WIF LA Names 2018 Film Finishing Fund Recipients

Women In Film, Los Angeles (WIF LA) has awarded its 33rd annual Film Finishing Fund to nine projects about and/or made by women, a press release announced. The Fund provides cash grants and in-kind production services to in-progress films. A special jury of women in the entertainment industry selected the recipients from 390 submissions across 22 countries.

The Film Finishing Fund includes three categories: Narrative Features, Documentary Features, and Stella Artois Films. The latter are women-made fiction and doc features inspiring social change.

Among the winning projects is “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open,” a feature from Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Maija Tailfeathers about two very different Indigenous women who meet when one flees from domestic abuse. Also receiving grants are “Decade of Fire,” Gretchen Hildebran and Vivian Vazquez’s portrait of a woman investigating the destruction of her Bronx neighborhood, and “How to Have an American Baby,” Leslie Tai’s chronicle of a South California town and the Chinese women who travel there to secure U.S. citizenship for their babies.

“The 2018 grantees tackle some of society’s most pressing issues and work in innovative ways to tell excellent stories that matter,” said WIF Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer. “Through the Film Finishing Fund, we are able to support these filmmakers at a crucial moment of their journey to help ensure their voices are heard.”

“These female filmmakers represent the future of film, which is why we’re so proud that through our partnership with Women In Film we’re able to help them hone their craft and get their work in front of the industry at film festivals across the country,” stated Lara Krug, Vice President, Stella Artois. “Last year our Film Finishing Fund grantees highlighted provocative issues at the forefront of culture and conversation, making a splash at some of the country’s most renowned film festivals, and we look forward to celebrating our next round of grantees as they embark on their own festival journey.”

Check out all the Film Finishing Fund grantees below as well as the filmmakers’ bios, courtesy of WIF LA.

Stella Artois Films

Decade of Fire

Directed by Gretchen Hildebran & Vivian Vazquez

LOGLINE: One woman’s search to uncover how her childhood Bronx neighborhood was destroyed by racism, neglect, and fires.

SNAPSHOT BIOS: Gretchen Hildebran is a documentary filmmaker and editor whose work lives at the intersection of politics, policy and human experience. Credits include: WORTH SAVING (2004), which was presented in HBO’s Frame by Frame showcase and OUT IN THE HEARTLAND (2005) which explored anti-gay legislation in Kentucky. A 2005 graduate of Stanford’s documentary program, Gretchen shot Ramona Diaz’s THE LEARNING (2011) and has edited for the History Channel, PBS and the United Nations Development Programme, as well as on independent documentaries. Gretchen has also made a series of short documentaries used to educate communities across the country about life-saving interventions such as needle exchange and overdose prevention.

An educator and coordinator, Vivian Vasquez ran educational and youth leadership development programs at the Coro Foundation, Bronxworks, and is currently the director of community-school partnerships at the New Settlement Community Campus. Vazquez managed educational youth development models in GED completion and college access programs across New York City. A former member of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights, she is a member of 52 People for Progress, a community organization that saved her childhood playground and revitalized the South Bronx for the last 35 years.

End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock

Directed by Shannon Kring

LOGLINE: Indigenous women risk their lives to stop the oil pipeline construction that desecrated their ancient burial and prayer sites and threatens their land, water, and very existence.

SNAPSHOT BIO: Shannon Kring is a humanitarian and documentary filmmaker who serves as a voice for the world’s forbidden and forgotten. Her work has been presented by dozens of governments, and by institutions including the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Smithsonian Institution Museum of the American Indian, NASA, MIT, the British Museum, and UNESCO. She is a UNWTO Liaison and serves as Honduras’ Goodwill Ambassador. She works with the UN, US Department of State, USAID, UNEP, and other global bodies on issues concerning the indigenous and other marginalized members of society, environmental sustainability, and cultural preservation.

Rooting for Roona

Directed by Pavitra Chalam & Akshay Shankar

LOGLINE: A little girl named Roona Begum is born in the North East of India with an unprecedented head size caused by a birth defect. This is the story of one family and how they raise an extraordinary child against insurmountable odds.

SNAPSHOT BIOS: Pavitra Chalam is an award-winning documentary filmmaker based in Bangalore. Her films on issues of social importance have received critical acclaim across the world. She has been directing films for over 15 years and is the founder of Curley Street. Pavitra’s journey with film started in 2003, where as part of the Youth Initiative for Peace in Pakistan, she made her film debut BUS – a cinematic exposition on the shared ideals of the youth of both nations. Pavitra earned her Masters in filmmaking at the New York Film Academy in 2006. Her thesis at the New York Film Academy ANAMIKA-HER GLORIOUS PAST went on to receive critical acclaim in festivals across the world and a special screening in Washington at the World Bank. She has been privileged to receive numerous awards over the last decade including the Ability Media International Award in London for Best Film in 2010 for KHUSHBOO, a film about children with complex needs. In 2012 Pavitra directed INDELIBLE, the story of seven people with Down Syndrome living in India. She was awarded the Asia-Pacific Award for ‘Outstanding New Documentary Talent’ at the DocWeek Film Festival in Adelaide for INDELIBLE in 2014. In 2016 she was honored by the government of India as one of 25 women achievers/ambassadors for social change.

