The 2013 Grant Cycle is NOW OPEN.
EARLY APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, April 15th
(Application Fee for WIF members: $50; for non-members: $75)
FINAL APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, April 29th
(Application Fee for all applicants: $100)
Winners will be announced in September 2013
The Women In Film Foundation's Film Finishing Fund (WIFF FFF) supports films by, for or about women by providing cash grants of up to $15,000 and in-kind services. Since the inception of the Fund in 1985, the Foundation has awarded more than $2 million in cash and in-kind services to 170 films ensuring that innovative films can be completed and seen by audiences worldwide. Cash awards range from $1,000 to $15,000, with the number of grants varying from year to year. In-kind services may be available upon request.
For the fifth year in a row, Netfilx is back as a major grant contributor.
Among the many FFF success stories is OSCAR® winning Short Documentary FREEHELD, directed by Cynthia Wade (on the right) and produced by Vanessa Roth (on the left), which was a 2007 grant winner. Says Wade, "Women In Film came in at a critical point. The Film Finishing grant was a vote of confidence - it's lonely as an independent filmmaker. Unless you have the resources, the film is only as effective as the audience you can reach. I'm grateful to have the understanding that women filmmakers need to be supported."
Film Finishing Fund recipients' films have won many major awards including Emmy and Academy Awards, and have screened at festivals worldwide including Sundance, Toronto, South by Southwest, LA Film Festival, Vancouver, AFI Fest, Tribeca, San Francisco, Montreal, Berlin, Avignon, Dubai, and Chicago. They have aired nationally on HBO, PBS ("Frontline" and "POV"), OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network), Showtime, and internationally on various European, Asian, and Australian television channels.
In order to apply for a FFF grant, a filmmaker must have completed at least 90% of principal photography and a have a rough cut at the time of application. For specific application requirements, please follow the link and refer to the application. The program funds filmmakers working in both short and long formats in all genres—narrative, documentary, educational, animated and experimental. You do not have to be a Women In Film member to apply for the FFF, and we encourage applications from around the world. Please note that student projects are not eligible to receive Film Finishing Funds.
The FFF is run by experienced industry professionals who have an eye for spotting talent and potential. Take a look below at some our successful winners.
For more information, contact the Women In Film Foundation coordinator at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
PAST WINNERS:
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ZERGÜT Within a refrigerator, a battle ensues as moldy foods forgotten in the back rise up against the fresh ingredients that reside in the front. These confrontations escalate as foods morph, explode, and become a textural display of color and form culminating in a finale sequence that results in their obliteration. | zergutfilm.com Premiered at Melbourne International Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival (U.S. Premiere) INTERVIEW WITH LAPIDUS & SUBRAMANIUM
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FREEHELD Lt. Laurel Hester has three months left to live and all she wants is for her pension benefits to go to her life partner, Stacie. Laurel is told "no"; they are not married, and Stacie is entitled to nothing. This documentary short follows Laurel's passionate battle against this injustice. | www.freeheld.com Academy Award Winner in 2008 for Best Documentary Short Subject |
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FUTURE WEATHER Abandoned by her dreamer single mom, a teenage loner becomes obsessed with ecological disaster, forcing her and her grandmother, a functioning alcoholic, to rethink their futures. | futureweathermovie.com Premiered at Tribeca, Winner of Alfred P. Sloan Award at Hamptons Int'l Film Fest
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CRIME AFTER CRIME 26 years in prison cannot crush the spirit of Debbie Peagler, a woman sentenced to life behind bars for her connection to the murder of Oliver Wilson, the man who abused her and forced her into prostitution. | CrimeAfterCrime.com Premiered At Sundance, aired on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), won the Hillman Prize for Broadcast Journalism |
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CIRCUMSTANCE Through the telling of a teenage love triangle, Circumstance is a narrative film that follows Atafeh, Shireen and Iran's newest generation fighting for personal freedom in the face of ongoing, multi-faceted repression. | takepart.com/Circumstance Winner of the Audience Award at Sundance, Spirit Award Nominee |
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WOMAN REBEL Over the course of a controversial ten year revolution in Nepal, 40% of the guerilla army fighting against the government were women. WOMAN REBEL follows the story of one such woman (codename "Silu") on her incredible journey, from the jungles, all the way to Parliament. | womanrebelfilm.com On the Oscar short-list in 2009, aired on HBO |
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GOOD OL' FREDA The story of Freda Kelly, a shy Liverpudlian teenager asked to work for a young local band hoping to make it big: The Beatles. As The Beatles' fame multiplies, Freda bears witness to music and cultural history but never exploits her inside access. www.goodolfreda.com Premiered at SXSW |
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I AM NASRINE This intimate journey of self-discovery set in modern day Tehran and the UK, follows the paths of Nasrine and Ali, a sister and brother who embark on a reluctant exile after a run-in with the police that holds more punishment than they bargained for. | iamnasrine.com | facebook.com/iamnasrine BAFTA nominee for Outstanding Debut |
