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SFFILM New American Fellowship

Overview

Through the SFFILM New American Fellowship, created in partnership with the Flora Family Foundation, SFFILM offers six-month fellowships to narrative or documentary filmmakers who have arrived in the United States within the past ten years as either an immigrant or a non-immigrant. The fellowship is open to both directors and producers working on at least one active project.

Each year the grant will support either one narrative or one documentary filmmaker. The 2021 application is open to Documentary filmmakers.

Winners of the SFFILM New American Fellowship will receive a $25,000 cash grant and a two-month residency at FilmHouse, SFFILM’s suite of production offices for local and visiting independent filmmakers. The residency program provides filmmakers with artistic guidance, office space, a vibrant creative community, and mentorship from established filmmakers and members of the independent film industry.

Eligibility

Applicant Criteria

  • Filmmaker must have moved to the United States within the past ten years as either an immigrant or a non-immigrant.
  • Filmmaker does not need to be a lawful permanent resident, but must be authorized to work in the United States over the length of this fellowship.
  • Filmmaker must be working on at least one active project rooted in the United States, which is not fully funded and/or has not secured distribution.
  • Filmmaker must have directed or produced at least one short or feature-length narrative or documentary film, but not more than two narrative or documentary features, as the director or lead producer. This does not include co-producer, associate producer, or executive producer credits.
  • Filmmaker must use the fellowship to a produce at least one independent documentary or narrative feature with a budget of 3 million or less US dollars.
  • Filmmaker may not be a SFFILM or Flora Family Foundation employee or member of any SFFILM or Flora Foundation Boards.
  • Filmmaker must be at least 18 years old.

Project Criteria

  • Project must be feature length, the application alternates each year to support either Documentary or Narrative. See above to confirm this year’s application.
  • Project should be vibrant, intelligent, original, moving, and innovative.
  • Project must not be work for hire.   

Application Criteria

  • Filmmaker has clearly articulated intended goals for the fellowship, how those accomplishments will be measured, and what the next steps will be for the project.
  • Filmmaker intends to form connections with Bay Area filmmakers.  
  • Filmmaker demonstrates how the project will impact their short- and long-term professional and artistic goals.

Grantee Responsibilities

Financial Stipulations

  • Filmmaker must submit a progress report detailing how the funds were spent, and a new work sample at three and six months.

Additional Requirements

  • Fellows must reside in the Bay Area for a minimum of two (non-contiguous months), for no less than two weeks at a time.
  • Filmmaker will sign an agreement with SFFILM.
  • Upon completion, copies of the film will be made available to SFFILM.
  • Filmmaker shall provide acknowledgement to SFFILM and the Flora Foundation. The fellowship is to be listed with other comparable funders/grants/fellowships, with language that mirrors or is similar to “Made with support from SFFILM and the Flora Family Foundation” – onscreen in end titles and in marketing materials tied to other grants/funders. Logos will be provided by SFFILM.
  • Filmmaker understands there will be a press release announcing chosen fellows. Unless otherwise specified during the approval process, the submitted bio and logline will be used in that press release.
  • Filmmaker will offer SFFILM a “first look” and first right of refusal for potential Bay Area premiere at SFFILM Festival and/or other SFFILM exhibition venues. Please note: while we encourage supported filmmakers to submit applications to the SFFILM Festival and other SFFILM Makers programs, winning a grant, residency, or fellowship from SFFILM does not guarantee acceptance into the SFFILM Festival or other SFFILM Makers programs.

Additional Notes

  • Projects and applicants may reapply to this or other SFFILM Makers opportunities for additional funding.

FAQs

  • Who qualifies for the New American grant?
    o be eligible for the New American fellowship, you must be born outside the United States and have only been living in the U.S. for the last 10 years or less. The goal of the grant is to offer financial and mentorship support for recently immigrated filmmakers looking to further a feature-length film in development.
  • Do Narrative or Documentary Films qualify?
    Each year, the New American Fellowship supports EITHER a documentary or narrative film. In 2021 we are only considering applicants with documentary films in development.
  • What stage does this support?
    The New American Fellowship supports feature-length projects at any stage of development, from research through post-production.

For more information about our grants and fellowships, visit our FAQ page.

SFFILM Documentary Film Fund

Overview

The SFFILM Documentary Film Fund (DFF) supports engaging documentaries in post-production which exhibit compelling stories, intriguing characters, and an original, innovative visual approach. Since its launch in 2011, the SFFILM Documentary Film Fund has distributed more than $900,000 to advance new work by filmmakers nationwide.

DFF grants are awarded once each year to documentary feature projects and are open to filmmakers internationally. Individual grant amounts and the number of grants made will be determined on an annual basis. As with all SFFILM grants, in addition to the cash awards, recipients will gain access to numerous benefits through the comprehensive and dynamic SFFILM Makers artist development program.

