27th Sedona International Film Festival. The festival runs June 12 -20th and will be a blend of live and virtual screenings.  

The 2-DVD set of FEELINGS ARE FACTS: THE LIFE OF YVONNE RAINER has been released for home distribution. This 2-DVD set consists of the 82 min. feature documentary plus a bonus disc with over 160 minutes of additional interviews with Yvonne Rainer, Simone Forti, Steve Paxton, Carolee Schneemann, Lucinda Childs, Valda Setterfield, Douglas Crimp and Carrie Lambert-Beatty. Additionally, it includes the entire performance of Rainer's piece Spiraling Down. Purchase the film here.

The team behind UNSCARRED are running a crowdfunding campaign with a goal of raising $60K by May 23rd. They are offering incentives including digital posters, exclusive t-shirts designed by a tattoo artist, access to private film events, and film credits.

Unscarred is the story of survivors, physically scarred through trauma or illness who, despite cultural stigmas or religious traditions, reclaim their bodies through the art of tattoo.

The Garifuna Nation is a non-profit organization which focuses on organizing, advocating and empowering the Garinagu in Central America, USA and Caribbean. YURUMEIN: HOMELAND, directed by Andrea Leland, has been shown in several online Garifuna Nation conferences that have taken place this past year along with The Garifuna Journey. 

Yurumein is a post-colonial story of re-identification and cultural retrieval among the indigenous Caribs in the Caribbean.

Claire Panke’s second feature doc LIGHT YEARS, which shares the stories of three people who have infused their later life with creativity and a sense of purpose was recently shown in a private online screening sponsored by Encore.org, followed by a lively Q&A session. Claire also showed the film’s trailer and discussed the film as part of a presentation on Media Images of Aging at the American Society on Aging’s annual conference. Light Years was chosen for a special monthly screening series by THIRD ACTion Film Festival out of Calgary, British Columbia and resulted in one of their most engaged Q&A sessions to date. More info about the film at lightyearsfilm.com

HOOKED: A FAMILY'S JOURNEY WITH ADDICTION, a documentary produced by Quixotic Endeavors and directed by Matthew Miele, tells the dramatic story of Jack Conroy: his battle with opioid addiction, the family's struggle to help him, and his death at 21. The film explores the aftermath of his passing and the family's journey through their grief, while delivering essential information to help save lives.

HOOKED was a headlining film at the Martha's Vineyard Film Festival in March and local radio host Laurel Redington hosted a conversation with several of the film's featured experts. The documentary was also featured at the 9th Annual Rx Drug & Heroin Abuse Summit earlier this month. In addition, the filmmakers continue to apply for upcoming festivals and are creating a film soundtrack that will encompass the songs specifically composed and recorded for Hooked by close friends and family members.

5 BLOCKS, directed by Dan Goldes, is now available to stream on Gumroad.com.

San Francisco’s Market Street was once the grandest boulevard in America. No stranger to civic celebrations since the 1900s and just minutes from City Hall, the area fell into decline and became home to the city’s poorest population. The neighborhood is currently undergoing its most dramatic change in 50 years as tech companies, their employees, and the restaurants and stores that cater to them confront the realities of a neighborhood that still houses some of the city’s most marginalized residents. 5 Blocks explores the complex questions of income disparity, changing demographics, and the very nature of place.

Inspired by his recently completed film, THE BLUES TRAIL REVISITED, the podcast showcases the music and the people who keep the blues eternally alive. Each episode brings Ted's road of discovery to music and history fans everywhere.

In less than a week, The Blues Trail Revisited podcast achieved well over 125 downloads. All podcasts are available here.

The filmmakers behind THE LONGEST INTERMISSION are honored to announce that they will be interviewing the incredibly talented star of Broadway's Hadestown, Patrick Page.

The film is graciously accepting tax deductible donations.

Learn more here.