New Film Commissioning Program Launches at The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Now accepting applications through May 31, 2024, the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum's inaugural Spotlight Documentary Residency will support a cohort of four teams of filmmakers and community builders in chronicling the histories of notable American women and girls who are well-known to their communities but have not been recognized or celebrated in mainstream narratives about American history.

Reimagining a conventional residency, teams will receive all the support of a structured program - funding, creative and logistical guidance, as well as presentation of the completed work - while living and working in place to complete a short-form, limited documentary series. Each team will receive $50,000 in production funding, interdisciplinary mentorship, regular work-in-progress reviews, and retain full ownership rights to their completed series. Launch activities will include a robust program of promotional events as well as distribution across the Museum's communication channels and by Smithsonian partners.

During the six-month residency program, running from mid-August 2024 through mid-February 2025, each team must complete a limited documentary series of three to five videos, each between three to five minutes in length. For the purpose of this program, "complete" means shot, edited, and completed post-production activities, including closed captioning and audio description, such that the final version is polished and ready for public screening. In addition to story, format, and experience requirements outlined below, you can find the full list of requirements, including details on licensing your series to the Museum, in the official residency Rules and Guidelines.

Applications are open now through May 31, 2024 at 11:59pm HDT (GMT-10).

The application is in two parts - a written portion and a set of supporting materials. The written portion must include the following: an overview of your story, why it's important for audiences to know about, your visual and structural approach to making the series (understanding that some details may change), and a description of your team's connection to the person or community featured in your story. Supporting materials include: a mood board, budget top sheet, high-level six-month production plan, previous work samples, team lead resumes or CVs, and credits for all work samples. Details about each application component and selection process and criteria are covered in detail on their apply page.

Please email any questions to spotlightwomenshistory@si.edu. The Museum will collect questions submitted via email until April 8th and publish answers in an FAQ accessible via this webpage no later than April 15th. Answers to questions submitted after the FAQ is published that are deemed relevant to all applicants may be subsequently added.