Make It Happen Monday

Make It Happen Monday

August 2024: Upcoming workshops, fellowships, and opportunities from around the 🌎.

Video Consortium

The Video Consortium August 1st, 2024
Make It Happen Monday

A curated a list of journalism and documentary filmmaking opportunities just for you. Share this with someone who could put these deadlines to use!


OPPORTUNITIES

Rolling Deadlines:

  • NEW: NIO Ventures, an impact consulting firm headquartered in Valencia, Spain, aims to transform mental health through awareness, education, and healing by setting an objective to help produce 50 mental health documentaries in the next 10 years. If you're working on a doc project about mental health, send an email to impact@nioventures.com with your name, location, log line, description, and deck (if available).
  • The Black Artists Grant (BAG) is a £500 no-strings financial support to help UK-based Black creatives. Whether you’re in need of new equipment or to fund your latest project, learn more and apply here.
  • Submit your documentary for Educational Distribution with GOOD DOCS! If your latest doc is based on education and engaging with students about rarely heard stories then this is where your next application should be. Find out more here.

  • The Pulitzer Center provides grants to cover the hard costs of reporting projects. Grants are open to all journalists: writers, photographers, radio producers, and filmmakers; staff journalists as well as freelancers. Deadline is rolling, find out more here.

Workshops:
  • August 6-26: NYC filmmakers! August is the last month of DCTV NY’s summer workshop season. Build upon your editing, cinematography, lighting skills, and more.
  • September 15: The Mountain Workshops — the storied five-day visual learning experience, est. in 1976 — is now accepting applications for its 2024 Video Storytelling, Photojournalism and Picture Editing workshops. The Video Consortium has been a long-time partner of Mountain, where you can learn the skills needed to tell more meaningful stories while documenting the rural community of Williamsburg, Kentucky, on Oct. 22-26, 2024.

Upcoming Funding Deadlines

  • August 1: Apply for DOC NYC’s 2024 Documentary New Leaders initiative, which celebrates those driving inclusion and equity in the American documentary industry. This opportunity is open to global candidates who have experience in the North American doc industry as well! Nominate someone (or yourself!) by August 1.

  • August 2: Canadian filmmakers! Submit your work-in-progress documentary feature or series for the chance to take part in a live pitch to industry figures in NYC this fall! Selected Canadian projects will be invited to apply for a $1,000 travel grant to cover part of their travel expenses and will also receive DOC NYC Industry badges and the opportunity to attend DOC NYC PRO. More here.

  • August 5: CALI Catalyst provides unrestricted grants of up to $7,500 to California changemakers who are creating tangible impact within the arts and culture sector, shifting power and influence to historically underrepresented voices. Learn more here.

  • August 5: Are you an emerging gender-diverse or transgender filmmaker residing in Canada? The Trans Film Mentorship and Spindle Films Foundation applications for the Short Film Fund are now open. Three filmmaking teams will be selected to pitch their short films to a live audience and a distinguished panel of industry experts at TIFF 2024. Find out more here.

  • August 9: Sheffield Doc Fest’s Queer Realities Director’s Lab has arrived! This is a brand new development programme open to directors currently developing a queer documentary project. Ten directors will be chosen to participate in curated masterclasses and workshops with international and UK filmmakers, artists, and other industry experts. Apply here!

  • August 11: Applications for the Women of Color Film Incubator are OPEN! Selected diverse women filmmakers will each receive $35K to bring their short films to life, spanning from initial concept to final post-production. Apply for this opportunity here.

  • August 12: Calling all Mexican nonfiction storytellers: the VCMX Nun & Duss Grant is back! Now in its 3rd year, this production grant supports emerging Mexican documentary filmmakers and offers $30,000 Mexican pesos for short doc projects in the production stage. VC México will also provide mentorship to the winner and other finalist projects. Apply here.

  • August 12: Are you a filmmaker from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova or Ukraine? Submit a documentary project in development to CPH:DOX’s tailor-made co-production training programme CHANGE! The programme consists of three residential workshops over 6 months and there is no participation fee. Learn more and apply!

  • August 12: The 2024 CAPE Leaders Fellowship is an incubator to equip the next generation of Asian and Pacific Islander creative executives with the skills and professional network to break into the VP ranks. Learn more here.

  • August 16: LEF New England is welcoming applications for Pre-production and Early Development grants. A max of (6) Pre-production grants of $5,000 and (6) Early Development grants of $2,500 each will be awarded to filmmakers! Apply here.

  • August 16: Filmmakers living and working in the American South: applications are now open for the 2024 2024 Southern Documentary Fund Production Grant! Learn more here.

  • August 26: Film In Mind is offering virtual, subsidized film supervision to 50 documentary filmmakers across the world. Need support with emotional, ethical, practical, relational or creative support? Apply here.

  • August 29: NewNarratives will award $20,000 USD in total funding, made up of four (4) artist grants in the amount of $5,000 USD each to support new work. NewNarratives seeks to discover original, authentic work with a strong point of view and identify compelling storytelling that speaks to contemporary themes in innovative and resonant ways. Apply here.

  • August 31: Videographers! Apply for the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian project grant to receive a €10,000 grant + mentorship from Action Contre La Faim. Check out the esteemed jury and apply today.

