Working on a film that explores Jewish history, culture or identity? Apply to the Jewish Film Institute's 2023 Filmmakers in Residence Program now through October 31, 2022. The year-long collaborative residency provides creative support and professional development for independent documentary filmmakers whose projects (in any length and form) expand and evolve the Jewish story.

Deadline for applications is October 31st. Learn more and apply here. 

The California Documentary Project (CDP) is a competitive grant program that supports documentary film, audio, and digital media productions that explore California in all its complexity and tell stories from every corner of the state. Projects should use the humanities to provide context, depth and perspective. Eligible formats include, but are not limited to, features, shorts, podcasts, web series, broadcast series, VR (Virtual Reality), etc. Funding is available for Research and Development Grants (up to $15,000) and Production Grants (up to $50,000.)

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

Apply for the If/Then Shorts and The Redford Center Nature Connection Pitch - an open call for filmmakers to share their short documentary works-in-progress focusing on connecting or reconnecting with nature.  Up to five filmmakers will be chosen for a pitch and professional development workshop series at Big Sky 2023. Participating projects will receive a $5,000 production grant along with career-building training.

Deadline to apply is October 3rd. Learn more here.

Black Public Media's 2022 Open Call is accepting submissions!  This year, they will support projects in two key ways: production funding and a workshopping opportunity with peers in the field. One feature-length project will receive up to $100,000 and one shorts project will receive up to $50,000. In addition, five teams will be accepted into BPM's 360 Incubator+, a professional development program that culminates with PitchBLACK, their signature pitching forum where fellows compete for up to $150,000 in production funding. 

Deadline to apply is September 26th. Apply here.

The Roy W. Dean Film Grants fund independent feature films, documentaries, web series, and short films with budgets of $500,000 or less. Winners of the grants receive a cash award as well as goods and discounted services offered by film industry companies and professionals who care about getting good films produced.

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

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 September 15th. Learn more here.

The LEF Foundation has awarded 12 Moving Image Fund grants totaling $45,000 in support of feature-length documentary works by New England-based filmmakers. These include six grants of $5,000 to projects at the Pre-production stage and six grants of $2,500 to projects at the Early Development stage.

Grantees for Early Development funds include CID sponsored films FATHER/DAUGHTER DANCE (directed and produced by Mae Hoffman) and LAS QUEREMOS VIVAS (WE WANT THEM ALIVE) (directed and produced by Michelle Falcón Fontánez.) 

Grantees for Pre-production funds include CID sponsored film THE QUILTING GROUP (directed by Jenifer McShane, produced by Jameka Autry.) 

Read the full press release and find the full list of grantees here. 

The Berkeley FILM Foundation has announced the recipients of their 2022 grant awards. This year, BFF distributed $207,000 to 20 projects, including three students grants to those in film programs at local colleges. The grantees include CID sponsored films BLACK MOTHERS (directed and produced by Débora Souza Silva), WATER FOR LIFE (directed and produced by Will Parrinello, produced by Rick Tejada-Flores), SALLY (directed by Deborah Craig.) Sally received the prestigious Saul Zaentz Award.

LEF Foundation and Points North Institute are continuing their partnership through the LEF/CIFF Fellowship program. The fellowship is an opportunity for five New England-based filmmaking teams with works-in-progress in production or post-production to attend CIFF and connect with other filmmakers and industry leaders through a series of mentor-led project development workshops, networking events, and 1:1 meetings. 

The fellows this year include CID sponsored UNITED ALTERED STATES FILM (Julie Mallozzi and Emma Meyers.) Read the full list of fellows here. 

DO I NEED THIS? (directed by Kate Schermerhorn) will be screening at the Santa Cruz Film Festival this October. The film has also been accepted by NETA for PBS broadcast.

A piece by Sahar Driver and Sonya Childress in Filmmaker Magazine that explores the structural barriers filmmakers of color face in the industry and the implications for impact.

Read the article here.