Sundance Institute Selects Latest Slate of Documentary Fund Grantees

Los Angeles - The latest cohort of Sundance Institute Documentary Fund Grantees, announced today, comprise 23 nonfiction film projects from 21 countries of production. Unrestricted grant support, totaling $540,000, will benefit the projects across various production stages from development to post-production. Grants are made possible by The Open Society Foundations and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

During a time of shared crisis, it is essential that Sundance continue its steadfast support of artists across the globe, said Documentary Film Program Director Carrie Lozano. These films creatively assert our common quests, conditions and resilience as they interrogate notions of individual and collective power.

Creative support for nonfiction storytellers feels especially urgent at the present moment, added Documentary Film Fund Director, Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs. These documentarians are helping us make sense of our collective history and reality, and through innovative approaches on diverse topics, helping us imagine a collective future.

The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program is made possible by founding support from The Open Society Foundations. Generous additional support is provided by Ford Foundation; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Luminate; Sandbox Films; Skoll Foundation; The Kendeda Fund; The Charles Engelhard Foundation; CNN Films; Compton Foundation; John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Bertha Foundation; Genuine Article Pictures; Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman; Violet Spitzer-Lucas and the Spitzer Family Foundation; Joan and Lewis Platt Foundation; Code Blue Foundation; EarthSense Foundation; Harbour; Adobe; and two anonymous donors.

The latest grantees, presented by production stage, are:

Development

Breaking the Brick (Chile)

dir. Carola Fuentes, Rafael Valdeavellano

prod. Rafael Valdeavellano, Carola Fuentes

After half a century living under the neoliberal economic model established by the Chicago Boys in Chile, a jaded crowd rises throughout the country demanding economic and social transformation. The awakening of the Chilean citizens and the death of a model.

The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer (Argentina)

dir. Alessandra Sanguinetti

prod. Julia Solomonoff, L cia Reis

Spanning more than 20 years, this intimate portrait of two girls, their everyday lives, fantasies and dreams explores their realities and inequalities of growing up female in rural Argentina.

King Coal (USA)

dir. Elaine McMillion Sheldon

prod. Molly Born

A lyrical essay from a lost paradise and a series of surreal documentary vignettes explore how coal is imbued in the identity and human experience of Appalachians. King Coal documents the cultural expressions that reveal the complicated relationship with what was once the area's most dominant industry, while employing elements of magical realism to rediscover a lost dream for the region. Through an exploration of identity, King Coal serves as a visual reminder of why change is slow and painful.

Mija (USA)

dir. Isabel Castro

prod. Tabs Breese

Doris is a 26-year-old music manager working to launch the career of Chicanx pop stars while navigating the emotional and financial instability of her familys tenuous legal status.

Mother Vera (UK)

dir. C cile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson

prod. Laura Shacham

Set in a hidden Orthodox community in Belarus, this film takes us on a poetic journey following the story of enigmatic Sister Vera, whose life has dramatically transformed from one of addiction and rebellion, to redemption and transcendence. Now faced with a devastating terminal illness, Vera dedicates herself to the community that saved her.

Untitled Michael Premo film (USA)

dir. Michael Premo

Details TBA.

Witnesses From the Shadows (France, Mali, South Africa)

dir. Ousmane Samassekou

prod. Estelle Robin You, Andrey S Diarra, Don Edkins, Tiny Mungwe

Bordering the Sahel desert stands a house, a safe haven for African migrants on their way to Europe, or returning home. How do you prepare to face your family when you are going home with nothing, leaving your dreams behind?

PRODUCTION

Cutting Through Rocks (Iran)

dir. Sara Khaki, Mohammad Reza Eyni

prod. Sara Khaki, Mohammad Reza Eyni

Details TBA.

Hakuchu Munyata (Per )

dir. Augusto Zegarra Pineda-Arce

prod. Claudia Chavez, Paloma Iturriaga

A young indigenous man is trying to save a language from extinction. Fernando is an independent voice artist from Cusco, Per , who dreams of dubbing The Lion King to Quechua, the language of the Incas. Pursuing this dream with his son Dylan, will make him reevaluate his own identity and role as a father.

Hummingbirds (USA)

dir. Silvia Casta os, Estefan a Beba Contreras, Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Jillian Schlesinger

prod. Leslie Benavides, Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Jillian Schlesinger

In this uniquely collaborative coming-of-age film, inseparable best friends Silvia and Beba emerge at night to escape the cruel summer heat of their Texas border town, wandering empty streets in search of inspiration, adventure, and a sense of belonging. When forces beyond their control threaten their shared dreams and they are faced with an uncertain future, they take a stand and hold onto what they can-the moment and each other.

Kamay (Afghanistan)

dir. Shahrokh Bikaran, Ilyas Yourish

prod. Ilyas Yourish, Shahrokh Bikaran

After a young girl from the mountains of central Afghanistan mysteriously commits suicide inside Kabul University, her family's calm rural life enters into a painful and exhausting process. The parents are now looking for justice in one of the most corrupt judicial systems in the world while Freshta-their younger daughter-attempts to gain admission to the same university, to complete

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