Five documentary filmmakers have been selected for the Catapult Film Fund’s annual research grant. Each recipient will receive $10,000 in direct support and six months of mentorship from industry consultants to support new non-fiction projects.
The Bay Area-based nonprofit launched its latest artist-focused program in 2020 to address issues of professional sustainability and diversity in documentary filmmaking. This year’s selected directors are Hazel Gurland-Pooler, Set Hernandez, Arielle Knight, Tracy Heather Strain, and So Yun Um.
During the program, which begins in April, grant recipients are paired with a mentor based on their specific needs and goals for the project. This year’s advisors include Academy Award-winning director Stephen Bognar (“American Factory”), Academy Award-nominated director Yance Ford (“Strong Island,” “Power”), and Emmy Award-winning editor and director Geeta Gandbir (“Lowndes County and the Road to”). “Black Power”), Emmy Award-winning executive producer Simon Kilmurry (“Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy”), and Emmy Award-nominated director Michelle Stevenson (“Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”).
“This unique Catapult program fosters independent voice and creates a space for imaginative possibilities,” says Megan Gilstein, co-director and chief program officer at the Catapult Film Fund. “The combination of world-class consultants and bold filmmakers whose work is guided by a creative process is extremely dynamic.”
Now in its fourth year, Catapult’s research grant program expands on the organization’s mission to provide essential early-stage support when funding is harder to find and riskier to provide. The program was inspired by conversations with US-based filmmakers about the significant barriers to launching new work, specifically a lack of funding, time and a sense of community.
“We emphasize taking risks and not overdoing the look,” says Gilstein. “This is a space where artists’ ideas can range from the incredibly expressive and experimental to the provocative – and if none of it makes sense when the program ends, we still think that’s a success. We never want filmmakers to shy away from an idea just because There is a state of uncertainty in the heart.
To date, the Catapult research grant program has funded 20 film teams from diverse backgrounds: two-thirds of the film teams identify as women or non-binary; Over 90% identify as BIPOC. Previous grantees include producer Jamika Autry (“Burden of Proof”), director Reed Davenport (“Didn’t See You There”), director John Cecere Gough (“After Sherman”), and director Sufyan Khan (“Sealed in Blood”). and the filmmaking team of Sam Osbourne and Alejandra Vasquez (“Going Varsity in Mariachi”).