Academy grants over $500,000 to film and cultural groups

Apr 24, 2007 by Ian Evans

The Academy Foundation’s Institutional Grants Program has awarded a total of $500,250 to 56 film-related nonprofit organizations — including universities, museums and career development programs — throughout the United States, in Canada and for the first time, in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Since its establishment in 1968, the Foundation, which is the educational wing of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has distributed more than 515 institutional grants.

“Our goal is to provide greater access to professional opportunities in the motion picture industry and generate public interest in film events and screenings in the U.S. and abroad,” explained Grants Committee Chair Andrew Marlowe.

The Academy Foundation’s Grants Committee selected the following programs for 2007—2008:

Internship Programs

  • $15,000
    • California Institute of the Arts (Valencia)
    • Columbia University School of the Arts
    • New York University — Kanbar Institute of Film & TV
    • University of Southern California — School of Cinematic Arts
    • University of Southern California — Master of Professional Writing Program
  • $10,000
    • Columbia College (Hollywood, CA)
    • University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
  • $7,500
    • Austin Film Society (TX)
    • North Carolina School of the Arts (Winston-Salem)
    • Pennsylvania State University (University Park)
    • University of Texas — Film Institute (Austin)
    • Yale University — Film Studies
  • $7,000
    • DePaul University (Chicago)
    • Stanford University
    • Workplace Hollywood (Hollywood, CA)
  • $5,000
    • Arizona State University
    • University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
    • University of California, Los Angeles — Film and Television Program
  • $3,000
    • Outfest (Los Angeles)

Institutional Grants

  • $20,000
    • American Film Institute (Los Angeles) — Directing Workshop for Women
    • Film Aid International (New York City) — African screening program
  • $15,000
    • Film Independent (Los Angeles) — Mentoring and training program
    • Inner-City Filmmakers (Santa Monica) — Job development and training program
    • Streetlights (Hollywood, CA) — Job training, placement and mentoring program
  • $12,500
    • Flaherty/International Film Seminars (New York City) — Film seminars
    • Writers Guild Foundation (Los Angeles) — Educational programs
  • $10,000
    • Acme Network (Los Angeles) — Distance learning animation programs
    • Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) — Visiting filmmakers
    • Facets Multi-Media (Chicago) — Facets Film School and Facets CineChat
    • Film Arts Foundation (San Francisco) — Production workshops
    • George Eastman House (Rochester, NY) — Visiting filmmakers
    • IFP – Independent Feature Project (New York City) — “Rough Cut” Film Lab, a mentoring program
    • National Association of Latino Independent Producers (Santa Monica) — Latino Producers Academy
  • $8,000
    • Toronto International Film Festival Group Foundation — Touring screening program
  • $7,500
    • Austin Film Festival, Inc. — Writers’ Ranch and seminar series
    • Brooklyn Academy of Music — Screening and discussion series
    • Film Forum (New York City) — Screening series
    • Harvard Film Archive (Cambridge, MA) — Visiting filmmakers
    • Howard University (Washington, DC) — Visiting filmmakers
    • IFP/Chicago — Producer’s workshop
    • IFP Minnesota (St. Paul) — Film production access grants
    • Museum of Fine Arts, Houston — Visiting filmmakers
    • Temple University (Philadelphia) — Visiting filmmakers and Master Class program
    • Tribeca Film Institute (New York City) — Tribeca All Access development program
    • University of California, Berkeley, Pacific Film Archive — Film literacy workshop
    • Visual Effects Society (Los Angeles) — Training and mentoring program
  • $6,000
    • Light Factory (Charlotte, NC) — Charles Burnett tribute
    • Northwest Screenwriters Guild (Seattle) — Visiting speakers
  • $5,000
    • California Film Institute (Mill Valley) — Screening, seminar and visiting artist series
    • Community Film Workshop (Chicago) — Career development program
    • Squaw Valley Community of Writers (CA) — Screenwriting workshop
    • Coolidge Corner Theater Foundation (Brookline, MA) — Film criticism seminar program
    • Film Action Oregon (Portland) — Screening series
    • National Film Institute (Federal Republic of Nigeria) — SHOOT! 2007, film production workshops and seminars
    • Seattle Theatre Group — Silent film series
  • $3,750
    • Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum (Fremont, CA) — Silent film screening series