Princess Grace JustFilms Documentary Awards Return for a Second Year

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA) is proud to announce the second year of the Princess Grace JustFilms Documentary Awards, made possible by the Ford Foundation's JustFilms program. These grants are awarded to help support social justice documentary film projects: thesis projects by students or filmmakers' final projects at media arts centers. In this second year of the grant, an emphasis is placed on filmmakers who are Native/Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. In general, this includes Inuit people, Alaskan Natives, American Indians, Native Hawaiians, First Nations, Métis, and indigenous peoples of Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Applications and guidelines can be found at: http://pgfusa.org/grants-program/grant-applications

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA, a public charity, was formed after the death of Princess Grace (Kelly) in 1982. They present scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships to assist artists in the early stages of their careers. The Foundation has cultivated a diverse group of more than 600 artists who continue to advance the spectrum of performing arts with innovative, cutting-edge, and vibrant theater, dance, choreography, film, playwriting and design. Since the Foundation's inception, more than 750 Awards have been given to recipients, totaling nearly $10 million.

PGF-USA Executive Director Toby E. Boshak notes, "PGF-USA is excited to continue to expand our already diverse community of documentary filmmakers by funding these unique stories and thanks the Ford Foundation for the opportunity to achieve this goal."

Through the Princess Grace JustFilms Documentary Awards, PGF-USA will identify and support voices that tell authentic and powerful stories from or about underrepresented communities. Grants will be made in accordance with the applicants' thesis/final project budgets. Nominations for film grants are submitted by Deans/Department Chairs in conjunction with the faculty of established U.S. colleges and universities, or directors of non-profit media arts organizations with structured film production programs that the Foundation has invited to apply.

Choosing Awardees:

The Foundation is looking to identify and support voices from underrepresented communities that have authentic and powerful stories to tell. In this round, particular emphasis is place on social justice films by Native/Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. In evaluating an application, primary consideration will be given to the talent and potential of the filmmaker as demonstrated by the sample work submitted with each application. The panel will also consider the quality, originality and mastery of the subject and approach of the proposed project, as well as the potential impact the work will have on viewers, the community and the film's subject(s). An advisory panel, independent of the PGF-USA staff and Trustees, reviews every application on its merits in competition with other applicants in the same category and awards the scholarships for the next school year.

Last year's Awards winners, in the inaugural year of funding where the focus was on films and issues concerning the South and Southeast Asian communities, were:

Esy Casey, Center for Asian American Media
Amitabh R. Joshi, School of Visual Arts
Chao Thao, University of Southern California
Jason DaSilva, Honorarium, Fire Light Media

A current list of accepted schools can be found in the FAQ of the Grants Program section at www.pgfusa.org. Additional schools/media arts centers who would like to be considered may contact Program Manager Diana Kemppainen at grants@pgfusa.org. The postmark deadline for applications is June 1, 2013.

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