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Sons of Rigor Films and ScreeningRoom are pleased to announce the recipients of their Ukraine film grants, which total $20,000. Applications were open to both fiction and non-fiction shorts and features, and over 80 projects were submitted. Four films have been selected to receive a $5,000 grant each, mentoring and a one-year ScreeningRoom Pro account.

"It is so critical to provide support now for those working to tell stories from Ukraine," says Douglas Choi, who founded Sons of Rigor Films, the independent film finance and co-production company which is funding the grants. Douglas has spent the last four months in Kyiv, working in a food distribution warehouse and helping with evacuations. “Being on the ground in Ukraine, I've seen first-hand every day how incredibly brave, inspiring and ingenious the Ukrainian people are.”

"Our goal at ScreeningRoom is to help build a sustainable ecosystem in the independent filmmaking space. Helping support films from Ukraine right now is very important to us, as is exposing the truth of this terrible war inflicted by Russia on the people of Ukraine," says Micah Garen, a co-founder of ScreeningRoom and organizer of the Ukraine grant.

“The Ukrainian film industry is going through a difficult time,” says Anna Machukh, head of the Ukraine Film Institute and a judge for the grant. “The full-scale war unleashed by Russia affected all spheres of life without exception, including cinema. It is very important that Ukrainian filmmakers now receive support so that they can continue to shoot. After all, art is a mirror of the reality in which we live. And it is important to preserve it, not break it. Therefore, I am very glad that Ukrainian directors got such an opportunity, got a chance to be seen and heard, and I am very grateful for this.”

“It was a real pleasure to review these projects from Ukraine - I'm a massive fan of the style of filmmaking that comes from there, and even in these terrible circumstances, the filmmaking community has responded with incredible creativity,” says Charlie Phillips, Documentary Executive and a judge for the grant. “I hope all the films that applied, whether they got this grant or not, will be able to show their work to wide audiences.”

“It was a real pleasure to review these projects from Ukraine - I'm a massive fan of the style of filmmaking that comes from there, and even in these terrible circumstances, the filmmaking community has responded with incredible creativity,” says Charlie Phillips, Documentary Executive and a judge for the grant. “I hope all the films that applied, whether they got this grant or not, will be able to show their work to wide audiences.”

Sons of Rigor Films (www.sonsofrigor.com) is an independent film finance and co-production company, which was founded with the aim of finding and supporting talented indie filmmakers looking to make original fiction and documentary films.

ScreeningRoom (www.screeningroom.org) is committed to supporting independent filmmakers by providing collaboration tools, community and grants to help address the challenging problem of sustainability for independent filmmakers and video journalists.

Contact:

Marie-Hélène Carleton [email protected] +1-646-526-4361

GRANTEES

Mission 200

Mission 200 follows a Ukrainian woman, Tetiana Pototskaya-Evchuk, who, during Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine, puts her travel business on hold and begins transporting the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers.

Director: Volodymyr Sydko

Producer: Tetiana Timshyna

Listening to the World

Iva doesn't hear the world because of her disability. She is an art curator and human-right activist trying to make the world hear her. Iva and her son Mykyta face the war and evacuate from bombed Kharkiv to Germany, where they try to find peace until the war ends.

Director: Yelizaveta Smith

Producers: Olga Beskhmelnytsina, Eugene Rachkovsky

Producer: Tetiana Timshyna

Company of Steel

After enduring the horrors of the war in eastern Ukraine since 2014, three young veterans return home. As they struggle to find their place in daily life as civilians, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 throws them right back into the trauma they have tried so hard to escape.

Director / writer: Yuliia Hontaruk

Producers: Yuliia Hontaruk, Ivanna Khitsinska, Alexandra Bratyshchenko, Uldis Cekulis, Igor Savychenko

Christ is Risen

On Easter, in a military canteen, the divine meets the human, and the film follows Ukrainian soldiers on the front line. What awaits them, only the final fight will tell.

Director: Yuriy Gruzinov

Producer: Volodymyr Yatsenko

Christ is Risen

On Easter, in a military canteen, the divine meets the human, and the film follows Ukrainian soldiers on the front line. What awaits them, only the final fight will tell.

