Chicken & Egg Pictures will begin accepting submissions for the Accelerator Lab for first and second-time women nonfiction filmmakers on October 11. This program brings together ten projects helmed by first or second-time directors, with a special focus on underrepresented voices. “Completing and launching a documentary takes grit, nerve, and creativity; it also takes money, connections, and time. We offer women directors the tools to realize the full potential of their projects, both as works of art and as catalysts for change,” writes Chicken & Egg Pictures on its web site. Each participant will receive a two-part grant for the production […]

The Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio has announced its 2016-17 Wexner Center Artist Residency Award recipients in performing arts and film/video. The recipients are Faye Driscoll (Performing Arts), John Canemaker (Film/Video), Kevin Jerome Everson (Film/Video), and Sam Green and Kronos Quartet (Film/Video). Selected by the center’s curators and director to fulfill the center’s role as a creative research laboratory for artists, the residency awards provide significant sums of money (from $25,000 to $100,000) and space — along with technical, intellectual and professional support — to develop new works on-site. Kelly Reichardt was the recipient of last year’s residency award, which she used […]

Producers Dan Schoenbrun and Vanessa McDonnell have launched a Kickstarter campaign for The Eyeslicer, a new variety series by and for indie filmmakers. Among the filmmakers set to contribute are David Lowery, the Zellner Brothers, Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn, Yen Tan, Calvin Reeder, Shaka King, Ornana, John Wilson, Jennifer Reeder, Leah Shore, Colin Healey, Lauren Wolkstein, and Chris Radcliffe The campaign is aiming to raise $28,000 to fund season one and if all goes smoothly, the 10-episode, 10-hour first season will launch in January. Schoenbrun (a contributor to Filmmaker) and McDonnell recently collaborated to create collective : unconscious, an anthology feature film where they […]

For the second year in a row, Adobe Project 1324 and Sundance Institute are teaming up for a short film challenge to find bold new voices in the next generation of filmmakers. If you’re a filmmaker between the ages of 18 and 24, you can create and submit an original one to eight minute film exploring the theme “What’s Next?” “We encourage you to respond as broadly or specifically to the prompt as possible,” advises the Adobe Project 1324 web site. According to the Sundance Institute, films will be evaluated for technical excellence, demonstration of an original voice, innovative storytelling and strong […]

Last month, The Redford Center announced the launch of Redford Center Grants, a grant program aimed at supporting the production of films that seek to raise global awareness of environmental issues. Funded by The New York Community Trust, The Redford Center Grants program will support filmmakers with feature-length projects that are in early stages of development and that are focused on driving awareness, education and action on environmental topics. Though there is no specification that the films must be non-fiction, on the list of Films We Love, The Redford Center highlights documentaries such as Super Size Me, Gasland, Virunga, The Cove, and […]

At Filmmaker we have covered Section 181, the United States’ film tax credit incentive, quite extensively, but this article by entertainment attorney Daniel J. Coplan, Esq. is both a great overview of how the incentive actually works for individual investors as well as an explanation of one underknown element. The latter concerns the ability of some investors to deduct against ordinary income, not passive income. In short, if you’re raising private equity for a U.S. film this year, read on. (This piece was originally published on LinkedIn and is reprinted with permission.) The purpose of this short article is to […]

A new partnership between Alamo Drafthouse, the independent theater chain and distribution company, and Legion M, the world’s first fan-owned entertainment company, could help pave a new way for independent films to get financed and developed. The two companies announced yesterday that they had formed a strategic partnership to develop and distribute genre content, including feature films, shorts and virtual reality. On May 16th, Legion M launched a public equity crowdfunding campaign under new rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the the 2012 JOBS Act. Since it launched the campaign last week, the company has raised $400,000 from accredited investors and […]

My name is Nijla Mu’min and I’m an award-winning writer/filmmaker from the East Bay Area. In March, I launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $25,000 for my first feature film, Jinn. Jinn is a coming-of-age drama about a teenage black girl named Summer whose life is turned upside down when her mother abruptly converts to Islam and becomes a different person, prompting Summer to reevaluate her life and identity. It’s a fun, fresh exploration of millennial culture, Islam, and first love. Since the campaign ended, fellow independent filmmakers and colleagues have reached out to me for insight on how to […]

Jan Švankmajer, the 81-year-old surrealist Czech animator, along with his longtime producer Jaromír Kallista, has launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund the filmmaker’s final project, Insects. Švankmajer, known for his dark but playful satirical works, has directed over 30 short and feature-length films throughout his career including Alice, Little Otik, and Dimensions of Dialogue. As a pioneer of stop-motion animation, he has had a direct influence on the works of Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, David Lynch, and the Brothers Quay, among many others. Švankmajer wrote the screenplay for Insects, which is loosely based on “The Insect Play” by the Čapek brothers, an allegorical comedy from 1922 […]

The Venice Production Bridge, a platform connecting European and international producers with potential sales agent, distributors and financiers able to provide final financing for their projects, announced today a new Gap Financing Market to take place during this year’s Venice Film Festival. Running September 2 – 4, the initiative will curate a selection of 25 European and international projects seeking the final 30% of their financing. Projects can be at any stage, from development to post-production, but must prove that the 70% of their existing financing is secure. Significantly, the initiative is open to both documentaries as well as fiction […]