POYi is announcing an annual $10,000 “Emerging Vision Incentive” to support a year-long project of an aspiring photojournalist, says POYi director Rick Shaw.

“It’s not a grant,” he insists, although it looks and sounds just like one.

The first $10,000 award will be handed out in June. “It’s not a huge amountt of money, but we’re hoping it’s enough to take a topic of global significance and see it through to completion,” Shaw says.

The ‘incentive’ is funded by the Annenberg Foundation and the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. It will be administered by POYi as a separate program from the Picture of the Year competition.

“The inspiration is to do the right thing in our economic climate with aspiring photographers,” Shaw says. “We want to give something back.”

The grant is open to students and emerging or early career photographers. There’s no age restriction, but the rules bar applicants whose primary income is from working as a photographer (in other words, established pros need not apply.)

“So if someone is a security guard, and their whole hope was to become a documentary photographer, but they’re not able to get a foothold because of the current publishing climate and economic realities, this [incentive] would do it,” Shaw says.

Deadline for applications will be in May. Applicants will be required to submit a two- or three-page proposal, along with several initial project images. “It would be like a story pitch,” Shaw says. In addition, applicants will be required to submit a general portfolio of up to 12 single images. There will be a $20 application fee.

One winner will be selected, and his or her completed project will be exhibited at the Annenberg space for Photography in Los Angeles next year.

Full details are available on POYi’s web site, Shaw says.

Deadline: April 22nd, 2010

The Department of Radio-Television-Film is pleased to announce the Nick Cominos Award for Documentary Filmmaking for currently enrolled RTF students who seek funding to undertake documentary projects that have a humanitarian focus. A grant of $1,500 will be awarded.

Stipends will be used for travel, living requirements, equipment or other incurred expenses related to the project.  Upon completion of the project, grantees must submit the finished work to a faculty committee.  Applicants will be selected based on quality of previous work, recommendation from faculty, clarity of idea, relevance to the mission of the scholarship, feasibility of proposed project, and academic standing.

To apply, please submit:

1.     Purpose statement.  Please provide a description of work and how the award would be used to develop or undertake that work, which includes a sample timeline for the work. Statements should be typed and double-spaced and not exceed 500 words.

2.     Sample reel of no longer than 10 minutes.

3.     One letter of recommendation from a RTF faculty member. The letter must be in a sealed envelope with the signature of your recommender over the seal and with your name on the front.  The letter should address the quality of the student’s past work, the likelihood of completion, and the merits of the idea being proposed.

A grant of $1,500 will be awarded.

Submit applications to:

Michelle Monk
Department Administrator
Radio Television Film
College of Communication
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station A0800
Austin, TX  78712
michelle.monk@austin.utexas.edu

Deadline: April 22nd, 2010

The Department of Radio Television Film is pleased to announce the Arch Campbell Award for Narrative and Documentary Filmmaking for currently enrolled RTF students who seek funding to undertake projects related to narrative or documentary film work.  Applicants will be selected based on creative merit, quality of previous work, recommendation from faculty, clarity of idea, feasibility of proposed project, and academic standing.

Stipends will be used for travel, living requirements, equipment or other incurred expenses related to the project.  Upon completion of the project, grantees shall present to a faculty committee a final creative piece based on their experience.

To apply, please submit:

1.  Purpose statement.  Please provide a description of work and how the award would be used to develop or undertake that work, which includes a sample timeline for the work. Statements should be typed and double-spaced and not exceed 600 words.

2.  One letter of recommendation from an RTF faculty member. The letter must be in a sealed envelope with the signature of your recommender over the seal and with your name on the front.  The letter should address the quality of the student’s past work, the likelihood of completion, and the merits of the idea being proposed.

3. Sample reel no longer than 10 minutes.

Grants of up to $1,500 will be awarded.

Submit applications to:

Michelle Monk
Department Administrator
Radio Television Film
College of Communication
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station A0800
Austin, TX  78712
michelle.monk@austin.utexas.edu

What: This grant funds first time documentary makers for travel and accommodations at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, April 8-11, 2010. For four days, grant recipients will be given access to films, participate in master classes and be mentored by experienced filmmakers. TWO filmmakers will be chosen for the grant in its third year.

Deadline: Applications must be RECEIVED BY Friday, February 5, 2010. Applicants will be notified by email in early March.

