May I send in someone else’s work as my completed prior work? Projects selected for these opportunities will be fielded through our general Documentary Fund application. London. The Documentary Film Program believes that art changes the way we reach people. We periodically announce new grantees throughout the year, and those press releases are not notifications. Established in 2002 with founding support from Open Society Foundations, the program is a vibrant global resource for independent nonfiction storytelling. Sky Hopinka, 2017 What is meant by "contemporary cultural relevance"? Please double-check that you have entered the password correctly (remembering that passwords are case sensitive). Director: Cody Lucich Sundance Institute, All Right Reserved. In the movie, Guetta’s laughable artistry rips off virtually every modernist tradition, and tries to make a terrible documentary about street featuring Banksy himself. Previous Documentary Edit and Story Lab advisors include editors Kate Amend (Into the Arms of Strangers, The Keepers), Andrea Chignoli (Cielo, No), and Jonathan Oppenheim (Paris Is Burning, The Oath), and directors Laura Poitras (Risk), Jeff Malmberg (Spettacolo), Nanfu Wang (One Child Nation), Robb Moss (The Same River Twice, Containment), and Margaret Brown (The Order of Myths, The Great Invisible). Completed Projects: Iván’s story derives much of its emotional center around Iván’s romance with Gerardo, the partner he initially leaves behind during his harrowing attempt to make it into the United States. At what point in my project should I apply? True sustainability links social and ecological challenges. We do not encourage the resubmission of projects that have previously been declined, as they are unlikely to be successful, unless they have significantly advanced the visual sample, story, and structure, as well as elevated and refined the artistry of the approach in order to demonstrate the merits of the film and the director’s aesthetic intent. The Sundance Documentary Film Program believes that artful storytelling can transform conversations and cultures. Producer: Steven Markovitz, Projects in Production:A Journey Into The Storm I am a first-time director. Despite its morbid connotations, “Dick Johnson” also offers some measure of hope for desperate times — it’s a lively rumination on the notion that everyone’s doomed, so living in the moment is the best way to go. Ideally, projects will attend the lab at a late-assembly/rough-cut stage. Fostering artists at the convergence of film, art, media, live performance, music & technology. Always in Season The review process is highly competitive. Producers: Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Laura Nix, Newtown What percentage of applications are actually funded? In addition to creative labs, DFP has developed artist-centered fellowships, including the Art of Nonfiction Fellowship and Nonfiction Critics Fellowship. First-time filmmakers are eligible. Invited film teams select one to two scenes to create original cues for and, rather than attending with their composer or sound designer, are assigned an independent composer and sound designer to work with during the lab. All labs are programmed through an open submission process. Providing year-round support to a next generation of filmmakers. Producer: Nicole Newnham, Charm City Contributing Editors However, we have an annual call for shorts through the Documentary Short Film Fund. By inviting a team of experienced editors who articulate the nuances, challenges, and dynamic nature of this essential relationship in nonfiction storytelling, the lab fosters creative community and a unique focus on craft. We only accept samples via online streaming links. Your fundraising strategy is your plan for raising your film budget. We also require narrative, financial, and distribution reports—and social impact reports, if applicable. Mood reels, stills, or some visual references for or depiction of the project in development are recommended. Producer: Djuan Fox, Akicita- The Battle For Standing Rock Given the number of submissions received too early and resubmitted too quickly, filmmakers are strongly discouraged from submitting nearly identical proposals or visual samples twice. It may not always look that way, but these edgier approaches speak to the most pressing issues of our times, as the more traditional documentary entries prove. “Catfish” portrayed photographer Nev Shulman’s online relationship with a woman who turns out to be very different from the way she describes herself, and the movie generated immediate questions surrounding its authenticity. There are no entry fees associated with applying to the fund. What are some specific examples of films you have funded? Documentary Competition, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t. Any items in your cart will be returned. You should also receive a confirmation email once your application is submitted. Invited projects do not attend with their composer or sound designer. Jem Cohen support opportunities to nurture the project’s development as well as the artist's career. Learn more, Women at Sundance is a multifaceted initiative dedicated to creating gender equality in American media. Shorts, series and feature length fiction projects, Immersive/ New Media projects. Directors who are already working with a composer are not best suited for the lab, as each director will be paired with a composer who is selected as part of the Film Music Program. Considered artists must be living or working in the United States. Director: Jacqueline Olive These strategic initiatives provide funding and networking opportunities for established filmmakers, and support and mentor emerging international artists. Sundance Institute’s Art of Nonfiction Initiative provides creative and financial support for nonfiction filmmakers employing inventive artistic practice in story, craft, and form. Deborah Stratman Ewing’s affecting, understated drama begins as a traditional work of fiction before arriving in the present day, weaving in footage of the real Iván to inject the nature of his struggle with authentic foundation. The program seeks a world that embeds an understanding of the earth’s planetary boundaries into solutions for more just and equitable societies. Sundance Institute, All Right Reserved. Netflix is a force in indie film. Is my project eligible for funding? Yes. Natalia Almada Sundance Institute staff pair CEs with attending projects based on the projects’ creative and technical needs. The DFP hosts three labs annually including theEdit and Story Lab, the Documentary Creative Producing Lab and Fellowship, and the inaugural Nonfiction Director’s Lab. Director: Elizabeth Unger Award decisions typically take three to five months, occasionally sooner. Your session is going to expire. You will be redirected back to your article in, Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. Woodruff, Jr. Charitable Trust; and two anonymous donors. Candidates must be available for all CPI dates, above. The stories told across Park City at the start of each year may not have been programmed with trends in mind, but they often signal the acceleration of aesthetic or cultural developments. Recent projects include Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence; Laura Poitras’s CitizenFour; Feras Fayyad’s Last Men In Aleppo; RaMell Ross’s Hale County This Morning, This Evening; Kirsten Johnson’s Cameraperson; Yance Ford’s Strong Island; and Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro. A decade later, they remain intriguing provocations, but conversations surrounding documentary form have caught up: “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” is screening in U.S. Can I apply for funding to pay for film transfers or reimburse debt, etc.? DFP creative labs are unique residential workshops that bring together a world-class community of directors, editors, and producers dedicated to bold, courageous nonfiction storytelling.