Director: Yuriy Gruzinov

Producer: Volodymyr Yatsenko

SHORTLIST

Actor from Shelter

Culture vs War

The Glass House

The Fire Line

When we were 15

ScreeningRoom, Jigsaw Productions, IF/Then Shorts, Points North Institute and the LEF Foundation are partnering on a new fund and residency program supporting the completion of short documentaries by diverse filmmakers from the American Northeast, each addressing socially, politically and culturally relevant topics that are rooted in the region. Growing out of the IF/Then Shorts shorts program, the 2019 ScreeningRoom partnership with Jigsaw Productions and the Points North Institute on the Follow Focus grant, and the Points North’s Shortform Editing Residency, the new program provides resources to help filmmakers take cinematic short documentaries from edit to distribution.

Six selected film teams will receive a $5,000 post-production grant and participate in a month-long online rough cut lab, working with industry professionals and editing mentors to fine tune their rough cut. At the end of the lab, works-in-progress will be shown at an invitation-only rough cut screening as a part of the 2020 Camden International Film Festival, which is being held partly online from October 1-12. Following the lab and festival, filmmakers will receive two months of distribution consultation to help get their film out into the world. 

"This new partnership expands the breadth of IF/Then Shorts by providing comprehensive mentorship and resources for every step of post-production," said Chloe Gbai, Director of IF/Then Shorts. "We’re thrilled to team up with leaders in the documentary space to bring this opportunity to filmmakers in the American Northeast."

"We are delighted to join forces and support this grant and residency initiative, especially during this very difficult time," says Micah Garen, co-founder of ScreeningRoom. "Our goal at ScreeningRoom is to help build a sustainable ecosystem in the independent filmmaking space, and funding and mentorship is essential," says Marie-Helene Carleton, co-founder at ScreeningRoom.

"Supporting creators of shortform documentary has been a commitment of ours for over a decade," said Sean Flynn, Points North Institute’s Program Director. "This program will provide resources that filmmakers need to get their stories out into the world during this critical time but are still rare the world of independent short documentaries."

"Jigsaw is delighted to help sponsor this grant with our great partners ScreeningRoom, the Points North Institute, IF/Then Shorts and the LEF Foundation," says Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. "Jigsaw is focused on helping to amplify new voices in documentary film. This grant with financial and mentorship support is an exciting step in that direction."

Applications open on July 1 with a deadline of August 2 at 11:59pm EST and there is no submission fee. Filmmakers with shorts in post-production living and working in Maine, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico are eligible to apply. 

For more information on how to apply: https://pointsnorthinstitute.org/artist-programs/north-shorts-fellowship/

ScreeningRoom is committed to supporting independent filmmakers by providing collaboration tools, community, grants, and a screening platform to strengthen the filmmaking ecosystem and to help address the challenging problem of sustainability for independent creators.

IF/Then Shorts taps into the need for broader geographical representation in the stories that get told. Partnering with film festivals across the US and around the world, IF/Then hosts regional short documentary pitch competitions. The finalists and winners of those competitions receive grants, year-round mentorship, distribution support and more as they complete their compelling, character-led, and community-inspired stories. IF/Then works with creators who experience inequity based on factors such as race, gender, class, sexuality, ability, ethnicity, age, citizenship, and/or geography.

Points North Institute is a Maine-based media arts organization that produces the Camden International Film Festival and other programs that serve as a launching pad for the next generation of nonfiction storytellers.

Jigsaw Productions is an award-winning documentary production company helmed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney.

LEF Foundation funds the work of independent documentary film and video artists in the New England region and broadens recognition and support for their work, both locally and nationally.

ScreeningRoom, Points North Institute and Jigsaw Productions are pleased to announce the winners of the Follow Focus Short Film grant. The Follow Focus Grant funds short films going into post-production that are cinematic and address an important social issue.

$10,000 Grant Winner

UNTITLED BORDER SHORT DOCUMENTARY

A film exploring the government’s intervention in humanitarian aid to asylum seekers crossing the desert*

*(The title, filmmaker’s names and log line are being withheld until the completion of the film)

$1,500 Runner Up

Coby and Stephen are in Love

Directed by Carlo Nasisse and Yuan Yuan Yang

Coby and Stephen are in Love is the story of a retired 92-year-old Chinatown burlesque dancer and her unlikely love with an eccentric artist 20 years her junior. In spite of a fundamental personality clash, they have created a glamorous world together through matching handmade outfits, dancing, and collage.