About the Grant: Garrett Scott made a distinctive mark in documentary during his short career. Without any formal training in film, he directed Cul De Sac: A Suburban War Story, examining the case of a methamphetamine addict who stole a tank from an armory and went on a rampage through the San Diego suburbs. The film prompted Filmmaker Magazine to cite Scott as one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film. He went on to make Occupation: Dreamland, co-directed with Ian Olds, about U.S. soldiers in Falluja, Iraq. It won prizes at Full Frame and the Independent Spirit Awards. Both films were broadcast by the Sundance Channel. In 2006, Scott died of a heart attack at age 37.

Scott’s work examined how the forces of state power and economics impact individuals. Stylistically, his films broke convention, giving audiences new perspectives on familiar milieus like suburbia or war torn Iraq. He was a beloved member of film communities in San Francisco and New York City and several points in between.

His friends, family and colleagues established this development grant to help other emerging filmmakers reach their potential. The grants selection committee looks especially for filmmakers who somehow fulfill Scott’s example, by bringing a unique vision to the content and style of contemporary documentary making.

Previous grant recipients include Elinyisia Mosha and Cameron Yates in 2009, Rebecca Richman Cohen, Nathan Fisher and Mai Iskander in 2008 and Robin Hessman and Lee Lynch in 2007.

Criteria: Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or green card holder and live in the continental United States; any age 18 or older. By “first time filmmaker,” we mean someone who is in the early stage of their documentary career and has not yet received significant recognition (such as major festival play or broadcast). All applicants should anticipate finishing their first project by March 2011. You still qualify as a “first time filmmaker” if you’ve made shorts or student projects, worked professionally as a crew member on other people’s films, or if you’ve recently completed a documentary that hasn’t been released yet. The grant is open to students and non-students alike.

How: Applicants should send a 2 page letter addressing these areas:

1) Project summary: Describe the documentary you’re working on. It doesn’t matter whether the film is a short or a feature, though the judging tends to favor more ambitious projects. Describe the characters, structure, visual approach and what stage you’re at.

2) Director’s statement: Describe how you came to filmmaking and how you’ve trained as a filmmaker. It doesn’t matter whether you went to film school or are self-taught. Describe what you want audiences to take from your film.

Work sample: Applicants must send a 5-10 minute DVD sample of a work-in-progress or a past work. You may send a longer work sample, but judges may only review the opening minutes.

Submit TWO COPIES of both the letter and DVD along with your…

Name:
Address:
Phone:
E-mail:

Send to:
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
ATTN: Garrett Scott Documentary Grant
324 Blackwell Street. Suite 500
Washington Building, Bay 5
Durham, NC 27701

Question or comment? e-mail us submissions@fullframefest.org.

Doing Your Doc: DIVERSE VISIONS, REGIONAL VOICES
November 6 – 8, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas

Don’t miss this unique chance to work with story consultant Fernanda Rossi, the Documentary Doctor, author of the book “Trailer Mechanics,” plus receive project mentoring on your proposal, trailer or documentary idea. This intensive 3-day workshop is right for you, whether you are just beginning, have already shot footage on a documentary project, or are seeking finishing funds. “Doing your Doc” is designed especially for media makers in the diverse communities of Texasa, preparing you to receive production funding and apply to national professional programs while developing your unique stories and views.

Do you have a personal documentary idea, or social change community project that needs development? Are you considering public television funding sources or need R&D money? Join us in San Antonio – Nov. 6-8 – Friday night through Sunday at 5 pm.

MORE INFO: PDF
REGISTER: www.nalip.org
Questions? Call 310.395.8880

KLRU presents a special advance screening of Independent Lens’ Ask Not

ASK NOT explores the tangled political battles that led to the infamous “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and reveals the personal stories of gay Americans who serve in combat under a veil of secrecy.

DATE/TIME:Tuesday, May 19,
LOCATION: KLRU’s Austin City Limits Studio.
INFO: The screening begins at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a short discussion. RSVP here

Independent Lens’ Ask Not will air on Tuesday, June 16, at 9 p.m. on KLRU.

The Documentary Center and the Photo Journalism Department extend a warm congratulations to MFA student Whitney Martin, recipient of the 2009 UT Documentary Center Photo Journalism MFA Master’s Thesis Scholarship Award.

Bhutanese Refugees in San Antonio

Whitney will receive a $1500 award to be used towards her Thesis project on the indigenous culture of the endangered Bribri Indians of the Talamanca region of Costa Rica.