Akshay Shankar is a filmmaker and the CEO of Curley Street. After four successful years in investment banking, Akshay chose to pursue his first love, filmmaking. Since his foray into cinema, Akshay has donned many hats like that of director, producer, and writer. He made his directorial debut in 2014 with TWO FEET TO FLY, India’s first film on marathon running.

Santuario

Directed by Christine Delp & Pilar Timpane

LOGLINE: After 25 years of living in the US, a Guatemalan grandmother threatened with deportation takes sanctuary in a North Carolina church.

SNAPSHOT BIOS: Pilar Timpane is a filmmaker and producer based in Durham, North Carolina. Pilar is currently co-directing and producing the short documentary SANTUARIO and producing THE LAST PARTERA. Her work has been supported by Tribeca Film Institute’s IF/Then Shorts Program, Southern Documentary Fund, the Fledgling Fund, IDFA Docs for Sale, and others. Her work has focused on women’s stories, immigration, and religious communities, with the aim of using storytelling for social change.

Christine Delp is a filmmaker based in Minneapolis. She is currently producing BURDEN OF PROOF, directed by Cynthia Hill, and co-directing the short SANTUARIO. Credits also include associate producer for A CHEF’S LIFE (PBS) and ROAD TO RACE DAY (Complex Networks). Her work has been supported by HBO, Sundance Documentary Film Program, Tribeca Film Institute, IFP, Big Sky Pitch, and Sheffield Meet Market. She is a New Orleans Film Society Southern Producer’s Lab fellow and an associate of UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program.

Narrative Feature Films

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

Directed by Kathleen Hepburn & Elle-Maija Tailfeathers

LOGLINE: Two Indigenous women from vastly different backgrounds find their worlds colliding as one of them, Rosie, flees a violent domestic attack. What begins as an urgent and terrifying escape, tentatively expands as the women weave a fragile bond in their short time together while navigating the complexities of motherhood and the ongoing legacy of colonialism.

SNAPSHOT BIOS: Kathleen Hepburn is a Vancouver born writer and director whose debut feature, NEVER STEADY, NEVER STILL, which Variety Magazine calls a “stoically broken hearted debut,” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017 and was awarded Best Canadian Film and Best Director by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle, as well as Special Jury Prize at the Dublin International Film Festival. It went on to be nominated for eight Canadian Screen Awards including Best Picture. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing, and a BFA in Film Production from the Universities of Guelph and Simon Fraser respectively. THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN is her sophomore feature, which she co-wrote and co-directed with Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers.

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers is a filmmaker, writer, and actor based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is Blackfoot from the Kainai First Nation (Blood Reserve) as well as Sámi from northern Norway. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of British Columbia in Indigenous Studies with a Minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN is her debut narrative feature. Tailfeathers was the 2018 Sundance Institute Merata Mita Film Fellow and is an alumni of the Berlinale Talent Lab, the Hot Docs Accelerator Lab, the CFC/NFB/Ford Foundation Open Immersion Virtual Reality Lab, the Whistler Film Festival Aboriginal Film Fellowship, and the International Sámi Film Institute Indigenous Film Fellowship. Her short documentary, BIHTTOS, was included in the TIFF Top Ten Canadian Shorts and was also nominated for a Canadian Screen Award and a Leo Award for Best Short Documentary. Tailfeathers received a Canadian Screen Award, a UBCP/ACTRA VWIFF Award, and was nominated for a Leo Award and an American Indian Motion Picture Award for her performance in ON THE FARM. In 2017 she directed and produced the feature-length documentary, THE CITY BEFORE THE CITY, in partnership and collaboration with the Musqueam First Nation. She is currently directing a feature-length documentary about the opiate crisis in her home community of Kainai with the support of the National Film Board of Canada as well as the Hot Docs Cross Currents Fund. She will also appear on-screen in Jeff Barnaby’s BLOOD QUANTAM slated for release in 2019.

The Planters

Directed by Alexandra Kotcheff & Hannah Leder

LOGLINE: ‘’The Planters’ is a dark comedy about Martha Plant, a reclusive telemarketer grieving the loss of her parents, who finds unlikely friendship in Sadie Mayflower, a Jesus-loving vagrant with multiple personalities. This is a radical experiment in feature filmmaking – two women, starring in, and making a film with no on-set crew.

