2024 Sundance Institute Documentary Fund Grantees Announced

01/08/2024

LOS ANGELES, CA, August 1, 2024 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced the 2024 grant recipients for the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, supporting the work of nonfiction filmmakers globally. This year, 28 projects have been selected to receive an unrestricted grant, with the total granting pool standing at $1,450,000 - almost half a million dollars more than last year's fund thanks to increased support for our granting. This granting cycle's recipients represent all stages of the process, with five projects in development, 15 in production, seven in post-production, and one completed project in its impact campaign. The Documentary Fund seeks to serve as a stable source of support for inventive nonfiction works that create cultural and social impact by tackling a variety of timely and pressing issues. Grants are made possible by Open Society Foundations, John Templeton Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and Sony Music Entertainment thanks to Sony Music's Global Justice Fund.

In 2024, thanks to new support from the John Templeton Foundation, the Institute is able to increase the size of the Documentary Fund's granting pool by $500,000 per year. Through this new generous support the Fund is providing grants that support innovative and daring nonfiction storytelling projects aligned with Templeton's mission of supporting interdisciplinary research and catalyzing conversations that inspire awe and wonder.

The Fund includes the first grantees selected by the Sundance Institute | Sony Music Vision Initiative, a new partnership between the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Sony Music Entertainment, funded by Sony Music's Global Social Justice Fund. Through granting and engagement opportunities, including educational sessions on music in film, this initiative is aimed at elevating documentary film projects by BIPOC filmmakers that demonstrate a significant music component or innovative approach to audio and sound.

It has always been critical to the Sundance's mission to uplift talented and underrepresented voices seeking to create thoughtful and thought-provoking work that elevates and advances cultural dialogue, and we are thrilled to celebrate the variety of perspectives and approaches this year's grantees bring to the table with their projects, said Paola Mottura, Documentary Film Fund Director and Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs. During this challenging time for our industry, we are grateful to be able to deepen our support for the global documentary community. This work is urgent and it is an honor to be a part of these talented artists' journeys and help them get closer to connecting with their audiences. We're appreciative of our partners in making this support possible and we look forward to experiencing these risk-taking works.

The Documentary Fund prioritizes the support of artists from historically marginalized communities and seeks to amplify global voices telling crucial stories. More than half of the grant proposals came from outside the U.S., with the final group of grantees representing 25 countries. The majority of projects (92%) receiving grants are directed by artists from communities that have been traditionally marginalized and 60% are from first-time feature directors.

Through careful craft and fearless vision, projects in this year's slate have the power to instill resilience through family and community legacies, transcend new frontiers in ritual and belief, spotlight the impact of grassroots activism, explore tender reconnections with loved ones through the arts, and empower personal expression in the face of oppressive policies and governments.

While many of the projects supported this year are from early-career filmmakers, this cycle of granting also supports projects from mid-career storytellers, including: Hawa, produced by Christian Popp, who also produced Becoming Cary Grant (2017); House of Earth directed by Ljubomir Stefanov (Honeyland, 2019); Leap of Faith directed by Nicholas Ma, who produced Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018); Stallions directed by Rita Baghdadi (Sirens, 2022); Untitled Philippines Project, the fifth feature from filmmaker PJ Raval (Call Her Ganda, 2018); and The First Plantation, directed by Jason Fitzroy Jeffers, who produced T, the 2020 winner of the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at Berlinale.

Previously supported projects have included: All That Breathes; American Factory; The Battle for Laikipia; Collective; Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution; Hale County This Morning, This Evening; Mija; Minding the Gap; The Mole Agent; No Other Land; Nocturnes; Strong Island; Sugarcane; The Territory; Time; and Union.

2024 Documentary Fund Grantees:

DEVELOPMENT

Basketball Heaven (U.S.A.)

Director/Producer: Resita Cox

A poetic portrait of the historic Black community in Kinston, North Carolina. From surviving catastrophic floods to a poorly funded education system, Kinston remains the single greatest producer of NBA talent in the world.

Knocking on Heaven's Door (Canada, U.S.A., New Zealand, U.K., Argentina)

Directors: Jonathan Qu, Kevin Feiyang Li

Producers: Jonathan Qu, Kevin Feiyang Li, Nicholas de Pencier

Following a battle with cancer, a Christian astrophysicist races to build his last great balloon telescope to unravel the mysteries of dark matter and the artistry of God. If ignorance is truly bliss, then why do we explore the unknown?

Stallions (Morocco)

Director: Rita Baghdadi

Producers: Rita Baghdadi, Sahar Yousefi

A crew of stallion riders make dreams come true on the coast of Morocco.

Strange Sea (Azerbaijan)

Director: Lala Aliyeva

Producer: Aysel Akhundova

In the depths of the Caspian Sea, the whispers of its dark past intertwine with the tales of ordinary life. Strange Sea pa

LINK:	https://www.sundance.org/2024docfundgrantees/...
	See more stories from sundance

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026