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October 20, 2017

IDA Enterprise Fund Awards $850,000.00 To Journalistic Documentaries

Los Angeles, CA – October 20, 2017– Last night, at the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival, the International Documentary Association (IDA) announced that eleven feature-length documentary films have been selected as the inaugural production grantees of the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund. The Fund, with major support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, supports feature-length explorations of original, contemporary stories that integrate journalistic practice into the filmmaking process.

The films have been selected to receive a total of $850,000. In addition to funds, grantees will receive additional resources and expertise tailored to the needs of the project. An additional $150,000 will be awarded to ten projects in development.

“The inaugural IDA Enterprise Production Fund grantees are producing deeply reported, original documentary films,” says Carrie Lozano, Director of the IDA Enterprise Fund. “Through their engaging storytelling and extraordinary access to their subjects, the films provide unique insights into some of the most pressing issues in the public discourse, and shed light on a range of underreported topics. While the subjects and approaches vary, the grantees as a whole represent excellence in independent filmmaking and strong visions and voices, and we are delighted to support them in this important work.”

The selections were made by veteran journalists, filmmakers, and programmers through a rigorous review process from 250 submissions.

Documentaries receiving funding are:

  • The Blue Wall (director: Richard Rowley; producers: Jamie Kalven, Jacqueline Soohen)
  • Born in China (director/producers: Nanfu Wang, Lynn Zhang; producers: Christoph Jorg, Julie Goldman)
  • Charm City (director: Marilyn Ness; producers: Katy Chevigny, Julie Goldman)
  • Crime + Punishment (director/producer: Stephen Maing)
  • Enemies of the State (director: Sonia Kennebeck; producer: Ines Hofmann Kanna)
  • The Feeling of Being Watched (director/producer: Assia Boundaoui; producer: Jessica Devaney)
  • Hazing (director: Byron Hurt; producers: Denise A. Greene, Natalie Bullock Brown)
  • Louisiana Justice (director/producer: Tom Casciato; producer: Reniqua Allen)
  • Made in Boise (director/producer: Beth Aala)
  • Netizens (director/producer: Cynthia Lowen)
  • Slaves Among Us (directors/producers: Daffodil Altan and Andrés Cediel)

Inclusion and diversity, both in terms of the filmmaking team and subject matter, are a priority of the fund. Of the 11 projects, 7 are directed by women, 10 have female directors and/or producers, 7 are directed by filmmakers of color, and 8 are directed and/or produced by filmmakers of color. “The MacArthur Foundation is proud to continue our long tradition of providing major support to independent journalistic documentaries through the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund,” said Kathy Im, Director of the Journalism and Media program at MacArthur. “The inaugural grantee projects are positioned to inform, engage and inspire the American public to think critically and deeply about the challenges facing our nation and the world.”