Cinereach Grants $350,000 to Deserving Doc, Narrative and Hybrid Projects

[Source: indieWIRE, by Bryce J. Renninger, October 13, 2011]

Cinereach, the film funding organization that supports “vital stories, artfully told,” has announced that it has granted 17 film projects a total of $350,000 in their second grant cycle of the year. This puts their total at $750,000 for the year, an increase over last year’s $500,000.

Cinereach Creative Director Michael Raisler noted, “This grant cycle marks a major milestone for Cinereach as it includes our 100th supported film. It also comes at a time of new beginnings as we evolve by building on the experience of our first five years. Our grantees continue to confound expectations and resonate with audiences. We remain committed to our belief in film as a significant force in shaping global culture, and our newest grantees also represent Cinereach’s dedication to supporting manifold aesthetics, stories and voices.”

Below, a list of film projects that have received funding from Cinereach this cycle. Synopses provided by Cinereach.

Call Me Kuchu
Dir. Katherine Fairfax Wright & Malika Zouhali-Worrall | Uganda | Nonfiction | In Post-Production
As state-sanctioned homophobia reaches new heights in Uganda, David Kato, the country’s first openly gay man, will stop at nothing to liberate the LGBT community.

Citizen Corp
Dir. Tia Lessin and Carl Deal | U.S. | Nonfiction | In Production
A story about money, power and democracy in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to treat corporations as citizens.

City of the Caesars
Dir. Francisco Hervé | Chile | Nonfiction | In Development
With Patagonia under grave threat from the forces of a new global colonialism, two men from radically different backgrounds and driven by radically different motivations mount separate offensives to preserve their treasured way of life.

Cutie and the Boxer
Dir. Zachary Heinzerling | U.S. | Nonfiction | In Post-Production
A meditation on companionship, sacrifice, and the creative spirit, this love story explores the chaotic forty-year marriage of two New York-based, Japanese artists.

Gabriel
Dir. Lou Howe | U.S. | Fiction | In Development
As a teenager’s obsessive quest to find the first girl he ever kissed becomes increasingly frantic, his grip on reality starts to slip, putting himself and everyone around him in danger.

God Loves Uganda
Dir. Roger Ross Williams | Uganda/U.S. | Nonfiction | In Production
A journey into the heart of East Africa, where Ugandan pastors and their American counterparts spread God’s word and evangelical values to millions desperate for a better life.

Informant
Dir. Jamie Meltzer | U.S. | Nonfiction | In Post-Production
An investigation into the turbulent life and journey of a prominent radical activist turned FBI informant.

Inside Out
Dir. Alastair Siddons | U.S., France, Tunisia, Japan, Portugal | Nonfiction | In Production
A look at the journey charted by the artist JR as he leads a global participatory art project that empowers people to not just see art but to make it.

Kuichisan
Dir. Maiko Endo | Japan | Hybrid | In Post-Production
In a forgotten, cross-cultured town in Okinawa, a 10-year-old boy drifts amidst his own beliefs.

Leviathan
Dir. Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Verena Paravel | U.S. | Hybrid | In Production
A portrait of contemporary New England fishing.

Marmato
Dir. Mark Grieco | Colombia | Nonfiction | In Post-Production
In a historic Colombian gold-mining town, the miners’ way of life is threatened as a multinational mining company plans a total takeover.

Montana Medical Marijuana Film
Dir. Rebecca Richman Cohen | U.S. | Nonfiction | In Post-Production
Reflecting the controversies enveloping the marijuana industry throughout the United States, Montana braces itself to become the first state to repeal a medical marijuana law.

Our Nixon
Dir. Penny Lane & Brian L. Frye | U.S. | Nonfiction | In Post-Production
The forgotten Super 8 home movies of Nixon’s White House aides – and convicted Watergate conspirators – offer an intimate and surprising new glimpse into his presidency.

Powerless
Dir. Fahad Mustafa & Deepti Kakkar | India | Nonfiction | In Production
In Kanpur, India, hundreds of people risk their lives to climb up electricity poles to steal electricity. As police vehicles roll in to stop the theft, the lines are drawn for a battle over electricity.

Tchoupitoulas
Dir. Bill Ross & Turner Ross | U.S. | Nonfiction | In Post-Production
Three young brothers explore the New Orleans night.

The Mosuo Sisters
Dir. Marlo Poras | China | Nonfiction | In Post-Production
Two spirited daughters from China’s last remaining matriarchal society are thrust into the worldwide economic downturn when they lose the only jobs they’ve ever known.

White Elephants, a Congo Trilogy
Dir. Kristof Bilsen | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Nonfiction | In Production
A poetic look into a former colony in decay, as seen through the microcosm of three state-owned institutions.