Two grants for women documentary filmmakers: Calls proposals

The Indian Documentary Foundation and Chicken and Egg Pictures are inviting proposals for their first round of grant funding. The new fund will support two women film-makers from India with grants to the value of $10,000. The last date for submitting applications is November 21. Applicants will be notified before the end of January 2015. The fund will offer a combination of cash and in-kind services, such as editing, post production and sound mixing.

Applicants can be at any stage of their career, but must have samples of their work to show their artistic vision and their ability to tell story. They must be able to demonstrate that they have an office or a place of work registered in India. The fund will support documentary films aimed at widespread distribution on television, VOD and/or theatrical release. The stories should focus on social, environmental, or political themes. Successful film-makers will also have a chance to attend one major North American market, where they will receive one-to-one mentoring from the Chicken and Egg team.

This is a new grant for Indian women documentary filmmakers sponsored by the Indian Documentary Foundation and Chicken & Egg Pictures. Since 2005, Chicken & Egg Pictures has awarded $3.3 million and 5,000 hours of mentorship to over 160 films.

 

For this funding round IDF is interested in films that tackle human rights, social justice, and environmental issues in a nuanced, original, and compelling way. We’re looking for a range of voices, powerful stories, and filmmakers who are committed to working in tandem with social movements. Films must be directed or co-directed by a woman (including female-male co-directors and transgender/gender-non-conforming individuals).

The Fund is intended for Indian film-makers who are mainly based in India. To qualify you will need to demonstrate that you have an office or place of work registered in India. You can be a mid-career film maker or a first time director. We do not, however, accept films from student film-makers.

The application process opens on October 1st, 2014 and the final date for submission is November  21st, 2014 midnight IST. All applicants will be notified by the end of January, 2015. however, the review process is rigorous as a panel of expert screeners from the Indian Documentary Foundation and the Chicken & Egg team shall review every application, looking at prospective projects thoroughly, fairly, and from multiple perspectives.

Supporting non-fiction feature, nonfiction shorts, the main thing that IDF is looking for is:

Innovation: Filmmakers with unique voices and projects that take risks.

Vision: A new perspective on an issue, a unique access into the story and the ability to make the universal accessible, personal and resonant.

Storytelling: Original story, tone, style and structure.

Craft: Inextricable links between the driving story and the production values, sound, cinematography and other craft decisions.

Resonance: Timely, urgent or compelling issues at stake.

Impact: Films with the potential to help shift culture, practices and even policy as well as to build and support grassroots movements for change.

Diversity: In all its forms, including geography, age, subject matter, ethnicity, career level and more.

However, fiction, student projects or any projects not directed or co-directed by a woman is not accepted.

The Indian Documentary Foundation will manage the call and selection process in partnership with Chicken & Egg Pictures. The funding is a partnership with Chicken and Egg Pictures, The American not-for-profit which is dedicated to supporting women nonfiction filmmakers, whose diverse voices and dynamic storytelling have the power to catalyse change, at home and around the globe. Indian Documentary Foundation is a Not-for-profit organization co-founded by Jaaved Jaaferi and Sophy VSivaraman for the Promotion, Development and Funding of Documentaries in India and about India.