Funding is available for documentary films, podcasts, web series and other projects that explore California in all its complexity. California Documentary Project grants from California Humanities include Research and Development funds of up to $10,000 and Production grants of up to $50,000.

Applications are due November 1st. Learn more here.

Applications are now open for the 2021 Southern Documentary Fund Production Grant for Southern filmmakers living and working in the American South. The 2021 SDF Production Grant is made possible thanks to the generous support of the MacArthur Foundation.

Deadline to apply is October 15th. Learn more.

Stowe Story Labs has opened applications for their inaugural Producers Lab, which will run in December and be led by Stowe Story Labs co-founder, David Pope. This intensive four-day lab is designed for emerging producers looking to develop and produce a micro-to-low budget ($25,000 - $1,500,000) feature film, and those who want to join a tight-knit community of filmmakers dedicated to breaking down industry barriers.

The program will be capped at 12 participants. The fee to attend is $1,650. The deadline to apply is September 23rd. Apply here.

SeriesFest is partnering with National Geographic and Visible on a brand new initiative, Spotlight Your Town, which aims to empower independent creators to use their art form to spotlight the political and social justice issues happening in their hometowns. Spotlight Your Town supports an inclusive group of unscripted storytellers creating authentic, community-driven stories that embody the breadth and diversity of the people and places they represent.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced $28.4 million in grants. We are thrilled to share that CID has been awarded a $500,000 production grant towards THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MISS SCOTT, produced by 4th Act Factual, and a $75,000 production grant towards MY UNDERGROUND MOTHER, a film by Marisa Fox.

Read the full list of grantees here.

Camden International Film Festival's Points North Institute has unveiled the doc makers and projects selected for its artists programs. The programs include the Points North Fellowship, North Star Fellowship, 4th World Media Lab and LEF/CIFF Fellowship. Through private workshops, screenings and industry meetings taking place both in-person on the coast of Maine and online, the programs will support 25 documentary projects in development.

The 2021 Points North Fellows include CID filmmakers Khary Saeed Jones and Kendra Taira Field (NIGHT FIGHT), and 2021 LEF/CIFF Fellows include CID filmmakers Amy Jenkins (ADAM'S APPLE) and Kathryn Ramey (EL SIGNO VACIO)! Read the full list of makers and projects here.

THE FAITHFUL, a film by Annie Berman, will make its festival debut at CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL September 16th - 19th, and announces the following in-person theatrical lineup:

The Faithful explores the deep veneration and legacies of the Pope, the Princess, and the King. Over the course of 20 years, Berman profiles these figures’ biggest fans and makes numerous pilgrimages to Vatican City, Graceland, and Kensington Palace. As the years go by, the film itself becomes increasingly entwined with Berman’s daily life and identity, much like how these officially-licensed knick-knacks define the fans she filmed.

ASCENSION, directed by Jessica Kingdon and produced by Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy, and Nathan Truesdell, will be showing at the Camden International Film Festival. The film will screen on September 17th at 3pm at Strand Theatre. Register here.

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.

REBOUND, a film by Tamara Perkins, will have its broadcast premiere on KPBS. Join the WATCH PARTY on Sunday, October 10 at 12p PST with live tweeting during the broadcast followed by a special live chat with the film participants and Director. Save the date! See details and a teaser at www.reboundwomen.org.  

Rebound shares two women’s stories that unveil the unique impacts of incarceration on women. Separated by decades and starkly different circumstances two women rebound from incarceration. They each overcome their years of addiction and abuse to pursue the promise of higher education. These aspiring scholars navigate parole, raising young children, and self-healing to find acceptance, sisterhood, and hope for a new life.

WATER FOR LIFE looks at Indigenous and native people in three Latin American countries who have come into conflict with developers over water rights. A social impact campaign for the film was recently launched with the help of amazing impact producers at The Abaunza Group partnering with Amnesty International Chile. The campaign is being led by Goldman Environmental Prize laureates Alfred Brownell (Liberia) and Craig Williams (USA). 

