Princess Grace Foundation-USA Announces New Film Initiative with the Ford Foundation's JustFilms Program

NEW YORK, March 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA) is proud to announce a new initiative for film grants: the Princess Grace JustFilms Documentary Awards, made possible by the Ford Foundation's JustFilms program. These funds will be awarded to help support social justice documentary thesis projects of students in undergraduate/graduate programs and final projects of individuals participating in production programs at media arts centers. In this inaugural year of the grant, an emphasis is placed on filmmakers and films that focus on South Asian and Southeast Asian communities.

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA, a public charity, was formed after the death of Princess Grace (Kelly) in 1982. They present scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships to assist artists in the early stages of their careers.  The Foundation has cultivated a diverse group of nearly 600 artists who continue to advance the spectrum of performing arts with innovative, cutting-edge, and vibrant theater, dance, choreography, film, playwriting and design.  Since the Foundation's inception, more than 700 Awards have been given to recipients, totaling more than $8.5 million.

PGF-USA Executive Director Toby E. Boshak notes, "PGF-USA is excited to expand our already diverse community of documentary filmmakers by funding their unique stories and thanks the Ford Foundation for the opportunity to achieve this goal."

PGF-USA will identify and support voices that tell authentic and powerful stories from or about underrepresented communities, through the Princess Grace JustFilms Documentary Film Awards. Grants will be made in accordance with the applicants' thesis/final project budgets. Nominations for film grants are submitted by Deans/Department Chairs in conjunction with the faculty of established U.S. colleges and universities, or directors of non-profit media arts organizations with structured film production programs that the Foundation has invited to apply.

"Acknowledging the vision and creativity of promising new filmmakers with an award of this kind, can be a critical moment of affirmation that we hope will fuel their determination to pursue their talents," said JustFilms' Director Orlando Bagwell. "This partnership, and these awards, will help identify and support new voices in under-represented communities who bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the field of social justice documentaries."

Choosing Awardees:

In evaluating an application, primary consideration will be given to the talent and potential of the filmmaker as demonstrated by the sample work submitted with each application. The panel will also consider the quality, originality and mastery of the subject and approach of the proposed project, as well as the potential impact the work will have on viewers, the community and the film's subject(s). An advisory panel, independent of the PGF-USA staff and Trustees, reviews every application on its merits in competition with other applicants in the same category and awards the scholarships for the next school year.

A current list of accepted schools can be found in the FAQ of the Grants Program section at www.pgfusa.org. Additional schools/media arts centers who would like to be considered may contact Program Manager Diana Kemppainen at [email protected]. The postmark deadline for applications is June 1, 2012.

ABOUT THE PRINCESS GRACE FOUNDATION - USA

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is a not-for-profit, publicly-supported foundation, headquartered in New York City and founded 30 years ago by Prince Rainier III of Monaco in honor of his wife, Princess Grace [Kelly].  The Foundation's mission, that mirrors Princess Grace's in Her lifetime, is to support emerging artists in theater, dance and film through the awarding of scholarships, apprenticeships and fellowships. Some notable Princess Grace Awards recipients in Film include: Cary Joji Fukunaga, director of Sin Nombre and Jane Eyre; Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, writer/director of On the Ice and Sikumi; and Ham Tran, writer/director of Journey from the Fall.

For more information about the Princess Grace Awards program, please visit www.pgfusa.org; visit our Facebook page for "Princess Grace Awards" and follow us on Twitter @PrincessGraceUS.

ABOUT THE FORD FOUNDATION/JUSTFILMS PROGRAM

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization with its headquarters in New York. For 75 years it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation and advance human achievement. The foundation's JustFilms initiative, launched in 2011, builds on Ford's longtime support for documentaries and acknowledges the importance of visual narratives in creating social change. Leveraging the foundation's global network of regional offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, JustFilms seeks to identify new talent from around the world and to strengthen emerging communities of documentary filmmakers.

For more information about the Ford Foundation/JustFilms program, please visit www.fordfoundation.org

SOURCE The Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA)