Johns Hopkins University-based innovation fund's filmmakers create stories of hardship and redemption
BALTIMORE, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund, a cutting-edge champion of independent filmmaking at Johns Hopkins University, announced today their 2022 seed grantees. Fifteen challenging and ultimately enlightening projects were selected for funding. Befitting a world rife with war and a lingering pandemic, the stories reveal the raw edge and frayed borders of human existence. The total grant package supporting Baltimore filmmakers this year is over $550,000.
"If this pandemic has taught us anything, it's that the human race perseveres, and that it is ever more vital to speak out for the kind of world in which we want to live," said Annette Porter, Director of the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund. "This year's grantees are creating stories that hold a mirror up to our collective experience, and all of them are told from uniquely personal perspectives. I don't think we've ever seen projects with more grit and determination. We believe these projects are deeply emotional and reveal much about the world we now inhabit."
In keeping with the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund grantees of the past, this year's projects unlock doors on subject matters that are underrepresented by current film production companies. There are no fantastical superheroes, just superhumans struggling to survive.
The 15 grantees were selected out of 21 projects submitted to the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund. The grants will kickstart development and production for these projects. The Fund also pairs grantees with industry mentors and provides workshops to help filmmakers complete their visions. Workshops cover all phases of filmmaking from production concepts to editing and marketing.
The 2022 seed grant winners include:
NARRATIVE:
"Stealing Cars" Stephen Schuyler and Marly Hernandez
"Senior" Toroes Thomas
"Vacants" Cheyanne Zadia Givens
"Cloud Nebula" Scott Patterson
"McCulloh St" Krenée A. Tolson
"Come Into My Arms" Zara Kahan
"Under the Wolf Tree" Aisha Molake
DOCUMENTARY:
"The Cost of Justice" Emily Thomas
"Hard to Get and Dear Paid For" Savannah Wood
"The Periscopic Gaze" Kalima Young
"Everlasting Life" Paul K Oh
"Black Women Build Baltimore" Dena Fischer & Amy Scott
"Through the Eyes of Others" Meagan Lopez
"Baltimore Ballerina" Josh Davidsburg and Bridget McGready
NEW MEDIA (XR)
"There is No One What Will Take Care of Me" Dina Fiasconaro
The Fund, at Johns Hopkins since 2016, is dedicated to giving voice to diverse filmmakers who are underrepresented in mainstream filmmaking. Fiercely devoted to independent filmmaking, the fund is charged with creating a vibrant, diverse community of filmmakers in the Baltimore area. The 2022 class of fellows include a majority of women and BIPOC filmmakers: 61% of grantees are women, 70% are people of color. The program aims to break down barriers these groups experience in their filmmaking journey and give fellows the tools they need to be successful in the industry.
For more information on the 2022 seed grant winners and their projects, please visit https://zaentzfund.com/.
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-About the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund in Film and Media
Founded in 2016, The Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund in Film and Media at Johns Hopkins University seeks to further the pioneering legacy of Mr. Zaentz by connecting the Baltimore creative community with prestigious artists, veteran executives and successful entrepreneurs in an incubator program designed to nurture project ideas that will advance the art and craft of audiovisual media. http://www.zaentzfund.com
Media Contact
Lexie Robinson, Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund at Johns Hopkins University, 1 (253) 315-9193, [email protected]
SOURCE Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund at Johns Hopkins University
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