Jun 17, 2013
Artist Development
The San Francisco Film Society today announced the 13 finalists for the 2013 SFFS Documentary Film Fund awards totaling $100,000, which support feature-length documentaries in postproduction. The SFFS Documentary Film Fund was created to support singular nonfiction film work that is distinguished by compelling stories, intriguing characters and an innovative visual approach. Finalists were selected from more than 200 applications, and winners will be announced in late July.
The SFFS Documentary Film Fund has an excellent track record for championing compelling films that have gone on to earn great acclaim. Previous DFF winners include Shaul Schwarz’s Narco Cultura, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s American Promise, which also premiered at Sundance and won the festival’s Special Jury Prize in the documentary category; and Zachary Heinzerling’s Cutie and the Boxer, which won Sundance’s Directing Award for documentary, has played at film festivals worldwide and will be distributed theatrically by Radius-TWC.
Since 2011, SFFS has distributed $100,000 annually to advance new work by documentary filmmakers nationwide. Expected to grow in the coming years as further underwriting is secured, the Documentary Film Fund was inaugurated thanks to a generous gift from valued Film Society patrons Sharon and Larry Malcolmson.
“The Doc Film Fund is a perfect example of SFFS’s work to provide critical backing to important films, giving their makers the ability to tell their stories completely free of market concerns and those kinds of pressures,” said Ted Hope, executive director of the San Francisco Film Society. “Without the tireless efforts of our Filmmaker360 staff and the inspiring and forward-thinking patronage of the funders that make our grant programs possible, I truly believe this art form we all love would be in jeopardy. It’s deeply satisfying to be part of this community of like-minded organizations in the business of non-profit artist support all working together to get the best new films made, seen and appreciated.”
2013 DOCUMENTARY FILM FUND FINALISTS
Above All Else – John Fiege, director/producer/cinematographer
Above All Else is the remarkable story of how one man’s struggle to protect his family from the Keystone XL pipeline transformed the fight against climate change in America. For more information visit aboveallelsefilm.com.
Art and Craft – Jennifer Grausman, codirector/coproducer and Sam Cullman, codirector/coproducer/cinematographer
Examining the curious story of a prolific art forger who isn’t in it for the money-but chooses instead to donate his work to museums-Art and Craft uncovers one of the most intriguing cases of deception in art history. Filmed at the moment his ruse is exposed, this story of obsession opens an unlikely window onto questions of mental health, art and philanthropy in the 21st century.
The Babushkas of Chernobyl – Anne Bogart and Holly Morris, co-director/producers
As Fukushima smolders, and the world grapples with a dangerous energy era, an unlikely human story emerges from Chernobyl to inform the debate. The Babushkas of Chernobyl is the story of an extraordinary group of women who live in Chernobyl’s post-nuclear disaster “Dead Zone.” For more than 25 years they have survived-and even, oddly, thrived-on some of the most contaminated land on earth. For more information visit thebabushkasofchernobyl.com.
Evolution of a Criminal – Darius Clark Monroe, director
Ten years after robbing a Bank of America, filmmaker Darius Monroe returns home to examine how his actions affected the lives of family, friends and victims. For more information visit facebook.com/evolutionofacriminal.
Freedom Fighters – Jamie Meltzer, director
There’s a new detective agency in Dallas, Texas, started by a group of exonerated men who have all spent decades in prison for crimes they didn’t commit. They call themselves the Freedom Fighters, and they’ve recently started working their first cases. For more information visit freedomfightersfilm.com.
Homestretch – Anne De Mare and Kristen Kelly, co-director/producers
Four homeless teenagers brave Chicago winters, the pressures of high school, and life alone on the streets to build a brighter future. Against all odds, these kids defy stereotypes as they learn to reach out for help and create new, surprising definitions of home.
How to Become an Extreme Action Hero – Catherine Gund, director
How to Become an Extreme Action Hero harnesses the power of action architect and spatial philosopher Elizabeth Streb. Through Streb’s daring performances and incisive words, the film jumpstarts our hearts and takes us to the edge. For more information visit strebfilm.org.
One in a Billion – Geeta Patel, codirector/producer and Ravi V. Patel, codirector
When Ravi Patel breaks up with his white girlfriend and finds himself almost 30 and still single, he decides to give the traditional Indian matchmaking system a try. His entire family starts a search for his future wife and sends him on a whirlwind of dates around the country in hopes that he’ll find “the one.”
Radical Love – Hillevi Loven, director
Radical Love follows the journey of Cole, a transgender Christian teen growing up in rural North Carolina. Upon graduating from high school, he finds love and a sense of belonging with Ashley, a Christian woman. Together, they struggle to gain acceptance in a conservative Bible belt community that is grappling with the changing values of today’s Christian youth.
Redemption – Amir Soltani and Chihiro Wimbush, co-director/producers
As with the poor living in the urban slums of India, Egypt and Brazil, a surprising number of Americans make their living off of a vast river of trash. These are America’s untouchables. Through the lives of four recyclers, we are introduced to the art, science, economics and politics of recycling: what it offers, how it touches the poor and why it matters to all of us. For more information visit redemptiondoc.com.
Rich Hill – Tracy Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo, co-director/producers
Rich Hill chronicles the turbulent lives of children living in a dying Midwestern town, witnessing their struggles up close as they yearn to find self worth and imagine a future beyond poverty. For more information visit richhillfilm.com.
Street Fighting Man – Andrew James, director/cinematographer
In a new America where the promise of education, safety and shelter are in jeopardy, three Detroit men fight to build something lasting for themselves and future generations in a city that is abandoning its citizens. As we witness each man’s fight to claim his piece of the American Dream, Street Fighting Man reveals that no one can do it alone. For more information visit streetfightingmanthemovie.com.
Tomorrow We Disappear – Jimmy Goldblum and Adam Weber, co-director/producers
When their homes are illegally sold to real estate developers, the magicians, acrobats and puppeteers of Delhi’s Kathputli Colony must unite-or splinter apart forever.
For more information on the Documentary Fund and the other Film Society cash awards visit sffs.org/filmmaker360/Grants.
SFFS Documentary Film Fund grants are awarded in the summer of each year. Exact amounts of individual grants and the number of grants made will be determined on an annual basis. As with all Film Society grants, in addition to the cash awards, recipients will gain access to numerous benefits through Filmmaker360, the Film Society’s comprehensive and dynamic filmmaker services program. Filmmaker360 is a leader in the field of non-profit support of cinema and offers unparalleled assistance and opportunities designed to foster creativity and further the careers of independent filmmakers nationwide. Filmmaker360 oversees one of the largest film grant programs in the country, which disperses nearly $1 million annually to incubate and support innovative and exceptional films at every stage of production. Other elements of Filmmaker360 include project development consultation, membership discounts and benefits, fiscal sponsorship and information resources.
Recent Filmmaker360 success stories include Ryan Coogler’s debut feature Fruitvale Station, which won the Prize of the Future in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the narrative category at Sundance 2013; Short Term 12, Destin Daniel Cretton’s sophomore feature which won both the Narrative Grand Jury Award and Audience Award at South by Southwest 2013; and Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin’s debut phenomenon which won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and Cannes’ Camera d’Or in 2012, and earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. For information visit sffs.org/filmmaker360.