CFAs: Rising Voices Program (United States)

Rising Voices is a career accelerator and filmmaking mentorship program and they’re looking for candidates who are interested in advancing their career opportunities through mentorship and education. Candidates should demonstrate a strong passion for filmmaking, strong desire to learn and ability to collaborate, take instruction and accept feedback. Candidates must portray sustainable and ethical working practices.

Theme

• The Future of Work. When you read “the future of work,” what does that mean to you? Do you think of an egalitarian ideal, a dystopian nightmare, or something in between? What direction is our world headed towards when it comes to work? Who gets to decide what the future is going to be? As time passes, how does “work” play a role in your life? In our lives? Explore how work is a mirror to the human experience. Explore your personal connection with work and show us what “the future of work” means to you. How would the future of work impact your relationships with your family, friends, co-workers, community, or yourself?

Funding Information

• A production budget up to $100,000 will be allocated to produce their stories, and each filmmaker will have access to mentorship and support from the advisory panel through creative mentors from Hillman Grad and from 271 Films. The films will be produced by Hillman Grad in partnership with 271 Films.

Program Rules

• Final projects must be no longer than 15 minutes, including credits.
• Participants are not allowed to act in, shoot or edit their films.
• Shooting on film is not allowed, digital only.
• Distribution is at the discretion of Indeed. The films will live on Indeed’s website with a premiere at a major US film festival.
• Participants must participate in any high profile event or film festival used to promote the film.
• Each project will be assigned a production shoot date.
• Original music only. Licensing music is not allowed.
• Stock footage or images will only be allowed from an approved stock footage site with licensing that has no restrictions on the footage or images, in perpetuity.
• Participants and their crews are expected to create and sustain a working environment that is welcoming, inclusive, considerate, and respectful in order to create a clean space free of discrimination, sexism, harassment, bullying or disrespectful behavior.
• Indeed owns the copyright to the projects produced within the program, but not to the underlying rights/intellectual property of the project. The participants can develop the projects into other formats including but not limited to feature films, television series or digital projects.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States, and the age of majority in Applicant’s jurisdiction to participate in Rising Voices throughout the full term of the program (through the end of June 2025), including any high profile event or film festival used to promote the film.
• You must be at least 18 years of age and not a minor in the state or country of your residence at time of submission
• Commitment to the program from December 2024 – June 2025
• All Participants are required to review and sign a Submission Agreement, which will govern your participation in the Rising Voices 2025 Program. Terms and conditions apply.
• Note: As this program is intended to identify emerging talent, we are unable to consider applicants who are already members of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) or Writers Guild of America (WGA)

Requirements

• Rising Voices is subject to the following application materials:
  • You must submit a complete and accurate application through the Hillman Grad website prior to the application deadline.
  • The application will include:
    • Short answer questions
    • A resume
    • Past work samples (maximum of 2; credited as sole director)
    • Original short script written by the director or writer/director collaboration (10 pages max)
    • Note: The screenplay does not have to be written by the applicant. If the script has been co-written or written by someone other than the applicant, the writer must sign a release, which is submitted upon acceptance into the program.

For more information, visit Hillman Grad.