Disney and Sundance Name 24 Filmmaker Grant Recipients — SkimNews
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- Disney and the Sundance Institute announced Cycles 2 and 3 of their joint Project Advancement and Completion Fund and Artist Fellowship programs, collectively supporting 24 early-career filmmakers.
- The Project Advancement and Completion Fund awards $25,000 grants to help filmmakers complete a specific project, while the Artist Fellowship provides $15,000 grants intended to develop a career in the arts.
- IndieWire exclusively revealed the full recipient lists, spanning 16 Project Advancement grant recipients (including Sonejuhi Sinha for "Seven Days in Rome" and Chheangkea for "Little Phnom Penh") and 8 Artist Fellowship recipients.
- Filmmaker Beth de Araújo, director of "Josephine," was named among the new cycle recipients of the program.
- Sundance Institute's Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs said the Disney collaboration provides "critical financial and tactical support" to filmmakers refining their voices and sharing "unique perspectives with the world."
- The Disney-Sundance partnership was first announced in November 2023, when the inaugural round of grants was awarded.
Why it matters: The third cycle of the Disney-Sundance partnership funnels $25,000 completion grants or $15,000 career fellowships to 24 filmmakers, extending a program launched in November 2023. For indie directors without studio backing, the modest dollars plus Disney and Sundance's combined institutional support provide a concrete production runway few early-career projects otherwise access.
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