  • September 1: The Pulitzer Center, the Financial Times, and One World Media have announced a new $20k film grant focused on climate change and labor. They’re looking for an experienced filmmaker who wants to explore how climate change is affecting lives and work in the Global South through a short documentary. Learn more and apply!

  • September 9: The 9th annual Verzió DocLab is a 5-day intensive editing workshop for directors and editors, organized during the 21st Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in Budapest on November 5-9, 2024. This year, Verzió DocLab is looking for projects by first- or second-time feature directors. Find out more here.

  • October 15: The Mycoskie-UC Berkeley Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship aims to empower a new generation of filmmakers exploring the burgeoning field of psychedelics. We're looking for groundbreaking narratives fit for cinematic storytelling – untold stories that captivate audiences and shed light on the science, policy, business and culture of this new era of psychedelics. Learn more here.

  • October 25: Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center is offering a 2-week artist residency in April with a $900 stipend, up to $300 in artist fees, accommodations, up to $400 in travel support for non-local residents, up to $900 optional financial assistance for childcare and/or disability support. Apply here!

  • November 1: Mark your calendars: 2025 Big Sky Pitch is open for submissions! Only documentary feature length works-in-progress are eligible to apply. Documentaries may be in any phase of development, production, or post production, but must be in need of funding. Apply now.


Upcoming Festival Submission Deadlines:

  • August 5: [Deadline extended!] Got a short doc? Submit it to Pittsburgh Shorts. Got a feature-length doc? Submit it to Three Rivers Film Festival. Both fests are in Pittsburgh, PA and run back-to-back in November.

  • August 5: The 40th annual IDA Documentary Awards Call for Entries is open! The IDA Documentary Awards is the world's most prestigious event dedicated to the documentary genre. Submit your doc now!

  • August 12: Leeds International Film Festival, one of the UK's leading annual film events that is Academy Award, BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying, primarily supports the work of new filmmakers from the UK and across the world, with 82 countries represented in 2023. Enter your short or feature-length doc here.

  • August 16: Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival enters its 13th edition, with a clear mission statement: BRIDGING CULTURES – BRIDGING PEOPLE. The idea is to screen films that are inclusive, diverse, and invite the audience to experience a variety of languages and cultures. Submit your doc today!

  • August 16: The 22nd edition of the London Short Film Festival application entries are rolling until August 2. International and British filmmakers, this is your chance to get your film on the map in 2025. Find out more here.

  • August 18: Short doc filmmakers! Submit your film to Subtropic Film Festival, for a chance to screen at the West Palm Beach, Florida film festival. VCers can submit for free using discount code: VCSFF

  • August 18: Black Nights Film Festival (aka PÖFF – Pimedate Ööde FilmiFestival) takes place annually at the end of November in Tallinn, Estonia. It is the only FIAPF-accredited competitive feature film Festival in Northern Europe, and features a ton of awards and prizes. Enter your doc here.

  • August 22: The Africa International Film Festival is Africa's most vibrant film festival experience. AFRIFF consistently delivers an energetic and exciting hub of ‘reel’ people making ‘reel’ connections. Enter here.

  • September 16: Double Exposure Film Festival in Washington, D.C. celebrates investigative journalism mixed with documentary storytelling. Whether you have a short doc, feature-length doc, or both, submit here!

  • September 23: The Sundance Film Festival brings together the most original storytellers and the most adventurous audiences for its annual program of dramatic, documentary, and short films from around the world. Be part of the lineup! Submit your documentary.

  • September 27: The 7th edition of FIPADOC will be held in Biarritz, France from January 24-February 1, 2025 and their call for entries is open! Submit your French-language documentary here. For international documentaries, you have until October 11 to apply.

  • September 28: The South African Independent Film Festival is SA's biggest independent festival, featuring events across all of SA’s major cities. Get your film into the lineup here!

  • September 30: Are you a student filmmaker? This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Students’ Platform at the Freiburger Filmforum. Submit your film here to be considered for the lineup of student and debut films!

  • October 11: The Slamdance Film Festival is a showcase for raw and innovative filmmaking that lives and bleeds by its mantra: By Filmmakers, For Filmmakers.Filmmakers who first presented their work at the festival are now amongst the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Enter your film here.

  • October 13: The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is seeking documentary film entries for the 22nd annual festival in February 2025. The festival accepts submissions of nonfiction films of all forms, lengths, subject matters and genres. Submit your doc.

  • October 18: Third Horizon Film Festival is back for its 8th edition in Miami! This festival aims to uplift Caribbean and diaspora filmmakers, and films which center Caribbean experiences, plus they don’t charge submission fees. Submit your doc here.

  • November 4: The Atlanta Film Festival is the area’s preeminent celebration of cinema. Our 11-day festival presents over 120 films from all over the world, representing 110+ countries. Enter here.

✌️ Have an exciting opportunity to share? Send an email or submit here.

The Video Consortium, by and for documentary filmmakers and visual journalists, is rapidly expanding across the globe. Follow along on social, sign up for our newsletter, attend upcoming events — which are FREE for VC Gold members! — and find collaborators near you.
As a 501(c)3-registered nonprofit, VC depends on your generosity and support to keep our programs running; support the future of nonfiction video with your tax deductible donation today. ❤️

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