Academy injects festivals with cash

Oct 20, 2000 by Ian Evans

Fourteen U. S. film festivals have received grants totaling $250,000 from the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy President Robert Rehme announced today.

Two festivals will receive $30,000 each: Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah Telluride (Colorado) Film Festival

Two festivals will receive $25,000: Cinequest, San Jose, California Cleveland (Ohio) International Film Festival

Four festivals will receive $20,000: Florida Film Festival, Maitland, Florida Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Nashville (Tennessee) Independent Film Festival Taos (New Mexico) Talking Pictures Festival

Six festivals will receive $10,000: Aspen (Colorado) Shortsfest Hot Springs (Arkansas) Documentary Film Festival Mix, the New York Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Northwest Film and Video Festival, Portland, Oregon Pan African Film Festival, Los Angeles, California San Diego (California) Jewish Film Festival

“Funds can be used for general festival support,” Festival Grants Committee chair Gale Anne Hurd said, “or for the sponsorship of a particular element of a festival.” She said the Academy is especially interested in supporting programs that make festival events more accessible to the general public, especially to segments of the population who might not normally be able to attend and programs that give screening access to minority and less visible filmmakers and that bring the public into contact with films and filmmakers.