upcoming deadlines

July 24


Zion National Park in Utah is now accepting applications for its Artist-in-Residence program. The four-week residencies will occur in October/November 2010 and February and April 2011. Residents live in the park, either in a house or on a campsite. Working within the natural beauty of the environment, artists are encouraged to create artwork that furthers the cause of conservation. Upon completion of the residency, artists must donate one work to the Zion Natural History Foundation. For more information and to apply, click on title

July 30

The Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Literature, awarded by The Vilcek Foundation, honors early achievement in literature by a foreign-born individual. Eligible candidates must be 38 years old or younger and current U.S. citizens or permanent residents not born in the U.S. Poets, novelists, and writers of short fiction and nonfiction are encouraged to apply. The winner receives $25,000, and four finalists will be awarded $5,000 each. Application information can be found by clicking on title.

August 1

Yaddo, in Saratoga Springs, NY, offers free residencies to professional creative artists from all nations and backgrounds working in one or more of the following media: choreography, film, literature, musical composition, painting, performance art, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video. Artists may apply individually or as members of collaborative groups. Residencies last between two and eight weeks and include room, board, and a studio at Yaddo. Artists applying for the August 1, 2010 deadline will be considered for residencies starting in late October 2010 through May 2011.

August 1

The UnionDocs Collaborative is a one or two-year program for emerging nonfiction media producers. Participants take part in master classes, group critiques, and the production of a collaborative documentary project, as well as attending screenings and lectures at UnionDocs’s Documentary Bodega and elsewhere. The group is limited to twelve, six of whom reside in UnionDocs’s Williamsburg headquarters, fostering a dynamic intellectual and artistic community. Qualified applicants are post-grads with some experience in the field of non-fiction, and the program is designed to accommodate those who work full-time or freelance. To learn more and to apply, click on title.

August 1

The Amy Clampitt Residency is a six to 12 month residency available to both established and emerging poets and literary scholars. One resident at a time lives in the Amy Clampitt House in Lenox, MA, and receives a stipend of $2,500 a month. Residents are expected to live in the house and focus on their creative work for the duration of the residency, and are also asked to give a local public reading. For more information and application guidelines, click on title.

August 2

The Fulbright Scholars Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, seeks to increase international understanding by providing opportunities for educational exchange. Fulbright Scholars receive grants to pursue research and/or teaching abroad, and awards are available in a broad variety of disciplines, including the performing, literary, and visual arts. To learn more about the programs offered and to apply, click on title.

August 13

The San Francisco Film Society is accepting letters of inquiry for its SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants, which provide financial support to one or more films per round. The grants are for narrative fiction films that explore issues relating to social justice, including human and civil rights, antidiscrimination, and sexual and gender identity. Films at all levels of production are eligible for a total of $225,000 in grant money, and grant recipients are required to spend some or all funds in the Bay Area.

August 17

The PaleyDocFest Pitch Contest offers a $5,000 grant, sponsored by SnagFilms, to an unfinished or in-progress feature-length documentary by an emerging filmmaker. The five finalists will participate in the PaleyDocFest Pitch Workshop on October 16, 2010, and one filmmaker will be chosen to receive the grant. The unfinished films will be judged on their originality and the viability of the filmmaker’s concept, and finalists will also be judged on the strength of their pitch.

September 1

The Lower East Side Printshop offers year-long residencies to emerging artists through its Keyholder Residency Program. Residents gain 24-hour access to professional printmaking facilities in the shared Artists’ Studio, as well as a range of other benefits including a free class at the printshop, a $500 stipend, storage, basic supplies, exhibition opportunities, and other support services. Artists working in all media are encouraged to apply; printmaking experience is not required. Applications received by September 1 will be considered for residencies starting October 1.

September 1

The Andy Warhol Foundation provides grants to institutions that support contemporary art and artists. Grants are made on a project basis to curators affiliated with museums, artists’ organizations, and other cultural institutions to foster innovative and scholarly presentations of contemporary visual arts. Eligible proposals may include exhibitions, catalogues, and other organizational activities directly related to these areas. Click here for guidelines, or email info@warholfoundation.org for more information.

Paley DocFest Pitch Contest

Submission Deadline! August 17


The PaleyDocFest Pitch Contest offers a $5,000 grant, sponsored by SnagFilms, for an unfinished or work-in-progress documentary from an emerging filmmaker.

The Paley Center for Media is using this contest, now in its seventh year, to choose five finalists who will pitch their unfinished films to a panel of experts and producers in front of an audience. This event, the PaleyDocFest Pitch Workshop, will take place on Saturday, October 16, 2010, in New York as part of the Paley Center's eleventh annual documentary festival.

