Creative Shorts Fellowship Program (US)

They are seeking to support emerging Native filmmakers who want to make a career in film production to produce new stories that deconstruct barriers of perceptions and misperceptions, facts and myths, ideologies and truths, push the limits of art and technology, while also supporting a mentorship with a career professional film producer or director.

Through the Creative Shorts Fellowship, VMM pays an honorarium directly to film professionals, Native or non-Native, to mentor an emerging Native filmmaker. Emerging Native filmmakers find their own mentor for their project. Film professionals, Native or non-Native, may also submit a proposal—following criteria and eligibility—to mentor an emerging Native filmmaker in the production of that emerging filmmaker’s short film. Emerging Native filmmakers must choose their mentor prior to applying and film professionals must choose their mentee prior to applying.

The call is directed towards emerging Native filmmakers to submit a short film: documentary, drama, experimental, or animation. Topic ideas may be about Native cultures, values, histories, contemporary life, environmental justice, social justice, youth, elders, and/or Native empowerment. Within the fellowship, funds support a film professional’s mentorship, and the production of a short film produced by an emerging Native filmmaker.

Funding Information

• Production costs may be funded in a request amount of up to $25,000. Separately, VMM directly pays the mentor a total of $5,000.

Eligible Activities

• Requests for funding under this category should be a proposal to film, record, and produce a short film to complete:
  • principle photography (including all production activities, hiring of crew, talent and clearance of rights for public media use);
  • development of a website for the program; and
  • post-production (including editing and completion).

Eligibility Criteria

• Emerging Native filmmakers who wish to pursue a career in film production are encouraged to apply and must hold artistic, budgetary and editorial control and own the copyright of the proposed short film.
• Film professionals, Native or non-Native, who wish to mentor an emerging Native filmmaker in the production of the emerging filmmaker’s short film, may apply in collaboration with their Native mentee.
• The proposed project must be a short film of 40 minutes or less.
• Topics and genres accepted for the Creative Shorts Fellowship can be short film: documentary, drama, experimental, or animation. Topic ideas may be about Native cultures, values, histories, contemporary life, environmental justice, social justice, youth, elders, and/or Native empowerment.
• The proposed project must be ready for production (The Creative Shorts Fellowship supports production to completion).
• Production timeline must have completion within 12 months of receiving 1st payment of awarded funding.
• All applicants must be over 21 years of age, and a U.S. citizen or legal U.S. resident.
• Proposals must show significant Native American involvement on their production, whether Above the Line, Below the Line or both.
• Eligible Proposals should meet Vision Maker Media’s mission of empowering and engaging Native people to share stories.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Film Professionals and film mentors seeking funding for their own short film project.
• Commercial Programs.
• Industrial or promotional films and videos.
• Student productions of any sort, such as thesis films.
• Filmmakers or production entities that are foreign-based, owned or controlled.
• Projects funded in part by a government entity or group featured in the content of the short film.

Selection Criteria

• Vision Maker Media convenes a panel of Public Media professionals, independent filmmakers, and Native American story content experts to evaluate proposals and work samples. Committees of selection consider: the representation of Native cultures and experiences, the perspectives of Native Americans and Alaska Natives, and how well the overall proposal/application meets Vision Maker Media’s mission—empowering and engaging Native people to share their stories. Following in-depth evaluation and discussion, the panel recommends projects for Vision Maker Media to support.
• When evaluating, the selection panel weighs the strengths of the following factors for project proposals: Strength of story, production team, budget, timeline, marketing plan, quality of work samples, and meeting Vision Maker Media’s mission.

For more information, visit Vision Maker Media.