NEH Media Projects: Production Grants support film, television, and radio projects for general audiences that encourage active engagement with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. All projects must be grounded in humanities scholarship in disciplines such as history, art history, film studies, literature, drama, religious studies, philosophy, or anthropology. Projects must also demonstrate an approach that is thoughtful, balanced, and analytical (rather than celebratory). Film and television projects may be single programs or a series addressing significant figures, events, or ideas. Programs must be intended for national distribution, via traditional carriage or online distribution. The Division of Public Programs welcomes projects that range in length from short-form to broadcast-length video.
Producers' Post August 2015
The Producers' Post is a regular update intended to keep producers informed on announcements, upcoming deadlines and events and anything else of interest. To be notified when a new post is up, please subscribe to the PIC newsletter. Included in this month's post:
Announcements
Events
Festival Deadlines
Funding Deadlines
Job Opportunities
Resources
Trainings
Announcements
PIC seeking submissions for Pacific Heartbeat Season 5 - deadline August 7
'Fishing Pono' highlights ancient fishing practices - The Garden Island
Watch Fishing Pono and Breadfruit & Open Spaces on Local, USA series - through September 2015
War for Guam available via Third World Newsreel
Kumu Hina Wins the Independent Lens Audience Award
2015 Spring + Summer Grants & Opportunities - International Documentary Association (IDA)
Events
New Zealand International Film Festival - Auckland - July 16-August 4
IDA - Doc U: The Writers Guild and the Doc Filmmaker - Los Angeles, August 12
ʻOhina Short Film Showcase - Honolulu - August 14-16
POV Hackathon 9 - Chicago - August 15-16
Festival Deadlines
Sundance Film Festival - early deadline August 3 (shorts) & August 10 (features)
ALBA Human Rights Film Festival - deadline August 15
CAAMFest - early deadline August 24, normal deadline September 14
SXSW Film Festival - early deadline September 3
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival - deadline October 5
Funding Deadlines
TFI Documentary Fund - deadline August 3
The TFI Documentary Fund supports and furthers the development of exceptional character-driven, non-fiction works that spotlight contemporary themes with an original focus and bold, creative filmmaking. This fund allows TFI to financially support many audience-grabbing genres that fall under the documentary field. Grants ranging between $25,000 - $50,000 will be awarded in 2015. Grantees will be announced in the fall of 2015.
ITVS Open Call Funding Initiative - deadline August 7
The ITVS Open Call funding initiative provides completion funds for single nonfiction public television programs on any subject, and from any viewpoint. Projects must have begun production as evidenced by a work-in-progress video. The deadline for receiving all application materials is August 7, 2015. For more information visit: itvs.org/funding/open-call/how
Women in Film - Finishing Fund - deadline August 7
The Women In Film (WIF) Finishing Fund supports films by, for or about women with cash grants and in-kind services. WIF is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting equal opportunities for women, encouraging creative projects by women, and expanding and enhancing portrayals of women in all forms of global media. WIF gives multiple grants of up to $25,000 for documentary and narrative feature and shorts, as well as animated and experimental films.
National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) Production Grants - deadline August 12 (for project beginning April 2016)
Catapult Film Fund - deadline August 21
Catapult Film Fund provides development funding to documentary filmmakers who have a compelling story story to tell, have secured access to their story and are ready to create a piece for fundraising purposes. In 2014, three Catapult funded documentaries were nominated for the Oscar Short List: Art and Craft, The Kill Team and The Overnighters. Catapult has two application rounds per year with individual grants of up to $20,000. Visit the Catapult website for complete information on how to apply as well as the online application.
MacArthur Foundation - Documentary Film Fund - proposals accepted Apr 1 - Sept 1, 2015
MacArthur funds the production of documentary films and participatory web-based documentaries that combine exceptional storytelling with in-depth journalism. They look for projects that challenge preconceptions and examine underreported social issues. These documentaries are intended to reach a large U.S. broadcast audience and, often, a targeted audience of educators, community leaders, advocates, and policymakers, and have the potential to spark dialogue, create understanding, and contribute to social and policy change. MacArthur accepts applications for documentary production funding once a year through the Documentary Fund.
Roy W. Dean Filmmaking Grant - deadline September 30
This grant gives filmmakers a chance to get their films going or completed with an award of $2,500 in cash and $30,000 in film products and services. Films can be documentaries, short films, and features and must be unique and contribute to society.
Diversity Development Fund (ITVS) - deadline November 6
The Diversity Development Fund (DDF) provides up to $15,000 in research and development funding to producers of color to develop single documentary programs for public television. Funded activities may include travel, research, script development, preliminary production for fundraising/work-in-progress reels, or other early phase activities.
