Derek Freese Film Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Derek Freese Film Foundation awards grants of up to $35,000 to independent documentary filmmakers.
IP TAKE: These grants are awarded only every other year.
PROFILE: Established in 1997, the Derek Freese Documentary Film Foundation honors the memory of aspiring filmmaker Derek Freese, who died at the age of 22, two days after arriving in Hollywood. The foundation has since awarded modest grants to support budding filmmakers. The foundation collaborates with Temple University’s film department to offer two $1,500 film grants each year to students, and it supports the annual Derek Freese Youth Media Festival.
The fund's grants are small to mid-sized and are predominately meant to facilitate the careers of new filmmakers, not established documentarians seeking larger grants. Grant offer up to $35,000 to independent filmmakers producing feature-length documentaries that “have both a strong narrative and compelling story, across a broad spectrum of subject matters.”
The foundation asks that applications be in one document and be no more than 12 pages long. Sample work should also be no more than 15 minutes. Applicants should submit sample work by providing links rather than downloads. Grant seekers should keep in mind that this a biennial award.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS: