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GRANTS
Updated 02.28.08
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Supporting Independent Film in Texas
Since 1977!
2008 GRANTS
Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship Program
Applicant Qualifications and Guidelines
Deadline: March 31, 2008
We are no longer accepting applications for the 2008 grant.
Description:
For 31 years, the Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP) has promoted the creation of film, video and new media. With a desire to help emerging Texas film and video makers to develop their craft, SWAMP has inaugurated the Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship Program. This program will provide funds for worthy projects, and, most importantly, provide mentorship and peer forums in which emerging artists can strengthen their artistic skills and knowledge while fine-tuning their work.
SWAMP will issue a call to Texas film and video makers for proposals; each proposal will outline a potential production project based upon a theme selected by SWAMP organizers. For 2008, the theme will be: Migration (as a process of social, geographical, and cultural displacement). A blue-ribbon panel of film/video professionals will choose 5 to 7 filmmakers to be a part of the fellowship program. The selected artists will be chosen on the strength of their proposal and on the promise of the artist’s future. The panel will also work to ensure that the fellowship pool mirrors the diversity of Texas, in keeping with SWAMP’s mission to encourage production of media that reflects a multicultural community. Each artist will receive a small amount of funds for production costs, ranging from $3,000 to $5,000.
Each fellow will be paired with a mentor, an experienced filmmaker who will be available to give advice, to critique and to offer encouragement and moral support. Upon completion of the fellow’s project, the artist will meet with their mentor for a serious critique, marked by openness and supportive dialogue.
An exciting component of this initiative is a twin program for emerging Mexican film and video makers through the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. The fellowship program in Mexico will be carried out in the same manner and with the same theme as the one in Texas. Upon completion of the fellowship period, the artists from both Texas and Mexico will gather in Mexico City to present their completed work. This will be a time of rich exchange between emerging filmmakers from bordering countries, a time to explore their common grounds, exchange ideas and perhaps promote future collaborations.
Applicant Criteria:
All applicants:
- Must be at least 18 years of age
- Must be a resident of Texas, with an established residency of at least 1 year prior to the application deadline of March 31, 2008. Texas-based students attending an out-of-state college or university are eligible to apply. All applicants will be required to show proof of residency.
- Have the ability to undertake moderate travel. All applicants must have a current passport or have the ability to apply for one during the grant period. Upon request, SWAMP will consider sharing expenses involved with the passport application process.
All applicants must submit the following:
- A completed application form.
- A work resume, as well as a one-page personal biography describing their background, career goals and interest in this field.
- A sample reel of a previously completed film/video project. Film and tape submissions must be DVD or VHS format.
- A proposal for a project to be completed during the grant period, along with a detailed budget.
- Proof of Texas residency. Proof may include copies of a valid driver’s license, a utility bill with a current address, voter registration card, etc.
Project Criteria:
All Projects:
- Must be a new work. Proposals to enhance or complete previously undertaken work will not be considered.
- Must address the theme selected by SWAMP organizers.
- For 2008 the theme is: Migration (as a process of social, geographical, and cultural displacement)
- Must be a short work, with a length not to exceed 10 minutes.
- Must have the ability to be completed within a 5-month period.
Upon receiving a grant from the EFF Program:
- Mentors will be assigned to all recipients.
- All selected artists will be required to travel to Houston to attend an informational seminar and to meet with fellow recipients and mentors (May 9-11 or May 17-18). Grant recipients outside of the Houston area will be provided with roundtrip airfare and accommodations.
- Both artists and mentors are required to maintain a certain level of contact with one another throughout the 5-month project period, as mutually determined by both the artist and mentor.
- All selected artists will be required to complete their projects and submit copies to SWAMP by Oct. 10, 2008. All projects must be reviewed and approved by the artist’s mentor before submission.
- All selected artists will be required to travel to the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City (Oct. 22-24 or Oct 29-31, 2008) to participate in a conference and group viewing of work with participants in the Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship twin program for promising Mexican filmmakers. Grant recipients will be provided with roundtrip airfare and accommodations.
Fellowship Schedule:
March 31—Applications deadline
April 28—Fellowship recipients notification
May 9-11 (or May 17-18)—1st meeting in Houston between Fellows/Mentors
May-Sept—Project production
October 10—Projects due
October 22-24 (or Oct. 29-31)—Mexico City mentors/fellows meeting/screening
Mail Completed Application to:
SWAMP
ATTN: Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship
1519 West Main
Houston, TX 77006
All submissions must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2008.
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