Romeo 9

Directed by Jonathan Spangler

Many Kenyans love the infamous "supercops" who prowl the Nairobi slums, shooting down suspected criminals without mercy. But few realize that the phenomenon began with a baby-faced 380-pound British colonial named Patrick Shaw. By day, Shaw worked at a school for underprivileged boys; by night, he was Romeo 9, a police reservist who hunted and allegedly murdered hundreds of suspected criminals. Sanctioned by the highest authorities in the early days of independence, he was Kenya’s first "supercop." His story and his legacy in Kenya raise complex and emotionally charged questions of race, class, truth and justice.

Grant Finalists

Muzhik

Directed by Mitchell Arens

Against immeasurable odds, a recovering alcoholic living in rural Siberia fights to maintain his sobriety and the wellbeing of his family.

Moody

Directed by Tomasz Ratter & Karolina Karwan

Mudi, a possessed man who loves to dance, and his old stepmother Ibu, live alone on a tiny Indonesian island haunted by ghosts. The movie is a dreamlike story of a turbulent relationship between mother and son, who are trapped in a "paradise" and depend only on each other. It is a story of loneliness and acceptance, but also a mystical journey, in which music and dance become the way to communicate with the spirit world and bring joy, freedom and communion.

Racist Trees

Directed by Sara Newens & Mina T. Son

Racial tensions are ignited as a historically black neighborhood in Palm Springs continues the decades-long fight for the removal of a wall of trees that many believe were originally planted as a totem of segregation.

"I am proud to be a part of this unique grant, providing funding and mentorship to very talented filmmakers," says Alex Gibney, "and supporting the diversity and sustainability of the filmmaking industry, particularly short films."

"This has been an exceptional group of films," says Marie-Hélène Carleton, co-founder of ScreeningRoom. "We had over 135 entries, which speaks both to the number and quality of short documentary films being made today."

"The winning film is a very important and timely film about the refugee and migrant crisis at the border" says Micah Garen, a co-founder of ScreeningRoom. "The story, beautifully told, is an important one we are proud to stand behind."

In addition to the $10,000 prize, the grant winner will also receive a $1000 travel stipend to the Camden International Film Festival in September, where their short film will be screened. They will also receive mentoring from ScreeningRoom, Points North Institute and Jigsaw Productions, as well as a one year ScreeningRoom Pro account.

"We are proud to support these films, both through Points North institute and the Camden International Film Festival," says Ben Fowlie, Points North Institute’s Executive and Artistic Director. "Coby and Stephen are in Love exemplifies the subtle and beautiful cinematic verite style of filmmaking this grant was created to support."

"These are a very strong group of short films," says Alex Gibney, "Romeo 9 is a story that must be seen. It’s an important unknown story from Kenya that keeps the drama and suspense as it unfolds a very troubling past."

"Through our outstanding partnerships with Jigsaw, Points North Institute, The Intercept and the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival, we have already been able to give out over $15,000 to documentary filmmakers this year," says Micah Garen, "and we are launching another grant this fall as part of our goal to continue to build sustainability in the independent filmmaking industry."

ScreeningRoom, The Intercept and the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival are pleased to announce the winner of Deep Focus, its inaugural short film grant to support investigative short film.

The selected finalist is Black Gold Mountains directed by Andalusia K. Soloff. The short documentary will focus on how the fentanyl epidemic in the US has led to a spike in violence in rural Mexico.

"At The Intercept, we're always looking for a different angle on important stories, so Andalusia's idea to look at the opioid crisis from the perspective of Mexican poppy farmers struck a chord" shares Lauren Feeney, Director of Video Production at The Intercept.

"ScreeningRoom is pleased to support a short film from its inception, especially an investigative film on an important topic", says Marie-Helene Carleton, co-founder of ScreeningRoom.

Andalusia will receive $5,000 towards the creation of Black Gold Mountain, a one year ScreeningRoom Pro account, and mentoring as she works on the project. She will have the opportunity to have her film play on The Intercept as well as screen at the Double Exposure film festival in October 2019.

"We are proud to support a film that brings together strong journalistic practice with creative cinematic storytelling" says Sky Sitney, co-director of the Double Exposure Film Festival. "Like the best investigative works, Andalusia's film exposes something that has been largely hidden from sight and offers a new and expansive view onto an important issue" says Diana Schemo, co-director of the DX Film Festival.

