Jacqueline Olive’s exploration of lynching in the U.S., “Always in Season,” took home a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Moral Urgency at Sundance in January. The director has credited Firelight Media for offering the project “support with a level of intention and commitment that allowed [her] to mostly move calmly through the filmmaking process knowing that [she] had some of the best talents in the industry to turn to for advice, feedback, and resources when facing challenges great and small.” Olive is one of Firelight’s Doc Lab alumna, and you could be too: Firelight has announced their 2019 Open Call for submissions. Now in its 10th year, the Documentary Lab is an 18-month fellowship “supporting filmmakers of color with mentorship from prominent non-fiction leaders, film funding resources, professional development workshops, and networking opportunities.”
“A lot has changed since we first started the Documentary Lab ten years ago. Documentaries have become popular, the number of distribution platforms have doubled, and almost everyone agrees that we are experiencing the golden age of documentaries,” said Firelight Vice President and Documentary Lab Director Loira Limbal. “Yet, there are still structural barriers for filmmakers of color to enter into the field. Ten years later we remain steadfast in our belief in the importance of people of color being able to tell their own stories. The Documentary Lab Open Call is an exciting time for us at Firelight because it puts us in direct contact with hundreds of emerging filmmakers of color from all over the U.S. telling nuanced and complex stories informed by their own lived experiences.”
Launched with the goal of amplifying underrepresented voices, the Doc Lab “nurtures an inclusive network of talented unique storytellers to receive ongoing support from conception to completion. Considering the challenges for emerging diverse filmmakers Firelight Media also offers the Next Step Media Fund – a grant supporting fellows in the final phase of production with up to $25,000 towards necessary travel, shooting, editing, and more.”
Besides Olive, other Firelight fellows and films include Malika Zouhali-Worrall’s “Thank You for Playing,” which won two Emmys as well as the Tribeca Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature, and Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis’ “Whose Streets?,” which was nominated for Peabody, Gotham, and Critics’ Choice Awards.
The deadline to apply for the Documentary Lab is June 17, 2019.
For more information about the application process and eligibility details head over to Firelight’s site.
