AAPI FUTURES IMPACT PRODUCER 

Organized in conjunction with Asian American Futures, the AAPI Futures Impact Producer Fellowship offers each fellow a grant ($17,000) towards the implementation of their Impact Campaign and a year-long fellowship program (April - December 2025). Identifying a need for more training and expansion in the Impact Producing space, the Fellowship is designed for the Impact Producers to level-up in a community of peers, collaborators, and leaders within the documentary film and social justice ecosystem. Applications are currently open and will close on February 28th.

An info session will be held on February 14th and you can find the RSVP link here.

THE DOC SOCIETY CLIMATE STORY FUND APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

The Doc Society Climate Story Fund supports compelling independent media storytelling and impact strategies from around that world that can help audiences envision the just transition, and activate them to make these visions a reality. The Fund provides up to $125,000 grants to support the completion of production of nonfiction projects, and for impact pilots for completed nonfiction and fiction projects.

There will be an information webinar on February 26th. The call for applications closes on March 10th. Click here to learn more.

SUNDANCE IGNITE X ADOBE FELLOWSHIP

The Sundance Institute and Adobe are teaming up to find the next 10 Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellows. They are looking for emerging filmmakers (ages 18 to 25) who are creating stories that bring their passion, voice, and perspective to life.

Filmmakers should submit a one- to 15-minute short that shows their artistic vision and unique voice. Submissions aren’t limited to any genre or topic — the only requirement is that they represent the filmmaker’s perspective as an artist. They must also include materials in support of a new project that you intend to work on throughout the fellowship. 

The deadline to apply is February 15th. Click here to learn more.

THE POINTS NORTH FELLOWSHIP

The Points North Fellowship invites up to six teams of early- and mid-career filmmakers to Maine to accelerate the development of their feature documentary, culminating in the public presentation of works-in-progress at the Points North Pitch. The Points North Fellowship aims to strengthen filmmakers’ artistic voices and propel their careers forward by facilitating new relationships with mentors, collaborators and funders.

The deadline for applications is February 24th. Click here to learn more.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MISS SCOTT BROADCAST PREMIERE

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MISS SCOTT, directed and produced by NICOLE LONDON and produced by SHEILA MACVICAR, will have its broadcast premiere on PBS as part of its American Masters Series. The film will premiere at 9pm on 2/21/25.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MISS SCOTT chronicles Hazel Scott’s meteoric rise as a jazz talent and major Hollywood star before being blacklisted during the Red Scare.

CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS WINS GRAND JURY PRIZE AT SUNDANCE

CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS, directed by SARA KHAKI and MOHAMMADREZA EYNI, was awarded the the Grand Jury Prize of the World Cinema Documentary Competition section at Sundance Film Festival.

It follows Sara Shahverdi, the first elected councilwoman of her Iranian village, as she challenges entrenched patriarchal norms by training teenage girls to ride motorcycles and combating child marriages. When her motives are questioned, Sara faces a profound personal crisis.

VESTIBULE UPDATES

VESTIBULE won the Points North Pitch award this past September.

In November, the Vestibule team captured their first stylized dance shoot. With these new proof-of-concept materials and a very clear roadmap to completion, the Vestibule team are currently fundraising to cover the remaining production costs, and are one step closer to completion!

Vestibule, directed by RILEY HOOPER and produced by CAITLIN MAE BURKE and BRYN SILVERMAN, chronicles filmmaker Riley Hooper’s decade-long journey to diagnose, treat, and heal from Vestibulodynia, a vulvar disorder that made intercourse painful. In the film, what begins as a singular mission to have pain-free sex becomes a multi-generational story about sexual health, pleasure, and agency.

EVERYTHING SEEMED POSSIBLE UPDATES

TODO PARECIA POSSIBLE (Everything Seemed Possible) directed by RAMON RIVERA MORET and produced by OREN RUDASVKY, premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival on January 31st, 2025.

The Todo Parecia Posible team has submitted their project to numerous other international and domestic festivals and are waiting to hear about acceptances.

The team is also currently organizing a number of screening presentations on university campuses throughout the United States and Puerto Rico which will begin in spring 2025, and continue into the fall and winter of 2026.

