FiSpo Updates: Football, Rained-Out Vacations & A New School
Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program supports a wide range of incredible projects. Every month, we shine a spotlight on new projects in our Fiscal Spotlight collum. But have you ever wondered how some of our previously featured projects are doing? That’s where FiSpo Updates come in! We’re here to celebrate the latest achievements of projects within the program.
Through Fiscal Sponsorship, independent filmmakers and media artists gain access to nonprofit funding, helping bring their unique visions to life. These projects embrace diversity, push creative boundaries, and showcase the power of independent storytelling. Want to explore the full lineup of sponsored projects? Head over to our Sponsored Projects page and take a look!
BETTER THAN THEY FOUND IT
Project type: Nonfiction Feature
Project status: Production
Filmmaker: Tarana Harris Mayes
Synopsis: Better Than They Found It chronicles the history and revolution of the coaching profession in the modern NFL, celebrating the progress and envisioning the future through unprecedented interviews with influential coaches and Hall of Fame players.
Filmmaker Update: We’re excited to share that Better Than They Found It will be highlighted at SXSW 2025 in the panel session, “The Play Gap: Women Behind The Camera in Sports” on Saturday, March 8th. Tarana Harris Mayes, the visionary behind the panel, will be joined by three award-winning filmmakers whose work deeply encourages audiences everywhere: Maeyen Bassey (Being Young and Coach Prime) Deborah Riley Draper (Olympic Pride, American Prejudice), and Maya Washington (Through the Banks of the Red Cedar).
CATHEDRAL, FLORIDA
Project type: Fiction Short
Project status: Development
Filmmaker: Jacob LaMendola
Synopsis: A young boy joins his girlfriend on vacation, but finds he is more drawn to her father, who is blind. Cathedral, Florida is a 15-minute short film that tells the story of this vacation. It unfolds in a motel room, across one day, during a storm.
Filmmaker Update: Cathedral, Florida marks director Jacob LaMendola’s first narrative project in over a decade of making documentaries. Jacob’s previous works include ANOSMIA, a New York Times Op Doc about people unable to smell, and Netflix Original, LONG SHOT, which tells the story of Juan Catalan, whose alibi to escape a murder charge involved an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
In late 2024, Cathedral, Florida won the Make It Short Pitching Forum at Fest | New Directors New Films Festival. This win secured the early involvement of Bleat Post Production, who has worked with some of Jacob’s favorite filmmakers, including Andrew Haigh.
In 2025, Cathedral, Florida began to assemble its team, including Oscar nominated Executive Producer, Abby Lynn Kang Davis as well as accomplished producers and old friends David Duque-Estrada, Jonathan Rosenblit and David Broad. Casting director Daryl Eisenberg is also now attached to the project and is currently auditioning blind and low vision actors. This will bring a sense of realism to the film that simply cannot be achieved otherwise.
We are now actively raising funds and with the help of Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship, have been able to raise a third of our budget. While this is a massive achievement, we need to raise more in order to meet our goal of moving into production this year. Your donation helps us continue to build a team and make the best film possible. From everyone involved, thank you for your support. It’s a scary time, but much scarier to not make a film.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Project type: Fiction Short
Project status: Development
Filmmaker: D’Angelo “D’Lo” Louis
Synopsis: A Bay Area transplant fights to survive in a Los Angeles high school where announcements often signal tragic farewells, caught between gang violence and forbidden attraction.
Filmmaker Update: We are excited to share that Announcements is evolving from a short into a feature-length film. The world we are building demands more time and space to fully explore the weight of violence, community, and survival in a city that never stops moving. Keeping this story under 40 minutes wouldn’t do it justice, and we’re embracing the challenge of expanding its scope. We are also excited to announce the attachment of Lexi Underwood (Sneakerella, Little Fires Everywhere) and TyQuan “Watts Homie Quan” Givens (The Vince Staples Show, Rap Sh!t, Growing Up In L.A.) to the cast, bringing even more depth and authenticity to this world. In addition, we’ve welcomed Kwajalyn Brown to the Announcements family as an Executive Producer. Known for her powerful performances in Cobra Kai, Black Bird, and The Young and the Restless, Kwajalyn brings invaluable experience and passion to the team.
This journey is just beginning, and we’re grateful for the support of Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship as we push forward. Stay tuned for more updates, and if you want to be a part of this project’s growth, we invite you to follow along and support our journey.
To learn how Fiscal Sponsorship works, check out the above video or read about it here.
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