Two New Funds for Doc Filmmakers from BRITDOC and the Bertha Foundation
[Source: Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation, November 23, 2011]
Today at IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam), a major new partnership was announced at a panel dedicated to the discussion of new funding. The Bertha Foundation is investing in BRITDOC’s future, joining the Board of Directors and launching two new funds worth £1.5 million to filmmakers over the next three years. At the outset, Steve James’s award-winning The Interrupters and Soniya Kirpalani’s We The People are the first projects to receive support.
Rebecca Lichtenfeld of Bertha Philanthropies, which provides philanthropic advisory services to The Bertha Foundation, announced, “The Bertha Foundation supports passionate individuals, strong leadership and activism to create social change. The Foundation believes in the importance of documentary film and its ability to have a positive social impact. We are proud to be partnering with BRITDOC and together launching these two exciting new initiatives.”
BRITDOC CEO Jess Search said, “The Bertha Foundation is a visionary organization with a track record in supporting social justice causes through documentary film. We believe that by joining forces, we can enable documentary filmmakers globally.”
As result of the partnership, two new funds have been established:
The Bertha BRITDOC Documentary Journalism Fund - for filmmakers from around the world working at the intersection of film and investigative journalism. For films that break the important stories of our time, exposing injustice, bringing attention to unreported issues and cameras into regions previously unseen. £250,000 a year for 3 years is available to filmmakers as a mixture of grants and investments. Soniya Kirpalani’s We The People, about a miscarriage of justice against migrant workers in Dubai, is announced as the first production grant. Jess Search said, “This fund is urgently needed. Documentary is becoming an increasingly important medium for breaking stories which require long term investigation and the commitment to gather evidence and amplify voices. We The People is just such a film and we are proud to be supporting it.”
The Bertha BRITDOC Connect Fund - the first outreach and engagement fund in Europe, is open to filmmakers from around the world with smart, strategic outreach campaigns that have the ability to achieve real change on a local, regional or global level. £250,0000 a year for 3 years is available in grants. Steve James’s The Interrupters is the first grantee. Rebecca Lichtenfeld said, “The Interrupters represents the best of contemporary social justice filmmaking. We believe that this film can inform and improve the lives of individuals and communities and we want to help that happen.”
For more information about the funds and to apply: http://www.britdoc.org/bertha.