Reflecting on the innovative and incisive films created by a group of artists in rural communities,

filmmaker Ramón Rivera Moret delves into a controversial period in his homeland of Puerto

Rico, interweaving the memories of his grandmother to uncover the utopian aspirations of a

generation, their bold critique of the government’s agenda, and the transformative power of

cinema.

WALKABLE USA AIRING ON PUBLIC MEDIA STATIONS

WALKABLE USA, directed and produced by TOM DESCH, will soon be making the rounds on public television stations across the country through NETA (National Educational Telecommunications Association). The film, produced by Tom Desch and Patricia Wisniewski, follows noted planner and walkable city advocate Jeff Speck as he partners with Hammond, Indiana, in an attempt to breathe new life into the city’s once-thriving downtown core. As part of the 2024 Better Cities Film Festival the film was the recipient of the festival's Best Feature and Better Planning & Design awards.

Major support for this program was provided by the Efroymson Family Fund, South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority, Legacy Foundation, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Indiana Humanities, Indiana Landmarks, Illinois Arts Council.

DISSIDENTS SCREENINGS

On Sunday February 2nd, DISSIDENTS, directed and produced by YI CHEN, had a special screening at the Firehouse Cinema in New York City. The event was supported by the Human Rights Foundation.

There will be another screening of Dissidents at the DC Independent Film Festival, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at 3:30 p.m. EST at the 

Regal Gallery Place, 701 7th Street NW. 

Tickets are available here.

An artist’s sculpture is burnt down, a protestor is charged with a criminal case, and a democracy movement is violently attacked. Combining intimate observational footage, rich archival materials and investigative approach, the film uncovers transnational repression by an authoritarian state targeting dissidents who are keeping the democratic flame alive during the darkest hours.

ONE REHEARSES, THE OTHER DOESN'T HAS ITS WORLD PREMIERE

CID filmmaker JESSICA HANKEY will premiere ONE REHEARSES, THE OTHER DOESN'T in the experimental shorts section of the Slamdance Film Festival, now in Los Angeles. The festival runs from February 21-February 26th, 2025 across theatres in West Hollywood. For more information click here.

In this documentary short, Marjorie Annapav works with an exacting performance teacher to transform her life into a play, rehearsing seduction, grief, and a mercenary marriage to artist William Copley.

SHUCKING TRADITION UPDATES

CID filmmaker DAVID WELLS' latest project, SHUCKING TRADITION, has been accepted into the Block Island Film Festival.

SHUCKING TRADITION is a short documentary film following a cohort of forward-thinking, hard-working women bringing new energy and perspectives to oyster farming, a New England industry layered with history. They avoid drawing attention to their gender while subtly upending ingrained stereotypes. While balancing challenging work-life dynamics, their flexibility and strong work ethic have enabled them to prove themselves in a tradition-bound maritime profession.

ENDURING DEMOCRACY UPDATES

ENDURING DEMOCRACY: THE MONTEREY PETITION (former title, Resistance Ink) was honored with a Special Jury Award at the Carmel International Film Festival in November. Director/Producer DAVID SCHENDEL, and Producers ELIZABETH NORDT and CAROLYN MCCOMBS accepted the award after a 5 minute standing ovation to the sold out cinema. The film was also recently picked up by NETA for distribution which includes screenings on PBS later this year.

ENDURING DEMOCRACY: THE MONTEREY PETITION follows a group of 1950 activists who push back against race motivated hatred against Japanese Americans during WW2. 

SALLY! UPDATES

The SALLY! team just signed a distribution deal with Women Make Movies. Click here to find out more. 

The film was recently screened at Palm Springs International Film Festival, where it was featured as part of “Best of the Fest."

SALLY!, produced and directed by DEBORAH CRAIG and produced by JORG FOCKELE and ONDINE RAREY, also won best documentary at the Desperado LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Phoenix yesterday.

Sally Gearhart was a lesbian-feminist firebrand, professor, and fantasy author who spearheaded the 1970s and 80s lesbian feminist movement. SALLY! peels back proverbial (and patriarchal) layers to reveal the collectivist reality behind our heroine’s story while exploring the complex relationship between spokeswomen like Sally and movements for social change.