Jacqueline Olive’s “Always in Season” and Loira Limbal’s “Through the Night” are the the inaugural recipients of the IDA Elevate Grant, a press release has announced. Awarded to emerging women filmmakers of color, the $25,000 grants are dedicated to supporting “feature-length projects that integrate journalistic practice into the filmmaking process.”
“Always in Season” turns the camera on the relatives of the victims and perpetrators of police shootings in communities across the U.S. who are seeking “justice and reconciliation in the midst of … heated national debate about the value of black lives.”
“It’s such a special thing to be honored with this award because it means that women of color who’ve been creating films for generations that reflect the world more fully are being recognized and the value of our stories more broadly acknowledged,” said Olive. “With the Elevate Grant, I am better able to make my work as a director and producer financially sustainable. IDA’s support is especially meaningful as I face the challenges of completing a documentary like ‘Always in Season’ that tells the stories of people who are confronting the multigenerational impact of lynching African Americans,” she emphasized. “The relatives of the victims and perpetrators featured in the film, who are unpacking the history and working for justice and reconciliation despite the costs, have inspired my commitment for almost a decade to tell these stories with all of the layers and attention to craft that they merit, and the Elevate Grant wonderfully positions me to create consistently and freely!”
Olive previously coordinated the production of the PBS’ “Independent Lens” and “Global Voices” for three seasons. She co-created “Black to Our Roots,” which broadcast on PBS World.
A verité documentary, “Through the Night” follows two working mothers and a child care provider whose lives intersect at a 24-hour daycare center.
“I made my first feature documentary nine years ago. Since my first film I became a mother of two children and took on a fulfilling full time job at Firelight Media. Over the years, I have dreamed of getting back to making my own films but it didn’t seem possible given all of my responsibilities,” Limbal commented. “Then this project came along and despite my best efforts, I was not able to talk myself out of doing it. IDA’s support and the fact that I am receiving this new grant designed specifically for women of color filmmakers feels like the best kind of affirmation that I am indeed on the right track. My vision as a filmmaker is to create a body of work about the lives of working class women of color and this grant will help me get one step closer.”
Limbal previously directed and produced “Estilo Hip Hop,” a doc about hip hop activists from Brasil, Chile, and Cuba. She was just announced as a participant of Chicken & Egg’s 2018 Accelerator Lab. Designed to support first- and second-time nonfiction female filmmakers, the program offers each finalist a $35,000 grant as well as year-long creative and professional mentorship.
