Chicken & Egg Pictures is “now officially part of the MacArthur Foundation legacy.” According to a press release, the organization supporting women non-fiction filmmakers is set to receive a $600,000 grant over three years.
The MacArthur grant will go towards three of Chicken & Egg’s signature programs: the Accelerator Lab, the Diversity Fellows Initiative, and the Impact & Innovation Initiative. The Accelerator Lab and Diversity Fellows Initiative mentor first- and second-time women non-fiction directors. The Impact & Innovation Initiative “supports visionary short-form and immersive content as tools for broadening social engagement.”
“Through their partnership, the MacArthur Foundation and Chicken & Egg Pictures approach the coming years with determination to strengthen the power of diverse women storytellers so that in turn they can change how we see, respond to, and shape the world around us,” the press release details.
Discussing the honor, Chicken & Egg Executive Director Jenni Wolfson said, “On the heels of the historic Women’s March, our partnership with the MacArthur Foundation couldn’t have come at a more crucial time for amplifying diverse women’s voices, building communities for women, and supporting gender justice.”
“Chicken & Egg Pictures’ programs support women filmmakers at pivotal stages in their careers,” added Kathy Im, Director of the MacArthur Foundation’s Journalism and Media program. “Through partners like Chicken & Egg Pictures, MacArthur aims to provide timely and tailored supports that enable filmmakers and media artists to do their best work.”
John D. MacArthur and Catherine T. MacArthur established the MacArthur Foundation to support “creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world,” Chicken & Egg summarizes on its website. “The MacArthur family’s philosophy of giving is inspirational and its profound effects can be seen throughout the world we live in.”
This honor from the MacArthur Foundation will surely be put to good use, as Chicken & Egg’s mission is to create “a world in which women filmmakers, representing a range of experiences and backgrounds, are fully supported to realize their artistic goals, build sustainable careers, and achieve parity in all areas of the film industry.”
Founded in 2005 by Julie Parker Benello, Wendy Ettinger, and Judith Helfand, Chicken & Egg Pictures “equips grantees with a vast range of tools necessary to realize the full potential of their projects, both as works of art and as catalysts for change.” It has awarded $4 million in grants and provided more than 5,200 hours of mentorship to over 200 films including Martha Shane and Lana Wilson’s “After Tiller,” Jehane Noujaim’s “The Square,” and Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush’s “A Place at The Table.”
Chicken & Egg recently honored filmmakers Geeta Gandbhir (“Prison Dogs”), Kirsten Johnson (“Cameraperson”), Penny Lane (“NUTS!”), Grace Lee (“American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs”), and Dawn Porter (“Trapped”) with its Breakthrough Filmmaker Award. The organization also announced a partnership with Lifetime’s Broad Focus for “Shorts on Time,” the TEDWomen Conference’s short film series created and directed by women.
