Yahoo News Rooftop Films Announces 2023 Filmmakers Fund Grant Recipients (EXCLUSIVE)
Rooftop Films has announced the recipients of their 2023 Filmmakers Fund grants. A total of 21 cash and service grants will be awarded to a variety of independent filmmakers to support the production of their next short or feature film. Four Rooftop Films Water Tower Feature Film cash grants will be exclusively awarded with support from the Laurence W. Levine Foundation.
Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grants are made accessible to Rooftop Films alumni directors who have had their work screened during the annual Sumer Series in New York City. This years grantees include a demographic of over 60% women, 30% people of color and 10% people a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
More from Variety
“We’re unbelievably excited about the projects we’ve had the privilege of helping to fund this year! Every single one of these filmmakers approach their subjects in ways that are wholly unique to their style and vision, and we can’t wait to see the finished works, as we know they’ll undoubtedly be considered future pillars of independent cinema,” said Rooftop Films’ senior programmer, Maria Rhodes.
Some of the recipients include Alex Ross Perry, Carlos López Estrada, Jodie Mack, Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli and Reid Davenport.
“One of the most fulfilling aspects of supporting filmmakers is getting the opportunity to witness their authentic and uncompromised exploration firsthand. The characters in Carlos López Estrada’s ‘Kill Yr Idols,’ jump directly off the page and into both heart and mind. Artists like Estrada, Reid Davenport, Jodie Mack, Dusty Mancinelli, and Madeleine Sims-Fewer engender a sense of trust with their audiences and creative teams, making it possible for them to create such deeply exhilarating cinema. We can’t wait to spend time with each of their works on the big screen,” said Laurence W. Levine Foundation board member James Levine.
Since their conception in 2000, Rooftop Films has awarded a surplus of $2,000,000 cash and service grants to support the notable work of varying filmmakers. Past recipients include Nikyatu Jusu’s Sundance-winning “Nanny,” Benh Zeitlin’s “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” and Jessica Kingdon’s “Ascension.”
See the full list of grant recipients below.
Water Tower Feature Film Cash Grants (Feature Film)
Carlos López Estrada – “Kill Yr Idols”
Jodie Mack – “Early Mourning, Tarpon Springs/Lindsey’s Color Service”
Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli – “Honey Bunch”
Reid Davenport – “Life After”
Eastern Effects Equipment Grant (Feature Film)
Alex Ross Perry – “Pavements”
NYCEDC Brooklyn Army Terminal Production Office Grant (Feature Film)
Cheryl Furjanic – “Adventures in Miscarriage”
Sierra Pettengill – “Steel” (Working Title)
Edgeworx Post Production Effects Grant (Feature Film)
James P. Gannon & Matt Ferrin – “Hardpan”
Irving Harvey Color Correction Grant (Feature Film)
Elizabeth Lo – “Untitled Mistress Dispeller Project”
Parabolic Sound Mix Grant (Feature Film)
Andrew Thomas Huang – “Tiger Girl”
Adrienne Shelley Foundation Grant for Women (Short Film)
Ash Brandon – “PAT! PAT! PAT!”
DCTV Grants (Short Film)
Julia Mendoza Friedman – “Jason, Champion”
Sister Sylvester (director, co-producer) & Laudiceia Calixto (co-producer) – “The Maids’ The Maids”
Untouchable Scoring Grant (Short Film)
Julia Mendoza Friedman – “Jason, Champion”
Elkind Lighting & Camera Grant (Short Film)
Sister Sylvester (director, co-producer) & Laudiceia Calixto (co-producer) – “The Maids’ The Maids”
Rooftop Films Kayla Thomas Filmmaker Grants (Short Film)
Stephen Neary – “Living with a Visionary”
Sean Pecknold – “Thank You, My Friend”
Rooftop Filmmakers Fund Short Film Grants
Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan – “Antropicalia: The Modern Prometheus “
Kate E. Hinshaw – “Teflon Body Rot”
Kati Skelton – “The Arbiter”
Ryan Weibush – “The Prairie Cuts”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