The campaign began with an article in The Guardian by Liam Miller, and an OpEd in the Washington Post by Alfred Brownell and Craig Williams. 

We are heartbroken to report that the incomparable Sally Gearhart passed away on July 14th 2021, shortly after her 90^th birthday. She had been in declining health for some time but fortunately had excellent and compassionate care, and a steady stream of visits from important friends until the end. Deborah Craig wrote an obituary in the SF Bay Times to honor Sally, and we’re planning a real-time online celebration of her life in collaboration with the San Francisco GLBT Historical Society (https://www.glbthistory.org/) on October 29^th, 2021 from 5:00-6:30PST (8:00-9:30EST). We’ll share more details by Mid-September. Sally’s death makes our whole team more determined than ever to celebrate her accomplishments and adventures in film.

UNRAVELING, the story of filmmaker Stacey Ravel Abarbanel’s investigation into the enduring rumor about her immigrant grandfather Sam Ravel’s entanglement with Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution, has been acquired for distribution by Menemsha Films. The film explores notions of memory, history, and contemporary life in the border town of Columbus, New Mexico, famed for being raided in 1916 by Villa’s army. Broadening mainstream narratives of both Jewish immigration and the borderlands, UnRaveling reveals an unusual personal history while examining broader sagas about the border region—geopolitics, family, commerce, and culture, then and now. Watch for it at festivals! unravelingdoc.com

LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS will be featured at the Boston Latino Film Festival September 24- October 3, and screened as the closing night film at the Port Townsend Film Festival on September 26th.

SPEAKING IN TONGUES, also directed by Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, the now classic film about kids growing up bilingual in the US has been picked up by Good Docs for educational distribution. 

Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center in Mattapan will host an outdoor release screening on Sept. 11^th at 7pm of Carolyn Shadid Lewis’ film INTERGENERATION, an animated journey through Boston from the vantage of teens and elders in one of America’s oldest schools. A Q&A with participants will follow the screening, and a rain date is scheduled for Sept 12^th. The event is free, but registration is required. Get tickets here.

Join the filmmakers for a screening of the award-winning documentary film, THE BLUES TRAIL REVISITED and a live performance by blues icon, James Montgomery at the Cabot Theater in Beverly on November 6, 2021.

The Blues Trail Revisited is available to rent and

check out The Blues Trail Revisited Podcast, available on most podcast apps or click here.

FROM BAGHDAD TO THE BAY is now streaming and available on DVD!

This award-winning feature length documentary shares the epic journey of Ghazwan Alsharif, an Iraqi refugee and former translator for the US military. Wrongfully accused of being a double agent, imprisoned and tortured by those he risked his life to protect, and ostracized from family and country, we follow Ghazwan as he struggles to rebuild his life in the United States while coming out as an openly gay activist.

BORDERLAND: THE LIFE & TIMES OF BLANCHE AMES AMES chronicles the remarkable life of a society woman who was determined to change American society. Blanche Ames wrote, marched, and organized. A talented artist and birth control maverick, she drew political cartoons in support of women’s suffrage that both inspired and enraged. 

The film will be screening in September and October. See a full list of upcoming screenings here.

The 7th annual Irish American Movie Hooley is returning to the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago on September 24th, 25th and 26th. Visit moviehooley.org.

PROTECT OUR PAST is regrouping by creating a call-to-action POP Community Engagement program. Short “POP Clips” continue to be produced. Some can be found on the Protect Our Past You Tube site. Under the guidance of their Board Member, John Yacobian (CBS) and filmmaker Fred Monthei (Cape Cod Creative), one in production addresses the loss of the Cape and Islands brand due to the repeated loss of historic identifying properties, especially private homes. They are spelling out the forceable consequences. However, they must offer answers to “How Does This Happen?” and “What Can I Do About It.” Hence the upcoming POP Community Engagement program. Stay tuned!

Check out the report here.