PITCH WORKSHOP PANEL

Simon Kilmurry, Executive Director, POV
Lauren Lazin, Filmmaker and Executive Producer, MTV Networks
Andrew Mer, Vice President, Content Partnerships, SnagFilms
Molly Thompson, Programming Director, A&E Indie Films
Susan Werbe, Executive Producer, History

To Enter Pitch Contest

To enter this contest, you must submit no more than ten minutes of footage from an UNFINISHED or WORK-IN-PROGRESS feature-length documentary that you hope to pitch to our panel. You must also send in a printed and filled-out entry form (below.)

We will judge entries based on the originality of your vision and the viability of the concept. At the pitch workshop, finalists will be judged by originality, viability and the persuasiveness of their pitch to our panel.

Entries must be postmarked by deadline. Deadlines and fees are as follows:

Earlybird deadline: July 20, 2010 ($20 / $15 for Withoutabox members)
Regular deadline: Aug. 17, 2010 ($25 / $20 for Withoutabox members)
Late deadline: Sept. 7, 2010 ($30 / $25 for Withoutabox members)
Withoutabox extended deadline: Sept. 14, 2010 ($45 / $30 for Withoutabox members)

There are two ways to submit:

1) We accept entries through Withoutabox.

OR

2) To submit on your own, download the PDF forms by clicking on title above.

Overview
Official Rules
Entry Form & Submission Agreement

Then print out, sign, and mail a complete and fully executed copy of the Entry Form & Submission Agreement, along with your DVD, submission materials, and a check for your entry fee made out to The Paley Center for Media to:

Pitch Workshop

c/o The Paley Center for Media
9th Floor
25 West 52 Street 

New York, NY 10019

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2009: From Texas to Tehran directed by Till Schauder
2008: Circo directed by Aaron Schock
2007: The House that Herman Built directed by Angad Bhalla
2006: Whatever it Takes directed by Christopher Wong
2005: Asparagus! (A Stalk-umentary) directed by Anne de Mare and Kirsten Kelly

The Art of the Documentary Pitch Workshop Call for Entries

How do you sell a documentary? In this workshop/competition, five preselected emerging nonfiction filmmakers will pitch their ideas to a panel of distinguished documentary producers. The producers will give them feedback on their concept as well as their presentation skills—great lessons for all aspiring filmmakers. The winner will receive a $5,000 grant, sponsored by SnagFilms, to be used toward the completion of the pitched film.

Selection: Based on the criteria of persuasiveness of the pitch, originality of the vision, and viability of the project, the panel will select one finalist as the winner of a $5,000 grant to be used toward the finalist’s completion of the documentary pitched at the workshop. The decision of the panel will be final and binding.

Entry Deadline: September 25, 2009.
This workshop takes place on October 17, 2009.

Go to the Call for Entries website to download PDF forms to submit your work for this workshop.

Please print out, sign, and mail a complete and fully-executed copy of the Entry Form & Submission Agreement, along with your Submission Materials, to:

Pitch Workshop
c/o The Paley Center for Media
9th Floor
25 West 52 Street
New York, NY 10019

All submissions must be postmarked no later than September 25, 2009. Entrants are strongly encouraged to submit prior to the deadline. Selection to the workshop is made on a rolling basis.

PANEL Rick Allen, CEO, SnagFilms
Diana Holtzberg, Vice President - USA Operations Acquisitions, Project Development, Sales, Films Transit International
Charlie Maday, Senior Vice President, Programming, History
Molly Thompson, Programming Director, A&E IndieFilms
An executive from P.O.V.

PREVIOUS WINNERS
2008: Circo directed by Aaron Schock
2007: The House that Herman Built directed by Angad Bhalla
2006: Whatever it Takes directed by Christopher Wong
2005: Asparagus! (A Stalk-umentary) directed by Anne de Mare and Kirsten Kelly

Location Name: The Paley Center for Media

Address: 25 West 52 St., New York, NY 10019

Tel: 212-621-6674

Web: http://www.paleycenter.org/paleydocfest09-pitch-workshop

Contact: DocFest@paleycenter.org

DocFest@paleycenter.org

STRATEGY for ACTORS- Pitching Yourself Powerfully

Mon. August 11 @ 7 PM
Stella Adler Conservatory

Wed. August 13 @ 7 PM
The Hart Studio

So, you're finally in front of the "right" person who can potentially support your career goals and get you work. It could be a casting director, producer, or an agent you have been after. Maybe it's at a networking event, a screening, a party or even at the grocery store. How do you approach this person effectively and start building a relationship? How do you go from Hello, to exchanging business cards? Often times, we hold ourselves back from approaching these people because we think we lack the proper words or experience to pitch ourselves powerfully. Through role-play, and structured technique games, we will teach powerful skills used in MBA programs and by business professionals that will give you the confidence and savvy to "close the deal" every time. For more information and to RSVP, please visit www.strategycoaching.info

COST: $30 for WIF members with discount code- please email events@wif.org to receive the discount code

Where & When
Stella Adler Conservatory
Hollywood, CA

Mon. Aug 11
7 PM - 10 PM
The Hart Studio
Van Nuys, CA

Wed. Aug 13
7 PM - 10 PM
RSVP for directions