Firelight Media
/OVERVIEW: This funder supports documentary filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds, as well as films about underrepresented people and communities. Many of the films it produces appear on PBS.
IP TAKE: With its strong connections to PBS and Hulu, Firelight Media’s grants and fellowships are invaluable sources of support and networking to documentary filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds. This is a well-organized and transparent organization, with opportunities for early- and mid-career documentarians. Getting in to one of Firelight’s “lab” programs for career development could lead to additional funding and distribution opportunities.
PROFILE: Created in 1998 by filmmaker Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith, Firelight Media is a New York-based nonprofit filmmaking organization. According to its mission statement, Firelight Media “produces documentary films, supports filmmakers of color, and cultivates audiences for their work.” This organization runs funding programs, fellowships, and more to support its mission.
Grants for Film
Firelight media runs a range programs to provide “dynamic support at every step of the creative journey for filmmakers of color.”
The Documentary Lab is an 18-month fellowship that “nurture[s] underrepresented nonfiction storytellers working on their first or second feature film” with mentoring, professional development and grants of $25,000. As many as 14 fellows have been supported each year, and the program accepts applications from directors of in-progress full-length documentaries from underrepresented backgrounds. The application window usually runs from early April until mid May, with fellows announced in October. The program page features links to a live application webinar, FAQs and the Submittable application portal.
The Groundwork Regional Lab supports “diverse, early-career documentary filmmakers living and working in under-represented regions of the U.S. and its territories.” The opportunity involves professional development, networking opportunities and seminars on “supporting local filmmaking ecosystems.” To learn more about the program and its selection process email Weenta Girmay at weenta@firelightmedia.org.
The FRONTLINE/Firelight Fellowship is conducted in collaboration with the PBS’s series FRONTLINE and supports “diverse, independent producers interested in investigative documentary filmmaking and audio storytelling.” The fellowship consists of a “three-month research grant,” editorial and research support, funding for the production of a short film and distribution via FRONTLINE’s streaming platform. The program typically selects two fellows each year, and application is by invitation only.
William Greaves Research and Development Fund supports “mid-career nonfiction storytellers from racially and ethnically underrepresented communities in the United States, as well as filmmakers from Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Colombia with a particular interest in those who identify as being of Indigenous and/or of African descent.” Grants of up to $40,000 support “research and development on a feature-length nonfiction film and any essential need grantees have, including healthcare and childcare costs.” The program accepts applications from mid-career directors whose projects are in the pre-production phase who “hold the intellectual property rights to the film.” Ten or more projects may be selected for support each year. See the program page for updated guidelines and due dates or email grants@firelightmedia.org for information.
The PBS/Firelight William Greaves Production Fund targets “documentary productions by mid-career filmmakers from diverse communities in the United States that are intended for distribution on PBS through finishing funds or co-production funding.” This program represents PBS’s commitment of $3.6 million over three years to “address the persistent structural challenges many filmmakers face after producing their first films.” Check the program page for updated guidelines and due dates, or email grants@firelightmedia.org for additional information about this program.
The Impact Campaign Fund invests in “the creation of audience engagement and impact campaigns by Firelight-supported filmmakers.” This program prioritizes audience engagement projects that “are socially relevant, address or engage underrepresented issues or communities, and are accountable to the communities their films represent.” Firelight also indicates that it “will not shy away from projects that are smaller in scale, hyperlocal, or with discrete impact objectives.” Grants range from $10,000 to $25,000, but applications are accepted only from Firelight-supported filmmakers. Guidelines and due dates are posted on the program page.
The Hulu/Firelight Kindling Fund is a newer program that “resource[s] three Firelight-supported filmmakers to develop an original non-fiction documentary feature film for a first look by Firelight Films and the Hulu streaming service.” The award consists of a$25,000 grant plus “one-on-one professional development sessions on producing for Hulu with Hulu’s documentary division.” Application is open to Firelight-supported filmmakers, and guidelines and due dates are provided on the program page.
Beyond Resilience is not a grantmaking program but “series of screenings, essays, and curated conversations that explore the challenges, strategies, and experiences of creating and distributing work during periods of social transformation.” Information about upcoming events is available at the program page.
Finally, Firelight’s Short Films series features “short documentary films made by emerging, diverse filmmakers living in the U.S. territories and Hawai‘i and their diasporic communities.” This program has called for submissions of short films in the past. Interested participants should check the program page periodically for updated opportunities.
See profiles of grant recipients and past fellows on Firelight’s Filmmakers page. A selection of supported films is available at the organization’s Watch page.
Important Grant Details:
Many of Firelight’s grants and fellowships include grants of up to $40,000, although amounts are specified by individual programs.
Firelight’s program’s prioritize filmmakers from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the field of documentary filmmaking, as well as films that document the stories of underrepresented people and communities.
Firelight accepts applications for some of its programs, while others are by invitation only or open to past fellows and recipients. Eligibility, guidelines and due dates vary by program.
See information about past recipients and supported at Firelight’s Filmmakers and Watch pages.
Submit inquiries about Firelight’s programs via email to grants@firelightmedia.org.
PEOPLE:
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