ITVS LINCS Fund - rolling deadline
LINCS (Linking Independents and Co-producing Stations) provides matching funds to producer-station partnerships. Up to $100,000 in matching funds is available for a single broadcast program. LINCS accepts single public television programs of standard broadcast length, that include both broadcast and transmedia components, programs that can be completed within one year of contract, and will engage national as well as regional audiences, revealing universal themes through the lens of local perspectives and realities.
Ford Foundation Grants - rolling deadline
Ford Foundation grant making focuses on reducing poverty and injustice; promoting democratic values; and advancing human knowledge, creativity and achievement. Requests are accepted in categories such as project planning and support; general support; and endowments. Types of support include grants, recoverable grants, loans and loan guarantees.
Sundance Documentary Fund - rolling deadline
The Sundance Documentary Film Program will accept and grant to film projects throughout the summer and fall of 2015. The program highlights the Institute's appreciation and support for artful and cinematic nonfiction filmmaking aesthetics, and stays true to their commitment to contemporary stories of meaning and moral purpose. Recently supported films include CitizenFour, The Square, The Queen of Versailles, The Invisible War, and Art and Craft.
Job Opportunities
National Alliance for Media Arts + Culture (NAMAC) Job Bank - Comprehensive nationwide listing of job opportunities in media arts
Resources
Active Voice - Resources - Discussion tools, field resources, and case studies created by a team of communications experts who specialize in working with powerful films to advance movements for social change
Campfire Film Foundation - Short film acquisitions, awards, resources
Center for Independent Documentary - Filmmaker services, fiscal sponsorship
International Documentary Association (IDA) - Fiscal sponsorship, funding, advocacy, events
Panavision New Filmmaker Program - Grant program loans camera packages to student and beginning filmmakers
POV - For Filmmakers - Resources for filmmakers, including video interviews with master nonfiction storytellers, articles with filmmaking tips, and news about funding and calls for entries. Also over 50 documentaries from POV series free to watch online.
San Francisco Film Society - Filmmaker360 - Filmmaker services program that offers fiscal sponsorship, funding, and more
Trainings
Elements of Video & Production - UH Pacific New Media - Honolulu, August 12 - September 2
Elements of Video & Production offers an overview of the skills and equipment used in the creation of film and video productions. Some of the best talents in the local industry discuss directing, producing, scriptwriting, cinematography, sound, editing, marketing and distribution and more.
August 12 - Sound with John McFadden
What should happen before and during production to ensure that you capture the sound you need. John McFadden, owner of Field and Post, does production sound recording and mixing for commercials, television series (studio sitcoms and field based series), national and international documentaries, `behind the scenes` for motion pictures, and live national broadcasts. His client list includes all the national major networks, many cable networks, production houses, and independent producers.
August 26 – Filmmaking Panel moderated by Renee Confair
Panel discussion with 4-5 crew members of major feature film shooting in Hawaiʻi. Renee Confair has over 25 years of experience in the film and television industry, including Production Supervisor for Aloha, Godzilla, Hunger Games/CATCHING FIRE, The Descendants, Battleship, Indiana Jones4, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
September 2 - Marketing and Distribution with Gerard Elmore
How to build your audience and distribute your films through new emerging distribution channels with a micro budget. Gerard Elmore is a filmmaker/editor/producer/director and an Academy for Creative Media teacher. He has worked on commercials, television shows, feature films, music videos, and everything in between.
Filming Documentary Stories with Marlene Booth - UH Pacific New Media - Honolulu, August 16
In an era of social media, instant polling, and too many people trusting feelings over facts, how can we make documentaries that move audiences to become more civically engaged? In this workshop, we look at taking documentary ideas from conception to story to audience. In the process, we cover research, developing a great narrative story with compelling character/s, writing a narrative proposal for fundraising, developing a filming style to support the narrative, crafting an editing script, and beginning to develop a distribution strategy. The purpose of this workshop is to help you focus your idea, turn it into a story, and produce a game plan -- including a timetable -- that helps you make your film a reality.
PIC-funded producer Marlene Booth (Kū Kanaka: R&D, Production) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who teaches at the Academy for Creative Media, UHM. She has worked for PBS station WGBH-TV in Boston and for her own company, Raphael Films. Her major films include Pidgin: the Voice of Hawaiʻi which won the audience award for best documentary at the Hawaii International Film Festival.
Categories: Awards, Events, Film Festival, Funding, Newsletter