ScreeningRoom has launched its second grant, the Follow Focus grant, to support a cinematic short documentary film. "Our goal at ScreeningRoom is to help build a sustainable ecosystem in the independent filmmaking space, and funding and mentorship is essential" says Micah Garen, a co-founder of ScreeningRoom.

In partnership with Alex Gibney of Jigsaw Productions and the Points North Institute, the Follow Focus grant offers $10,000 to a documentary short film entering post-production, mentoring, and the opportunity to screen at the Camden International Film Festival in September 2019.

The deadline is June 1 2019 and filmmakers can submit here: https://screeningroom.org/festivals/public/follow-focus-grant

ScreeningRoom, Jigsaw Productions and Points North Institute and are excited to announce Follow Focus, a new grant developed to support a filmmaker working on a short documentary film currently in post-production who is looking for financial assistance and mentorship to help them cross the finish line.

The selected documentary filmmaker or video journalist will receive $10,000 towards the creation of a short, cinematic documentary film, a one year ScreeningRoom Pro account, and consultations from industry producers and editors. The selected documentary filmmaker will also have the opportunity to premiere their film at the 2019 Camden International Film Festival in September. The Camden International Film Festival is a program of the Points North Institute, and will celebrate its 15th edition September 12-15, 2019.

"We are delighted that Alex Gibney and the Points North Institute are supporting this new grant to help filmmakers," says Micah Garen, a founder of ScreeningRoom. "Our goal at ScreeningRoom is to help build a sustainable ecosystem in the independent filmmaking space, and funding and mentorship is essential," says Marie-Helene Carleton, another founder at ScreeningRoom.

"Jigsaw is delighted to help sponsor this grant with our great partners ScreeningRoom and the Camden International Film Festival," says Oscar winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. "Jigsaw is focused on helping to amplify new voices in documentary film. This grant with financial and mentorship support is an exciting step in that direction."

"Supporting creators of shortform documentary has been a commitment of ours for over a decade," said Ben Fowlie, Points North Institute’s Executive and Artistic Director. "This grant will provide the resources that many filmmakers need to get their stories out into the world, but are still too rare the world of independent short docs."

Applications will open on April 10th, and will be accepted through June 1st. There is a $20 fee to submit to the grant and applicants will need a Basic, Premium or Pro ScreeningRoom account. Visit screeningroom.org or pointsnorthinstitute.org for more information on how to apply.

ScreeningRoom is committed to supporting independent filmmakers by providing collaboration tools, community and grants to help address the challenging problem of sustainability for independent filmmakers and video journalists.

Jigsaw Productions is an award-winning documentary production company helmed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney.

Points North Institute is a Maine-based media arts organization that produces the Camden International Film Festival and other programs that serve as a launching pad for the next generation of nonfiction storytellers.

The Intercept, ScreeningRoom and the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival are delighted to announce a new grant for a short investigative documentary.

The selected filmmaker will receive $5000 towards the creation of a short, investigative documentary, a one year ScreeningRoom Pro account, in-kind equipment rental and mentoring. The filmmaker will also have the potential for publication of the completed work on The Intercept, and to screen their short film at the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival (DX) in 2019.

"The Intercept is dedicated to publishing groundbreaking investigative work, which is more important than ever these days," says Lauren Feeney, Director of Video Production at The Intercept. "We are looking for subject matter that is investigative and visually compelling. Topics of interest include civil liberties, national security, immigration, environment, politics and human rights."

"ScreeningRoom’s goal is to help build sustainability in the independent filmmaking and video journalism space," says Marie-Hélène Carleton, one of the founders of ScreeningRoom, "and working with The Intercept and DX on this new grant is a wonderful opportunity to help support filmmakers."

"Double Exposure is thrilled to participate in this grant initiative that will seed essential projects in this vibrant new space where filmmaking and journalism intersect" said DX co-creator and co-director, Sky Sitney.

Any filmmaker or video journalist is welcome to apply, and submissions will be open from October 10, 2018 to December 1, 2018. There is no fee for submission, but filmmakers will need a ScreeningRoom paid account. Representatives from The Intercept, ScreeningRoom, and DX will review the submissions and make a final decision in February 2019.

