Call for Proposals: Creative Shorts Mentorship (US)

The Vision Maker Media is seeking creative short film format proposals by and about Native Americans and Alaska Natives for production funding that nurtures and encourages new and creative innovative storytelling. They want you tell your story in a uniquely imaginative, inventive, and artistically experimental way to represent the cultures, experiences and values of American Indians and Alaska Natives. At VMM, they empower and engage Native People to tell stories.

The Creative Shorts Mentorship supports Emerging Native filmmakers to produce a short film: documentary, drama, experimental, or animation piece; and supports a mentorship with a career professional film producer or director.

Emerging Native filmmakers find their own mentor for their project. Film professionals, Native or non-Native, may also submit a proposal—following criteria and eligibility—to mentor an Emerging Native filmmaker in the production of that emerging filmmaker’s short film. Emerging Native filmmakers must choose their mentor prior to applying and film professionals must choose their mentee prior to applying. Topic ideas may be about Native cultures, values, histories, contemporary life, environmental justice, youth, elders, and/or Native empowerment. All applications must additionally have a social justice theme.

Category 

• Production: Up To $25,000.00
  • Requests for funding under this category should be a proposal to film, record, and produce a short film to complete (i) principle photography (including all production activities, hiring of crew, talent and clearance of rights for public media use); (ii) development of a website for the program; and (iii) post-production (including editing and completion).
  • The mentor fee is paid separately from the production funding support.

Eligibility Criteria

• Emerging Native filmmakers who wish to pursue a career in film production are encouraged to apply and must hold artistic, budgetary and editorial control and own the copyright of the proposed short film.
• Film professionals, Native or non-Native, who wish to mentor an emerging Native filmmaker in the production of the emerging filmmaker’s short film, may apply in collaboration with their Native mentee.
• The proposed project must be a short film of 40 minutes or less.
• Topics and genres accepted for the Creative Shorts Fellowship can be short film: documentary, drama, experimental, or animation. Topic ideas may be about Native cultures, values, histories, contemporary life, environmental justice, social justice, youth, elders, and/or Native empowerment.
• The proposed project must be ready for production (The Creative Shorts Fellowship supports production to completion).
• Production timeline must have completion within 12 months of receiving 1st payment of awarded funding.
• All completed projects are required to meet the PBS Technical Operating Specifications and Production Guidelines as outlined in the PBS Red Book.
• All applicants must be over 21 years of age, and a U.S. citizen or legal U.S. resident.
• Proposals must show significant Native American involvement on their production, whether Above the Line, Below the Line or both.
• Eligible Proposals should meet Vision Maker Media’s mission of empowering and engaging Native people to share stories.

Ineligible

• Film Professionals and film mentors seeking funding for their own short film project.
• Commercial Programs.
• Industrial or promotional films and videos.
• Student productions of any sort, such as thesis films.
• Filmmakers or production entities that are foreign-based, owned or controlled.
• Projects funded in part by a government entity or group featured in the content of the short film.

For more information, visit Vision Maker Media.