On November 15, at a DOC NYC panel called “Balancing Storytelling and Financial Stability,” South African filmmaker Milisuthando Bongela, director of the acclaimed 2023 Sundance film Milisuthando, recounted her unfortunate story of funding gone wrong—and how powerhouse nonfiction studio XTR offered her production hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money last November to help her deliver her documentary for its Sundance premiere, and then, five weeks later and after repeated attempts to follow up, the company responded that they were withdrawing the offer. “When she told this story, I was shocked,” says prominent Oscar-winning documentary producer and Story Syndicate […]

Chicken & Egg Pictures announced today the 27 filmmaking team recipients of its inaugural Chicken & Egg Pictures Research & Development Grant. Supported by Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity, the grants provide experienced directors with $10,000 for research or $20,000 for development of a new documentary project — stages of the filmmaking process that are often unpaid and unsupported. Chicken & Egg Pictures’s team will also provide grantees with peer support, connecting them to the broader documentary community for mentorship and networking opportunities. From the press release: The 2023 Chicken & Egg Pictures Research & Development Grant is supported by […]

Rathaus, the New York and Detroit-based production company behind such films as Tim Sutton’s Funny Face, Cedric Cheung-Lau’s The Mountains Are a Dream that Call to Me and Diana Peralta’s De Lo Mio, has announced a new grant supporting Detroit-based filmmakers. The Rathaus Film Grant will give $10,000 to one moving image artist in support of a short film, feature film, documentary, hybrid piece, or video art. Funds are unrestricted. As the FAQ notes, they “can be used in any way that significantly progresses your project forward. This could be anything from; supporting you to take time off to write […]

Today we’re sharing the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for No Sleep Till, the feature debut from French-American filmmaker Alexandra Simpson. So far, $3,735 has been raised by 21 backers toward a flexible $25,000 goal, with 29 days remaining to secure funds through the campaign. Producing the film is Ham on Rye and Happer’s Comet director Tyler Taormina, a member of the filmmaking collective Omnes Films, which appeared on our 25 New Faces of Film list in 2021. Also on board in Zurich-based producer Michael Graf, who produced the Sundance ’23 short White Ant. Here’s a general synopsis and pitch of No […]

Chicken & Egg Pictures has announced their latest initiative, teaming up with Netflix on a $450,000 fund to support women and non-binary documentary filmmakers who have previously made at least two feature films and are currently working toward their next project. As many as 30 filmmaking teams will receive a $10,000 grant for research or a $20,000 grant for development. In addition to the grant, recipients will be provided with “peer support, mentorship opportunities and deeper connections in the documentary film industry.” The Chicken & Egg Pictures Research & Development Grant is accepting applications through 12 p.m. ET on Monday, April […]

You have a killer idea. A great script. Actors or producers that love it. You get it budgeted… then get realistic and drop that number down to something more reasonable. You open an LLC, a bank account, and now you own 100% of nothing but a great idea. If you have representation, you send out your materials to potential financiers in hopes that just one of them tells you an astounding, “Yes!”. But as an emerging feature filmmaker, the odds are not in your favor, especially in an industry that’s relying more and more on pre-vetted IP, in-house development and […]