Sponsored Projects

Film Independent Fiscal Sponsorship

New and innovative work, fiscally sponsored by Film Independent.
The Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to nonprofit funding for independent filmmakers and media artists, supporting a diverse slate of projects at every stage of the filmmaking process – from development to distribution and beyond. Support Film Independent's creative community and help bring these projects to life by donating below.
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Bittu

A close friendship between two girls is eclipsed by an accidental poisoning at school. Based on a true story.

Project type: Fiction Short
Director/Writer: Karishma Dev Dube
Producer: Mary Evangelista
Cinematographer: Shreya Dev Dube

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Black Girl in the Woods

Black Girl in the Woods chronicles Kisha Jarrett's journey as a fat Black woman with Lupus working to reclaim space in the outdoors alongside other unlikely enthusiasts. What started as a mission to thru-hike the Pacific Northwest Trail, becomes a story of discovery, finding joy, and defining one's relationship with nature.

Project type: Nonfiction Feature
Director/Producer: Kisha Jarrett
Producer: Faith Briggs
Producer: Melissa Daniels
Producer: Lauren Lukow
Producer: Tracy Nguyen-Chung
Cinematographer/Editor: Ryan Miyamoto

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Black Hat

A seemingly pious Hasidic man living a secret double life misplaces his black hat one night which will cause his two separate lives to collide in a way he never imagined.

Project type: Fiction Short
Director: Sarah Smith
Writer/Producer: Phillip Guttmann

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Black Snake

In a rural village, a family eager to start a new life is forced to face their cultural identity, when the appearance of a mysterious tree coincides with their arrival in the village.

Director: Naishe Nyamubaya
Producer: Sue-Ellen Chitunya

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Blanca

Hunted by soldiers after a military coup, Peru's First Lady must drive her very pregnant nanny to a hospital down a treacherous road in the Andes.

Project type: Fiction Feature
Director: Carlos Graña
Producer: Tim Gagliardo
AEC: Director of Photography: Pablo Diez

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Blank Verse Films

Blank Verse Films is an upstart film studio that produces poetry videos. All our videos are online for free on our Youtube channel.

Project type: Organization
Founder/Artistic Director: Mike Gioia
Co-Founder/Development Director: Ted Gioia

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Blue Chair

Lao and regional filmmakers work closely with Blue Chair to produce a free biennial film festival and community screenings. We aim to see a diversity of Southeast Asian stories told well and shared with the world, all while lending critical support to the nascent Lao film industry.

Project type: Organization
Executive Director: Sean Chadwell
Programs Manager: Vone Liosakoun
Advisors: Donna Lednicky, Vannaphone “Kino” Sitthirath, Nicholas Simon

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Bollywood Berkeley

Every year, the University of California Berkeley hosts one of the largest Bollywood Dance competitions in the nation: Bollywood Berkeley. After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Bollywood Berkeley will follow a group of novice South Asian college students and competitive dancers as they attempt to pull off the return of this pinnacle cultural event.

Project type: Nonfiction Feature
Project status: Production
Director: Zoe Malhotra
Producer: Vince Johnson
Advisor: Julia Zak

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Box of Rain

What do you do when you're seventeen, suicidal, and believe that the only thing the world has to offer you is violence and pain? You get in your car and drive across the United States to go see the Grateful Dead of course...at least, that's what you do if you're lucky. And without a doubt, I was very lucky.

Project type: Nonfiction Feature
Director: Lonnie Frazier
Producer: Francisca Zapata
Editor: Elizabeth Kopetka

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Boyfriends

Billy passionately welcomes his longtime boyfriend back home in a bittersweet showing of the desperate things we do to find intimacy.

Project type: Fiction Short
Writer/Executive Producer: Adam Guerino
Producer/Composer: Aaron Benham
Director/Editor: C.J. Arellano
Cinematographers: Matt Lynn

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Break-Down

A young woman’s visit to an immersive play takes a dark turn when she is coerced into a depraved performance.

Project type: Fiction Short
Writer/Director: Keegan Pedersen
Producer: Pinar Binay, Graham Taylor, Matt Balcerek
Producer/Cast: Alex Felix, Michelle Mao

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Breasties

In the early weeks postpartum, Rose finds herself unraveling as she struggles to breastfeed her newborn son, Miles. As her baby continues to lose weight, she is faced with an unconventional choice when her best friend Maddie offers to nurse her baby.

Project type: Fiction Short
Writer/Director: Jennifer Kushner
Producers: Sue-Ellen Chitunya

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Breathe

Dreams come into conflict with obligations one hectic afternoon, for an immigrant attempting to change her trajectory in life.

Project type: Fiction Short
Writer/Director/Producer: Gustavo Martín Benites Gálvez
Producer: Maja Memišević
Producer: Tasnim Hindeyeh
Producer/Location Manager: Mark Leja
Cinematographer: Derek C. Fisher

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Bringing It Home

When an American veteran falls pregnant, doctors dismiss her debilitating health issues, until an Iraqi refugee and former midwife explains the horrific pregnancy health risks associated with her exposure to depleted uranium.

Project type: Fiction Feature
Writer/Director: Sabine El Gemayel
Consulting Screenwriter: Laura Durkay
Producer: Jonathan Vanger
Executive Producer: Bahman Naraghi

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Buck

Caught in the throes of a depressive fugue, young Lynn resorts to debauchery to find joy — only to discover that happiness is a much more complicated proposition.

Project type: Fiction Short
Director/Writer: Elegance Bratton
Director/Writer: Jovan James
Producer: Chester Algernal Gordon
Director of Photography: Zamarin Wahdat
Editor: Kristan Williams Sprague

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Burnout

An ambitious assistant at a major sports management firm will do whatever it takes to win the approval of his nefarious boss... starting with setting himself on fire.

Project type: Fiction Short
Writer/Director/Producer: Russell Goldman
Producer: Comet Pictures
Producer: Michael Fry
Producer: Wendy Wang

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Burnt Orange

Ever have trouble paying your off your student loans? Dodged robo calls from your lender? Madison does her best to escape her reality only to be haunted with nightmares of her financial crisis.

Project type: Fiction Short
Project status: Post-Production
Director/Producer: Sharmila Ray

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Burros

A young Native girl discovers a Hispanic migrant her age who lost her dad in the middle of the dangerous but beautiful Sonoran desert.

Project type: Fiction Short
Director/Writer: Jefferson Stein
Producer: Liz Cardenas
Producer: Russell Sheaffer
Executive Producers: Bear Larry Wilson, Camillus Lopez

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By The Grape Of God

A disenchanted, older priest and his bright-eyed mentee embark on a quest for the perfect communion wine in a Napa Valley escapade turned full-on identity crisis.

Project type: Fiction Feature
Writer/Executive Producer: Kevin Hickey
Director: Comcille Donston
Producer/1st Assistant Director: Connor Jones
Executive Producer: Marisa Laurance, Sean Szatkowski

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BZRK

Anders' rage is on the precipice of taking control. Fearing he'll succumb to his violent visions, he seeks the help of an unorthodox psychiatrist, Dr. Wagner, whose meditation methods awaken a power within him.

Project type: Fiction Short
Writer/Director/Producer: Chandler Clarke
Producer: Soukaina Alaoui El Hassani
Director of Photography: Weston Walker
Art Director: Szabina Tutor

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