Interested filmmakers and video journalists can apply by going to:

https://www.screeningroom.org/submissions

For More Information

Los Angeles, CA, May 3, 2017…Applications are being accepted beginning May 3, 2017 for the Women In Film Finishing Fund grants. The application period runs through June 30, 2017. Recipients will be announced in November. Interested filmmakers should go to the WIF website http://womeninfilm.org to find the application.

Now in its 32nd year, the Women In Film Finishing Fund will award 8-12 grants in cash and in-kind gifts for films by and/or about women as represented in documentary, fiction, animated and/or experimental films, shorts or feature length.

Stella Artois is proud to extend their support of female filmmakers with the announcement of $100,000 in new grant money for the Women In Film Finishing Fund. Stella Artois will provide four $25,000 grants for fiction and documentary films that inspire social change, with particular consideration given to films with a water theme.

"Stella Artois’ recognition of women filmmakers through this grant program signals the brand’s commitment to both social action and gender equality," said WIF Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer. "We are thrilled to be in partnership with Stella Artois in empowering the next generation of films made by and about women."

Stella Artois has been a longtime advocate of film and the film community. By supporting the Women In Film Finishing Fund this year, the brand hopes to inspire up-and-coming female filmmakers as the 2018 festival season approaches.

"Stella Artois has long believed in the power of film as a compelling medium to bring awareness to important social issues that affect our global community. Most recently, we worked with award-winning director Crystal Moselle on the ‘Our Dream of Water’ documentary to shed light on the global water crisis," said Harry Lewis, vice president, Stella Artois. "We’re excited to continue to support female filmmakers and hope to identify others that share our passion to help be the generation to end the global water crisis."

Since its inception in 1985, the Film Finishing Fund has awarded more than $2 million worth of grants to over 220 films from all over the world. This year alone, past grant winners premiered at the Sundance Film Festival (Zoe Lister-Jones’ Band Aid, Jennifer Brea’s Unrest) and the Tribeca Film Festival (Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra’s A Suitable Girl).

The Finishing Fund has an impressive track record of selecting films for completion that have gone on to win major awards, including:

• Grace Lee’s American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, the 2015 Peabody Award winner
• Cynthia Wade’s Freeheld, the 2008 Academy® Award-winner for Best Documentary Short Subject
• Freida Mock’s Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision, the 1994 Academy® Award-winner for Best Documentary
• Esther Robinson’s A Walk Into The Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory, 2007 Teddy Award Winner at the Berlin Film Festival
• Maryam Keshavarz’s Circumstance, the 2011 Sundance Audience Award winner
• Khadija Alsalami’s I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced, winner of the 2014 Best Fiction Feature Award at the Dubai International Film Festival

Entrants do not have to be Women In Film members to apply for a grant, and WIF encourages international applications. Detailed requirements will be available in the online application.

WIF LA has posted interviews with past Finishing Fund winners at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, which you can access via this link. To stay up to date, follow Women In Film on Twitter (@WIF_LosAngeles) and Facebook, and subscribe to the WIF newsletter.

About Women In Film

Women In Film 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. Given that women comprise fifty percent of the population, WIF's ultimate goal is to see the same gender parity reflected on and off screen. Founded in 1973, WIF focuses on advocacy and education, provides scholarships, grants and film finishing funds and works to preserve the legacies of all women working in the entertainment community. For more information visit www.wif.org.

About Stella Artois

Stella Artois® is part of a Belgian brewing tradition dating back to 1366. It is the No. 1 Belgian beer in the world and is present in over 95 countries. Stella Artois® is a bottom filtered, blonde pilsner. It is thirst quenching with a malty middle and crisp finish delivering a full flavor and a hint of bitterness. Stella Artois® is best enjoyed served between 3 and 5 degrees Celsius and should be served in the unique Stella Artois® Chalice according to the 9-Step Pouring Ritual to guarantee a perfect experience of this gold standard lager. Visit www.stellaartois.com for more information.

WIF Contact

For more info on the grant and application process, please contact Melissa Verdugo at [email protected]

Media Contact

For press purposes, please contact Catherine Olim/PMK*BNC/ [email protected]

In our ongoing effort to support the ScreeningRoom community, we have awarded a free year-long Premium account to seven filmmakers who are working on films that demonstrate a commitment to human rights and social justice issues.