Posted on July 12, 2012

MacArthur Foundation Awards $1.6 Million in Documentary Film Grants

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $1.6 million for documentary film projects that address a range of issues, from criminal justice reform and immigration to climate change and the environment.

The Chicago-based foundation, which has supported independently produced film and video for thirty years, received nearly three hundred applications in response to its most recent call for documentary film proposals. The thirteen proposals selected to receive grants are American Promise, a documentary that chronicles the school experiences of two African-American boys from kindergarten to twelfth grade in New York City ($200,000); Citizen Corp, a film that explores the post-Citizens United era and the impact of unlimited spending on the American democratic process ($100,000); The Cooler Bandits, which examines the impact of mandatory sentencing laws and long-term incarceration ($150,000); E-Team, which follows three human rights investigators in some of the most volatile regions of the world ($100,000); The Homestretch, which provides an intimate look into the lives of homeless students in the Chicago Public School system ($200,000); In the Middle, about the conflict that arises on an Italian island with the arrival of 55,000 North African refugees and migrants following the Arab Spring ($50,000); Long Story Short, a participatory multimedia documentary that presents personal stories from hundreds of people living in poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area ($100,000); Marmato, which looks at the impact of a multinational company on a small subsistence gold mining community in Colombia ($50,000); Rank & Race: Change at a California Prison, which examines efforts to address institutionalized racial segregation in prisons ($150,000); Solarize This, which explores how a green economy could be built in the United States ($125,000); The Truth About Trees, a film series and interactive Web portal about the significance of trees to society, ecology, and the environment ($100,000); The Undocumented, which sheds light on the deaths of more than two thousand people illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since 1998 ($200,000); and Untouchables, which follows four youths in India's Dalit caste as they become the first in their families to receive an education ($100,000).

"MacArthur's media grantmaking supports work that combines exceptional storytelling with in-depth journalism to illuminate important yet often under-reported topics," said Kathy Im, the foundation's director for media, culture, and special initiatives. "This year's film grantees, who include nominees and winners of the Academy Award, Emmy Award, and other prestigious honors, bring fresh perspective to domestic and international social issues through approachable, engaging stories."