SNAPSHOT BIO: Hannah Leder and Alexandra Kotcheff met at the tender age of 8. They made their first film at 12 years old, which starred Alexandra as a suicidal pre-teen. Though dramedy was not their intention, they were well on their way. They have since collaborated on many projects together, including a Canadian documentary about a native family fighting a Chevron pipeline, a dramatic short FEARLESS starring Fionnula Flanagan that premiered at Galway Film Fleadh, and a comedic short AUTO-COWRECKED which ran in 28 film festivals nationwide. They wrote, directed, starred in, and single-handedly crewed their latest project, THE PLANTERS. Their next venture is PEACHVILLE, another dark comedy which was a Sundance Institute finalist for the 2016 Screenwriters Lab.

Una Great Movie

Directed by Jennifer Sharp

LOGLINE: A beautifully diverse movie about a Black American woman traveling to Mexico, slowly turns into a romantic comedy with an all-white cast. A quirky cerebral look into the commercial Hollywood system, juxtaposed with a heartwarming movie that portrays Mexicans and Black people as humans rather than stereotypes.

SNAPSHOT BIO: Jennifer Sharp is an award winning director, editor and writer. While traveling alone in Honduras, she was inspired to document a local story. With only her cell phone and artistic vision, she shot the documentary SOLITARY WORLDS, which won the grand jury prize at the 2016 Rincon International Film Festival. Her narrative feature film UNA GREAT MOVIE was shot in Mexico and incorporates 50 local Mexicans along with professional actors to create a unique diverse movie that bridges cultures during a time when Latino stereotypes run rampant in mainstream media. She believes that art has the power to change the world, and artists can facilitate that change by sharing their truths. Her film WAITING reflects on how we passively wait for life to happen. BOXED speaks of the baggage that we carry. TIME TRAVELERS comments on the absurdity of time. In UNA GREAT MOVIE Jennifer uses humor to address racism, sexism, environmental issues, and how business destroys art.

Documentary Feature Films

How to Have an American Baby

Directed by Leslie Tai

LOGLINE: There is a city in Southern California that is teeming with pregnant women from China. HOW TO HAVE AN AMERICAN BABY is a kaleidoscopic voyage, told through multiple perspectives, into the booming shadow economy catering to Chinese birth tourists who travel to the U.S. on birthing vacations in order to obtain U.S. citizenship for their babies.

SNAPSHOT BIO: Leslie Tai is a Chinese-American filmmaker based in Northern California. Her short documentaries have premiered at MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight, Tribeca Film Festival, International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), and Visions du Réel. From 2007-2011, she made and exhibited her work as an artist of Beijing-based independent art studio Caochangdi Workstation and as a student of Wu Wenguang, one of the founders of the New Independent Chinese Documentary Movement. Her short film THE PRIVATE LIFE OF FENFEN (2013), a multi-layered representation of a young Chinese migrant worker’s video diaries, won awards for Best Film at Kasseler Dokfest (Germany) and Images Festival (Canada). In 2013, she received the Emerging Filmmaker Award from the San Diego Asian Film Festival for GRAVE GOODS (2013) and SUPERIOR LIFE CLASSROOM (2012). Her feature debut in progress HOW TO HAVE AN AMERICAN BABY has received the generous support of funders such as, Tribeca Film Institute, SFFILM, California Humanities, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Firelight Media, Fork Films, Field of Vision, Women In Film, and more.

Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres

Directed by Suzanne Kai

LOGLINE: The lights, the crowds, the music! Ben Fong-Torres covered it all at Rolling Stone as a legendary writer, rock journalist and the magazine’s first music editor. The documentary about Ben’s life is an epic sweep through the world of rock and roll. The American-born son of Chinese immigrants, Ben grew up in Chinatown with only a radio to the outside world. Driven by a passion for music and writing, and a wicked sense of humor, his groundbreaking work helped define American culture. He became a voice of a generation which changed America forever.

SNAPSHOT BIO: Suzanne Joe Kai is a filmmaker and broadcast journalist. At San Francisco’s KRON-TV (NBC) she directed and produced documentaries and received an Emmy nomination for her work. Kai earned an MA from Stanford (Documentary/Film/TV), and a BA from Mills where she was a music deejay. Before founding StudioLA.TV a boutique production company, Kai worked at KCBS (CBS), KTVU (FOX), KGO (ABC), KGUN (ABC), and RottenTomatoes.com, and created SPRINT’s Hollywood video channel. Kai is a member of the TV Academy, WGAW’s non-fiction caucus, and AAJA-LA.org, and a San Francisco Bay Area newspaper survey once voted her “Best Woman News Reporter.”