The Women In Film Foundation (WIFF) is pleased to announce the successful completion of the 2006 cycle of the Film Finishing Fund (FFF). This year, over 190 entries were submitted and reviewed by a wonderful team of WIFF and WIF Board volunteers and industry professionals. 11 finalists were ultimately chosen from a field of applicants representing 21 states and six foreign countries. The winning projects include eight feature documentaries, one experimental feature documentary, one narrative feature, and one documentary short.
The WIFF Film Finishing Fund is extremely grateful for the support of Women In Film’s National Presenting Sponsor and 2005- 2006 FFF underwriter, General Motors Corporation.
We also thank the Gretchen Bender Memorial Fund for their ongoing support of the Film Finishing Fund's talented filmmakers.
The Women In Film Foundation extends its sincere gratitude to Terry Lawler and NYWIFT, (www.nywift.org) our illustrious panel of judges, and to Megan Boye and Kim Roussel at Cinespace (www.cinespace.info) for their invaluable support.
The 2006 Film Finishing Fund Recipients:
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HELEN KELLER HAD IT EASY This feature documentary follows the life of Patricia Livingstone, a lesbian battling the loss of her sight and hearing while trying to survive domestic abuse. (Ironically, the only sense she doesn't lose is her sense of humor.) (www.helenkellerhaditeasy.com)
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OUT OF THE POISON TREE A feature documentary which takes the viewer on a journey of discovery with a Cambodian-American woman who returns to her homeland thirty years after the Cambodian genocide to unravel the mystery of her father's death. (www.goodfilmworks.com) |
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BELLE YANG: IN A NEW COUNTRY A documentary short which explores the life and career of celebrated author, artist and emigre Belle Yang. The film reveals the voices behind Yang's stories, allowing us to see how conflict, freedom, and the emigre experience have shaped Belle both as a woman and as an artist. (www.belleyang.com)
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AMERICAN BLACKOUT This documentary feature, recipient of a Special Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, takes an incisive look at voter disenfranchisement which tipped the balance of power in recent presidential elections. The film also profiles the courageous whistleblowing by Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKenney, one of the few official voices speaking out against election fraud and cover-ups.(www.americanblackout.org)
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WOMEN BEHIND THE CAMERA This documentary profiles the visions and voices of over 70 women cinematographers worldwide who continue to break ground in what is still a largely male-dominated profession. (www.womenbehindthecamera.com) |
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A WALK INTO THE SEA: DANNY WILLIAMS AND THE WARHOL FACTORY An unexpected request from her dying grandmother and the recent discovery of 20 never-before-seen films from the Warhol Factory triggered filmmaker Esther Robinson's search for the missing uncle she never knew: a gifted photographer and filmmaker whose life and talents were ultimately overshadowed by those of his mentor and lover, Andy Warhol. Part mystery, part visual homage, and part emotional autopsy, this experimental documentary feature is Robinson's haunting eulogy to the man whose disappearance left an indelible mark on her family and on others who knew him. Robinson was recently named one of Filmmaker's "25 New Faces of Independent Film" for 2006. (Special thanks to the Gretchen Bender Memorial Fund for their additional support of this film. (www.awalkintothesea.com//) |
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VIEW FROM A GRAIN OF SAND This documentary feature traces the complicated web of war, international gamesmanship, and religious fundamentalism that over the past 25 years fostered a regime and culture in Afghanistan which systematically stripped female citizens of their rights and freedom. Told through the eyes of three Afghani women--a doctor, a teacher, and an activist--fighting against tremendous odds for self-actualization, the film gives us a unique perspective on life in Afghanistan today that goes far beyond what we see on the news. (www.viewgrainofsand.com/)
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THE END OF SILENCE This dramatic feature presents an evocative visual diary of the budding love affair between a Russian emigre ballerina and a Canadian antique store owner preoccupied with the past and with the older woman who still loves him. Increasingly conflicted, the dancer must choose between her lover in a foreign land and the homeland that calls to her like a siren song. Filmmaker Erin Faith Young previously produced the Academy Award-nominated short documentary HARDWOOD. This is her first narrative film. (www.kingcanfilmfest.com/index.cfm?guest=23)
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DOC This documentary feature invites us into the world of hipster neoprophet, Harvard professor, and visionary literary figure Harold L. "Doc" Humes. "Doc" was best known as a novelist and co-founder of The Paris Review, one of the most influential literary magazines of the past 50 years.(home.comcast.net/~doctank/docfree.html) |
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ENCOUNTER POINT This documentary feature, an official selection at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, takes a searing look at the struggle for peace in the Middle East. By profiling a former Israeli settler, a convicted Palestinian fighter, a bereaved Israeli mother, and a wounded Palestinian ex-prisoner, the film traces the journeys of the unsung heroes risking their lives and reputations to promote a nonviolent end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict (www.encounterpoint.com) |
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RUN, GRANNY, RUN (aka The Candidate) At last--a documentary feature that gives us a refreshingly unique perspective on the American political scene. Fed up with "politics as usual," 94-year-old activist Doris "Granny D" Haddock runs a spirited insurgent campaign for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire. The film follows the trials and tribulations she faces--both political and personal. Warning: This film may change the way you think about American politics! (www.rungrannyrun.com) |
