Sep 21, 2011
Artist Development
The San Francisco Film Society today announced the three winners of the inaugural SFFS Documentary Film Fund grants. The Fund was created to support the postproduction of singular feature-length nonfiction film work that is distinguished by compelling stories, intriguing characters and an innovative visual approach. Each year from 2011 to 2013, a total of $100,000 will be disbursed to further new work by documentary filmmakers nationwide. Expected to grow in the coming years as further underwriting is secured, the Fund was inaugurated thanks to a generous gift from valued Film Society patrons Sharon and Larry Malcolmson.
The panelists who reviewed the 13 finalists’ submissions are Sharon Malcolmson, director Amanda Micheli of Runaway Films, producer Dave Winton of Winton/duPont Films, SFFS Golden Gate Awards Manager Audrey Chang and SFFS Director of Filmmaker Services Michele Turnure-Salleo. In announcing their decision the panelists noted that the winners were selected for their ability to tell intimate, engaging and sometimes humorous stories in a visually gripping style.
2011 Winners
Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, An American Promise, $25,000
In 1999, filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson began documenting the experiences of two African American boys-their son and his best friend-as they started kindergarten at the prestigious, private, predominantly white Dalton School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, just as the school began to actively cultivate a diverse student body. This unprecedented longitudinal documentary reveals the life-changing experiences of the boys and their families as they navigate the challenges of academic achievement further complicated by issues of race and class.
Priya Desai and Ann Kim, Match +, $25,000
How do you find love and marriage when you are HIV-positive? And how do you do that in India, where marriage is a must but HIV/AIDS is unspeakable? Shame led some people to marry without disclosing their diagnosis and others to remain single. Twenty-five years ago the doctor who discovered the first cases of HIV in India could do little more than console her patients. Now she also acts as their matchmaker, helping HIV-positive people fulfill their familial duty as well as their own wish to marry.
Zachary Heinzerling, Cutie & the Boxer, $50,000
Cutie & the Boxer chronicles a unique love story between two Japanese artists and reveals the roots of their relationship. Ushio Shinohara achieved notoriety in postwar Japan with his avant-garde boxing paintings, and in 1969 moved to New York City in search of international recognition. Three years later, at age 19, Noriko left Japan to study art in New York and was instantly captivated by the middle-aged Shinohara. She abandoned her education and became the wife of an unruly, alcoholic husband. Forty years into their marriage the Shinoharas’ art and personalities are the basis for a deep and challenging symbiosis. Cutie & the Boxer reveals painful, universal truths about the lives of artists and examines how the creative process intersects with reality, identity and marriage.
SFFS Documentary Film Fund grants will be awarded once a 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 receive various benefits through the Film Society’s comprehensive and dynamic filmmaker services programs. For information visit sffs.org/filmmaker-services.
The SFFS Documentary Film Fund is the newest initiative of the Film Society’s Filmmaker Services. This production assistance program is designed to foster the creativity and further the careers of independent filmmakers nationwide. It includes project development consultation, membership discounts and benefits, fiscal sponsorship, grants, residencies and information resources. The Film Society’s grant programs have awarded a combined total of $870,000 since 2008 and will award up to $2.5 million through 2013.
For more information on the Fund and the other Film Society cash awards visit sffs.org/Filmmaker-Services/Grants-and-Prizes.