Award Recipient Bio
“My fascination of native cultures developed at a young age, as I spent much of my youth walking the west Texas hills of my grandfather’s ranch searching for arrowheads and other signs of Indian life. However, there is very little that allowed me a direct and visual understanding of this culture. Many of the tribes, whose culture I explored in my youth, are unfortunately gone and their records left to mystery. It is with the intention to preserve the irreplaceable indigenous traditions that inform our modern culture that I wish to document the culture of the disappearing Bribri Indians of Costa Rica.”

Award Jurors:
The scholarship recipient was selected by following professional photojournalists:
John Moore Graduated from UT Austin in 1990 with a BS in Radio-TV-Film
Leslie Mazoch Graduated from UT Austin in 1999 with a BA in Journalism

The UT Documentary Center and Professor Emeritus Dina M Sherzer invite current UT Radio-TV-Film MFA students to apply for the

Dina Sherzer Scholarship Award for Social Awareness.

The Award recipient will receive $1500 to help fund his or her MFA documentary film project.

To Apply:
Submit a one-to-two page essay that briefly describes the social significance of your planned documentary film project, outlines how you would utilize the funds, and explains why you are the best candidate to receive the award.
Submit a brief resume/CV that outlines relevant work and/or educational experience.
UPDATE: This scholarship is for students only. Those who are graduating in May 2009 are not eligible to apply.

Application Deadline: Monday, May 11th 2009.
Send your essay and resume to the UT Documentary Center via email to documentarycenter@austin.utexas.edu
(Barring any delays, our plan is to announce the award recipient by the end of May 2009)

Feel free to contact the UT Documentary Center at documentarycenter@austin.utexas.edu if you have any questions.

Previous UT Doc Center Scholarship Project Funding Recipients:
Ruth Fertig
Pat Michels

The University of Texas Documentary Center is proud to announce that one MFA and one upper-level undergrad in the UT Department of Radio-TV-Film will be selected to each receive a $4500 stipend for an internship in San Francisco, California during Summer 2009.

The award recipients will work as interns at the Independent Television Service (ITVS)

ITVS asks that qualified candidates are familiar with ITVS and the work the organization does. Additionally, qualified candidates should feel comfortable working in multiple departments within an office setting. Knowledge of filemaker, excel, some graphics programs or other office technology is a plus.

TO APPLY:
submit a one page essay stating why you feel working at ITVS will be a valuable experience for you and also why ITVS will benefit from you working for them.
submit a resume detailing relevant work and/or educational experience.

APPLICATION DUE: email your essay and resume to documentarycenter@austin.utexas.edu no later than Thursday April 30th, 2009

INTERNSHIP DATES: June-August 2009. Exact start and end dates to be determined by award recipients, ITVS, and UT Dept of RTF

If you have any questions feel free to contact Maria Boyd at documentarycenter@austin.utexas.edu.

Want to learn more?
Click below to read what the 2008 recipients thought of their intern experience at ITVS:
Mattie Akers
Sergio Carvajal

One MA student in the UT Department of Journalism will be selected to receive support funding to defray travel and expenses associated with a photojournalism master’s thesis project, for work to be completed during summer 2009.

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONCIALLY

TO APPLY: Please email the UT Documentary Center the following items.
1) A 500-1000 word abstract describing your project
2) A brief statement of purpose that clearly states how you would utilize the funds should you be awarded the scholarship.
3) Ten .JPEG images that are part of a larger series
4) Ten .JPEG images that are either single images or samplings from other series you’ve created

FUNDING DATES: To be negotiated between the award recipient, his or her faculty supervisor, and the UT Documentary Center. The funded student is expected to have work planned to take place during the summer of 2009.

APPLICATION DUE: On or before Friday March 27, 2009. Applications are to be emailed (along with JPEG attachments) to documentarycenter@austin.utexas.edu

AWARD: A stipend in the amount of U.S. $ 1500 towards costs associated with proposed project. Award winner will be announced in April.

JURORS: UT alumni currently working as professional photojournalists. TBA

The Brooklyn International Film Festival (BiFF), is an International, competitive festival for and by independent film makers. BIFF mission is to discover, expose, and promote independent film makers while drawing worldwide attention to Brooklyn.

CATEGORIES: Feature, Documentary, Short, Experimental, Animation
AWARDS: $80,000 in services, products, and cash.
FINAL DEADLINE: March 15, 2009 (posted by)
FILM FESTIVAL DATES: June 5-14, 2009
CLICK for MORE INFO or to SUBMIT