LEF MOVING IMAGE FUND

LEF New England is now welcoming applications for Pre-production and Early Development grants through the Moving Image Fund. A maximum of (6) grants of $5,000 each will be awarded to projects in the Pre-production phase, and a maximum of (6) grants of $2,500 each will be awarded to projects in the Early Development phase.

Applications for both phases require a written proposal and a full line-item budget. Pre-production applications require a current work sample of up to 10 minutes from the project being proposed for funding. Early Development applications require two past work samples, and current work samples are not accepted.

Deadline for applications is August 7th. Learn more and apply here.

BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA OPEN CALL

Each year, BPM issues an open call for feature-length documentaries and shorts (nonfiction or scripted) that are currently in pre-production, production, or post-production and intended for public media distribution. In addition to feature length documentaries and shorts, they accept proposals for pilot episodes of a broadcast length or shorts limited series. The limited series must be 3 to 5 episodes. Selected projects will receive production funding to advance the work.

The submission deadline date will be announced in August. Learn more here.

TASVEER FILM FUND

The Tasveer Film Fund, with support from Netflix, aims to empower South Asian Diaspora filmmakers to bring their scripts to life with monetary grants ($25,000 per project) and mentorship access. This fund is created for US and Canada based filmmakers. Eligible projects include Short Narrative, LGBTQIA+ Short, and Documentary (under 40 minutes) films.

Deadline to apply is July 30th. Learn more here.

ROY W. DEAN GRANT

The Roy W. Dean Grant winner for Fall will receive $3,000 and thousands more in donated services including a film score as well as animation to help them complete their project. Eligible projects include documentary films, narrative features, short films, and web series.

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

DEMOCRACY STORY LAB

Doc Society is inviting 10-12 media projects to join them in London in November 2023 for their first Democracy Story Lab. Join them to reimagine narratives that we need right now in this climate crisis. If you are a storyteller working under a repressive regime or working with new ways of governing they want to hear from you.

They are accepting projects from production through post-production. If you have a completed project and are looking for support on an Impact Campaign, you are welcome to apply.

Deadline to apply is July 24th. Learn more here.

THE AXS FILM FUND

The AXS Film Fund is for creators of color in documentary filmmaking or nonfiction new media who identify as living with a disability. They seek to bring visibility to creators who are oftentimes overlooked. While they ask that a person of color living with a disability is a key contributor to the project, they welcome diverse teams to apply. Five creators will be awarded with grants of up to $10,000 each to assist them in finishing their projects in any stage.

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

JERRY BROWN: THE DISRUPTER PREMIERE ON AMERICAN MASTERS

JERRY BROWN: THE DISRUPTER, directed by Marina Zenovich, will have its broadcast premiere on PBS' American Masters on September 15th.

Experience the political and personal journey of Jerry Brown, the longest serving governor in California history. First elected at 36 years old and again at 72, explore Brown’s 50-year career tackling climate change and inequality.

SEEDS OF CHANGE WORLD PREMIERE

SEEDS OF CHANGE: BREAKING FREE FROM THE PRISON FOOD MACHINE, directed by Maximilian Armstrong, will have its theatrical world premiere at the Maine International Film Festival, where it is in competition for the Tourmaline prize, awarded to the best Maine-made films of the festival. Following that the film will screen at the Maine Outdoor Film Festival as well as at the Woods Hole Film Festival. The broadcast-length, half-hour doc is in consideration for festivals across North America this summer and fall.

NURSE UNSEEN AT THE ASIAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST

NURSE UNSEEN, directed by Michele Josue, will make its East Coast and NYC premieres at the Asian American International Film Festival, the nation’s first and longest-running festival of its kind and the premier showcase for the best independent Asian, Asian diaspora and Pacific Islander cinema. The screening will take place on Friday 7/28 at 6pm at Quad Cinema (34 W 13th Street, New York, NY).

VOICES OF DEOLI KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

The team behind VOICES OF DEOLI have launched their Kickstarter campaign in hopes of funding their post-production.

The film explores the complexity, and often upheaval, of immigration through the lens of one small immigrant community in the U.S. and Canada. Representing a range of ages and backgrounds, this community is bound by a common experience: They are survivors of Deoli Internment Camp in Rajasthan where they were imprisoned, in some cases, for up to almost five years following a war between India and China in 1962.

Learn more and donate to their campaign here.

RAZING LIBERTY SQUARE PREMIERES

RAZING LIBERTY SQUARE had its NY premiere at the Human Rights Watch Festival, and its European premiere at Sheffield DocFest. Watch a piece on ABC News and read an article in Politico.

Miami is ground-zero for sea-level-rise. When residents of the Liberty Square public-housing community learn about a $300 million revitalization project in 2015, they know that their neighborhood is located on the highest-and-driest ground in the city. Now they must prepare to fight a new form of racial injustice - Climate Gentrification.

WE ARE GUARDIANS US PREMIERE

WE ARE GUARDIANS had its US premiere at the Human Rights Watch Festival and screened on June 4th and 5th in New York. The film also screened at HotDocs in May.

As the Indigenous Brazilian forest guardians of the Tenetehara fend off attacks from illegal loggers, miners, and exporters, this global story shares what happens when Indigenous rights, land stewardship, environmental science, and political corruption converge, leaving the fate of the Amazon and it’s Indigenous communities in the balance.