The SFFILM Documentary Film Fund has an excellent track record for advancing compelling films that go on to critical acclaim. Previous DFF winners include Ljubo Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska’s Honeyland, which won a record number of juried awards at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for Academy Awards for both Best Documentary Feature and Best Foreign Language Film; RaMell Ross’ Hale County This Morning, This Evening, which won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance 2018 and was nominated for the 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature; Liza Mandelup’s Jawline, which won a Special Jury Award at Sundance 2019 and is currently streaming on Hulu; Hassan Fazili’s Midnight Traveler, which won a Special Jury Award at Sundance 2019 and the McBaine Documentary Feature Award at the 2019 SFFILM Festival; Luke Lorentzen’s Midnight Family, which premiered at Sundance 2019 and won dozens of awards including a Creative Recognition Award for Best Editing from the International Documentary Association; Assia Boundaoui’s The Feeling of Being Watched, which has won audience awards at several film festivals and was broadcast nationwide on POV; Alyssa Fedele and Zachary Fink’s The Rescue List, which had its world premiere at the 2018 SFFILM Festival and was broadcast nationwide on POV; and Zachary Heinzerling’s Cutie and the Boxer, which won Sundance’s Directing Award for documentary and was nominated for the 2014 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Eligibility

Applicant Criteria

  • Applicant must be at least 18 years old.
  • Applicant must be in a key creative role for the film: ideally, the producer or director.
  • Applicants who are not SFFILM members must pay the $25 (regular deadline) or $45 (late deadline) fee. SFFILM members will have all fees waived.
  • Filmmaker may not be SFFILM employee or board member.
  • Filmmaker may not be a full-time student.

Project Criteria

  • Project cannot be a work for hire.
  • Project must be a feature length documentary (60 minutes or more).
  • Project must be in, or within three months of, post-production at the time of the final deadline.
  • Projects can be produced or based anywhere in the world.
  • Projects must be consistent with SFFILM’s mission and represent an imaginative contribution to the moving image art form.
  • Project reflects excellence in storytelling and visual style.
  • Project reflects innovation in storytelling and visual style.
  • Projects that primarily use interviews as a storytelling device will not be considered.

Application Criteria

  • To begin the application process, navigate to the “Apply Now” page to review the required items for submission. If you have not yet created an account for the SFFILM Grant Platform, please do so (please note: this is separate from your SFFILM member account).
  • Filmmaker clearly articulates the intended goals for the grant.
  • Filmmaker explains how the project takes a visually innovative approach.
  • Filmmaker demonstrates how the grant will impact short- and long-term professional and artistic goals.
  • It is recommended that the 10-minute sample be 1-2 scenes from the film and not a trailer.

Additional Notes

  • Only one application per project will be accepted.
  • Please note that while we encourage filmmakers to apply for to the SFFILM Festival and other SFFILM Makers grant, fellowship, and residency programs, winning a Documentary Film Fund grant does not guarantee acceptance into any of the above programs.
  • Films that have previously submitted to this fund may reapply if significant progress has been made since the last submission.
  • Filmmakers will be notified of their application status via email by the end of November. Funds for grantees will be available shortly thereafter.
  • Email grants@sffilm.org if you have any questions.

FAQs

  • Do I need to live in the Bay Area to be eligible for the SFFILM Doc Film Fund grant?
    No. The SFFILM Doc Film Fund is open to filmmakers based anywhere in the U.S. or internationally.
  • What stage does this fund support?
    The SFFILM Doc Film Fund supports feature-length documentaries in post-production. While we know the documentary production process is often nonlinear with various stages happening at the same time, films should be predominantly be in the post-production phase within six months of the final deadline.
  • What should my visual sample include?

    We recommend sending 1-2 scenes so that the review committee can get a sense of the story and characters and if it can sustain a feature length film, your access to the central subjects, and the artistic voice and direction of the film. We recommend sending the scene(s) you feel most strongly portray these elements in lieu of a trailer. We understand the scenes will be in progress and do not expect them to be picture locked, color corrected, or finalized in any way.

    If you have a longer sample already cut, you are welcome to send that. If you send materials over 10 minutes, we cannot guarantee that the review committee will be able to watch more than the first five minutes of the materials you send. If you do not want the first five minutes to be watched, please include the timecode of the five minutes you would like the committee to watch.

  • What types of films does this fund support?

    The SFFILM Doc Film Fund supports a range of films from around the world. Films do not have to have a strong social issue and most often do not have that at the center of the film. The fund supports documentaries that exhibit compelling stories, intriguing characters and an innovative visual approach. Recent examples of this include Honeyland, Hale County This Morning, This Evening, Midnight Family, The Feeling of Being Watched, Midnight Traveler, and Cutie and the Boxer.

  • How many projects are granted each year?

    The Documentary Film Fund grants its support to approximately 3 projects each year with grants of $20,000.

  • When are applicants notified?

    All applicants will be notified of their status through the SFFILM grant platform by mid-November.

For more information about our grants and fellowships, visit our FAQ page.