Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

Los Angeles, CA � The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund announced its first round of grants for 2004. Eleven feature-length documentary films will receive a total of $395,000. The Fund, established at the Sundance Institute in 2002 by a gift from the Open Society Institute, is dedicated to supporting U.S. and international documentary films and videos that focus on current human rights issues, freedom of expression, social justice, and civil liberties. Sundance Institute Documentary Fund grants are announced twice a year and since its inception at the Institute, the Fund has disbursed over $2 million to 62 projects.

A committee of human rights experts and film professionals selected the recipients from projects submitted by filmmakers from around the world. These projects represent a wide range of topics: the impact of years of conflict in many African countries; the lasting effects of war; an exploration of contemporary South Africa; a study of the current state of Israeli-Palestinian relations; in-depth stories about the lives of immigrants and refugees; and the search for justice and coexistence. In supporting such work, the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund encourages the diverse exchange of ideas crucial to developing an open society, raising public consciousness about human rights abuses and restrictions of civil liberties, and fostering an ongoing debate about these issues.

"Sundance Institute considers it a privilege to support each of these committed and talented artists, who are compelled to tell these powerful stories, often at substantial personal and financial risk," said Diane Weyermann, Director, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. "Whether they are exploring the complexities of a conflict or war zone, giving voice to those who are silenced, or tackling some of the most charged issues of our day, these films will both move and inspire us."

The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund considers projects in three categories�Work In Progress, Development, and Supplemental. Documentaries in production or postproduction are eligible for the more substantial Work in Progress grants. Development grants provide seed funds to filmmakers whose projects are in the early research stage or in pre-production. The program awards Supplemental grants to projects that have previously received Development grants and meets the criteria for Work In Progress grants. Details on the Fund�s award guidelines can be found on the Sundance Institute website, www.sundance.org.

The eleven Sundance Institute Documentary Fund grant recipients are:


WORK IN PROGRESS GRANTS

Anne Aghion, IN RWANDA, WE SAY �THE FAMILY THAT DOES NOT SPEAK DIES� (US/France)

This film, a follow-up to GACACA, LIVING TOGETHER AGAIN IN RWANDA? follows the release and re-integration of a prisoner into his hillside community in order to chronicle the reconciliation process in Rwanda today.

Shantha Bloemen and JoMarie Fecci, WESTERN SAHARA, AFRICA�S LAST COLONY (US)

WESTERN SAHARA, AFRICA�S LAST COLONY follows a group of loosely connected Sahrawis nomads, through the tragedy of exile, who are able to forge a strong sense of nationhood and give a voice to those who have spent much of their lives fighting for an independent homeland.

Julie Mallozzi, MONKEY DANCE (US)

This film is about three Cambodian-American teens in Lowell, MA who are trying to navigate through the landscape of U.S. urban adolescence and relate to their parents� nightmarish memories of the Khmer Rouge.

Patrice O� Neill, THE FIRE NEXT TIME (US)

Set in Montana�s Flathead Valley, this story reflects some of the most critical issues in our country today; the role of media in spreading intolerance, the high stakes in the battle over growth and environment, and the threat of politically motivated violence.

Jed Riffe, WAITING TO INHALE: MARIJUANA, MEDICINE AND THE LAW (US)

Riffe focuses on the experiences of patients, activists, law enforcement officials and politicians involved in the struggle over legalization of cannabis for medical use.

Susan Stern, THE SELF-MADE MAN (US)

THE SELF MADE MAN explores the philosophical and psychological issues behind the assisted suicide debate.

Pamela Yates, PASSAGE THROUGH FEAR (US)

PASSAGE THROUGH FEAR is a film about Peru's war against terrorism, and the disturbing lessons we may learn from it.

DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

Fibi Kraus, MARRY ME OUT (Italy)

The film follows a Yemeni woman who wants to find a way to freedom and safety for the women in a Sana�a prison who are detained without trial and banished by their family.


SUPPLEMENTAL GRANTS

Simone Bitton, THE WALL (Israel/France)

A humane and psychological study of the construction of a �security fence� aimed at preventing Palestinian terrorists from infiltrating Israeli territory.

Khalo Matabane, STORY OF A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY (South Africa)

STORY OF A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY is the journey of a young black filmmaker in search of his �new country: contemporary South Africa. His story is told through talk radio and explored through a road movie.

Jonathan Stack, WAR WITHOUT END (US)

Follows the strife in Liberia during the last months of Taylor�s regime and the American role in the conflict.

Created in 2002, the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund is made possible by a $4.6 million grant from the New York�based Open Society Institute (OSI). Originally established in 1996 as the Soros Documentary Fund, the Fund is widely respected for the quality and exposure of the projects it supports. Films supported by the Fund have received widespread distribution to their intended audiences via broadcast and theatrical release, and many have garnered a number of awards and exceptional industry recognition. Among the impressive list of films supported by the Fund are: Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski�s BORN INTO BROTHELS, winner of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival Documentary Audience Award; Catherine Tambini and Carlos Sandoval�s FARMINGVILLE, winner of a Special Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival; Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco�s DAUGHTER FROM DANANG, winner of the 2002 Sundance Documentary Grand Jury Prize and nominated for an Academy Award�; Kate Davis�s SOUTHERN COMFORT, winner the 2001 Sundance Documentary Grand Jury Prize; Edet Belzberg�s CHILDREN UNDERGROUND, winner of a 2001 Sundance Special Jury Prize and an Academy Award� nominee ; and LONG NIGHT�S JOURNEY INTO DAY, winner of the 2000 Sundance Documentary Grand Jury Prize and an Academy Award� nominee.

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is dedicated to the development of artists of independent vision and the exhibition of their new work. Since its inception, the Institute has grown into an internationally recognized resource for filmmakers and other artists. Sundance Institute conducts national and international labs for filmmakers, screenwriters, composers, writers, and theater artists. The annual Sundance Film Festival, a major program of Sundance Institute, is held each January and is considered the premier showcase for American and international independent film. The Institute supports non-fiction filmmakers through the Documentary Film Program by providing year-round support through the Sundance Documentary Fund and a series of programs that nurture their growth, encourage the exploration of innovative nonfiction storytelling, and promote the exhibition of documentary films to a broader audience. Through the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, the Institute is committed to invigorating the national theatre movement with original and creative work and to nurturing the diversity of artistic expression among theatre artists. The Institute also maintains The Sundance Collection at UCLA, a unique archive of independent film.