The Points North Fellowship invites up to 6 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 Fellowship will take place in person in Maine. Anticipated dates are September 11-17, followed by virtual 1:1 industry meetings from September 28 – October 3. 

The Climate Story Fund supports compelling storytelling and impact campaigns from around the world that move us closer to a climate just and biodiverse future. The fund will support 6-8 projects with grants ranging between $50,000 to $100,000 per project.

Applicants to the Documentary Film Producers Track will be considered for two opportunities: the Producers Lab and Fellowship, a yearlong program commencing in July 2023 for emerging producers to receive project-specific support; and the Producers Intensive, a two-day workshop in Fall 2023 providing creative, strategic, and professional development support for 10 fiction and nonfiction producers from traditionally underrepresented communities. The Documentary Producers Lab is part of the Producers Track, which also includes the Producers Intensive.

VSC will award 22 fully-funded fellowships. All accepted residents will enjoy access to the Visiting Artist & Writer Program, private accommodations, private studio space, and daily meals. Residency sessions in 2023 are approximately 2, 3, and 4-weeks.

Squeaky Wheel’s Workspace Residency is a project-based residency for artists and researchers working in media arts. Offered twice per year, the residency is open to applicants from Buffalo and across the United States who are seeking resources, time, and support for ongoing projects or the creation of new work. Summer 2023 Residency dates: August 12–September 2.

NewFest’s New Voices Filmmaker Grant, in partnership with Netflix, supports four emerging LGBTQ+ directors who have not had their work distributed with $25,000 in funding to create new work – in addition to mentorship, networking and professional development opportunities. 

The 2023 edition of the Sundance Film Festival began last Thursday and will continue through this weekend. As documented by Nicole Sperling in a recent piece for the New York Times, "‘The Ability to Say Yes’ to Stories Long Neglected on the Screen", this year's Sundance lineup reflects the burgeoning influence of film financiers of color dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices.

According to Tommy Oliver, founder, CEO, and co-chair of Confluential Films, a growing number of financiers of color are gaining the ability to say yes to projects free of a mindset rooted in scarcity, instead adopting attainable goals of being selective about projects and sustainably widening the net of filmmakers receiving financial backing. This trend is also contributing to more opportunities for collaboration between financiers along the lines of funding priorities and reducing individual risk. Having likeminded peers in the industry can be significant, especially when a film's measure of success is the distribution outcome from festivals, where work by filmmakers of color has historically been deemed not commercially marketable and therefore perpetuates a myth that these films are not worth investing in. Having more people of color in financing roles who understand this is a systemic issue and not an intrinsic one is beginning to turn the tides.

"It's a far cry from how things used to be and a sign that diversity efforts have moved from the periphery of the business more toward its center," Sperling writes. The piece identifies several people of color who are seeing their investments reach screens at Sundance this year, with documentary films including GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT (financed by Oliver), AUM: THE CULT AT THE END OF THE WORLD (financed by Kevin Iwashina of Fifth Season), and GOING VARSITY IN MARIACHI (financed by Iwashina and Luis A. Miranda), as well as a number of narrative features such as FANCY DANCE and TO LIVE AND DIE AND LIVE (both financed by Oliver and Nina Yang Bongiovi of Significant Productions), YOUNG. WILD. FREE. (financed by Oliver and Charles King of Macro), THE ACCIDENTAL GETWAY DIRVER (financed by Kimbery Steward of K Period Media), THE STARLING GIRL (financed by Douglas Choi of Sons of Rigor), and JAMOJAYA (financed by Starlight Media).