Hot Springs Eternal

Oct 12, 2023

Happy Thursday, friends, and thank you to everyone who hung out with us at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival this week.

In honor of the longest-running doc fest in the US: we’ve got an all-doc line up of new projects this week — plus an abundance of new funding deadlines and opportunities, below.
If you’re looking to go deeper on the latest docs: be sure to check out the Top Docs podcast with Hot Springs Director Ken Jacobson and co-host Mike Merrill. Their latest conversation: ”Beckham” with Fisher Stevens.

Let’s dive in!

Roll of Honor

Premieres, Press, Awards, and Standout Member Work This Week

No Accident: White Supremacists on Trial. The lawsuit against the leaders of the deadly Charlottesville rally had two goals: “to expose the truth of the conspirators’ intent to the public… and to bankrupt them” (The Guardian). The documentary follows the legal battle that ensued. Nausheen Dadabhoy, DP; Julia Liu, Additional DP; Chris Herde, Editor; David Gauff, On-line Editor. HBO.
Camp Courage: Ukranian Refugees at Summer Camp. After the film’s Camden premiere, Director Max Lowe spoke about how he hoped the film could real “the human impact of the Russian war in Ukraine.” Premieres on Netflix this Sunday.
Between Earth and Sky: Life After Near Death. A renowned ecologist explores "what grows back” after surviving a life-threatening fall from the rainforest canopy. Andrew Nadkarni, Director; Su Kim, Executive Producer; Caitlin Mae Burke, Executive Producer; Sari Mellafe, Composer; Megan Massey, Associate Producer; Peter Zachwieja, Editor; Merrill Sterritt, Consulting Producer. POV.org and the PBS App.

Need more to watch this weekend? Peruse THR Critics’ 50 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century (So Far). Thanks to costume designer Katie Irish for the post on this one. Katie worked on two of the series listed—Deadwood and The Americans!
We loved Director Lina Plioplyte’s interview with Vogue on her film Periodical. The headline says it all: “This New Movie About Periods Should Be Required Viewing.” Evan Carter, DP; Justin Lacob, Executive Producer; Carrie Schreck, Post Producer; Kathleen Flood, Executive Producer; Amanda Spain, Executive Producer, Alex Pilkington, Post-Production Supervisor. Premieres in theaters October 14th.

Black Barbie has been acquired by Netflix and Shondaland following its SXSW premiere and festival run. Congrats to the whole team including Lagueria Davis, Director; Camilla Hall, Executive Director; and Jeffrey Winter, Distributor.
Congrats to producer Karl Janisse and team: “Deadline has dropped our latest feature in development with Maya Bastian, Anand Ramayya, and Shant Joshi.” Check out Karl’s post on Portrait.
Portrait members Jiayan “Jenny” Shi and Elijah Stevens are both recipients of The 2023 Sundance Institute Sand Box Fund, designed to help artists explore the link between science and culture.

Weekly Jobs, Grants, Programs, Workshops, Labs, and More

Heading to Newport Film Festival this weekend? Don’t miss Director Beth Aala’s Q&A with Christine Ng following the screening of her film This Is Brighton.
Check out the full rundown of Newport films from Portrait members on the app, including Baseball Behind Barbed Wire, The Hidden Power of Purpose, JessZilla, A Revolution On Canvas, Swimming Through, and William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill.

Women in Media: Developing Filmmaker Fellowship (10/15 deadline)
Meerkat Media Collective (10/15 deadline)
Toronto Media Arts Program (10/16 deadline)
Women Directing Mentorship (10/18 deadline)
Hillman Grad Rising Voices (10/22 deadline)
Frameline Completion Fund (10/27 deadline)
CAAM Documentary Fund (10/29 deadline)
Athena Writers Lab (10/30 deadline)
Pillars Artist Fellowship (10/31)
The Athena List (10/31 extended deadline)
Roy W. Dean Fall Grant (10/31 deadline)
IDA Direct Access Fund (10/31 deadline)
NYC Women’s Fund (11/1 deadline)
South Arts: Emerging Traditional Artists Program (11/1 deadline)
Stowe Story Labs (11/1 deadline)
From Script to Preproduction Lab (11/10 deadline)
The Miller/Packan Film Fund (11/15 deadline)
NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship (11/27 deadline)
Big Sky Pitch (11/30 deadline)
NYFA Artist Fellowship (12/13 deadline)
SagIndie Film Music Connect (rolling deadline)
Elevate Collective (rolling deadline)
Ford Foundation JustFilms Grants (rolling deadline)
Awesome Foundation Grants (rolling deadline)

We loved “The Moth”-esque evening at Hot Springs — thank you to all who shared their stories.

And until next week, friends: see you on Portrait.