Well, it’s certainly grant season, isn’t it?  Creative Capital is now open for grants applications. Creative Capital is a non-profit based in New York that gives out awards of $10,000 minimum. This year’s two disciplines are Film/Video and Visual Arts and the deadline to submit is March 1st, 2011. The next time these two disciplines will be up for application is in three years (March 2014).  This is a one-time award, you cannot win it twice. But, check it out, Creative Capital is not just a grant:

“Over the course of a funded project, Creative Capital provides each artist with a flexible program of multi-faceted, sequential support and partners with them to determine how funding and services can best work in concert to help them achieve their goals. Creative Capital’s grants include up to $50,000 in direct funding and career development services valued at $37,000, a total commitment of up to $87,000 for each project.”

Pretty amazing. Anyone out there have direct experience with this grant?

Also, the NW Film Forum is offering an awesome workshop: Producer Masterclass with Jennifer Roth. Spots are selling fast, and they’re only $9! It’s on Wed, Feb 16th, 5PM-7PM.  Check out the description:

“Jennifer Roth, executive/line producer of the award winning Black Swan, will lead a two-hour master class on film production that delves deeply into the importance of preserving a director’s vision as a producer. She will discuss the positive side of having limited resources and how to tell the best possible story when making budgetary choices. Ms. Roth will also take you through the budgeting and scheduling process, discuss hiring crew, the finer points of scouting locations, and lay out why movies now have so many producers and what they all do.”

Are you Canadian or a Canadian landed immigrant? No? Me neither. But if you were, you would be able to take advantage of this opportunity:

Hothouse is a 12-week paid apprenticeship program for emerging Canadian filmmakers: “Hothouse is about re-imagining ways of making animation, ways that are faster, more flexible, and which embrace the many possibilities in the animation process while maintaining creative and technical excellence. We’re looking for six new talents who are willing and able to jump head-first into this intensive experience.” You can apply to take part by February 25th.

Another intriguing opportunity is the Annecy 2011 Youtube Competition (open to all regardless of citizenship). The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is one of the most renowned such festivals in the world, but…Youtube? Apparently last year they started a competition to celebrate an anniversary of the festival. They asked people to make a five minute or less short that would serve as a kind of trailer to the festival – shown in the cinemas, but NOT part of the official festival competition. So they’re doing it again this year, and theme is ‘Animation, Land of Freedom’:

“Participants should submit an animated short film on video of a running time of no longer than five minutes, taking into account the specific theme: “Animation, land of freedom”. This original creation must make a reference to and contain the key words “International Animation Film Festival” and “Annecy 2011”.  Annecy 2011 is particularly focusing its programme on the USA and a reference to this country can also be included in the film.
The short film is to be put online on the YouTube channel of the Annecy Festival from 7th February to midnight 1st May 2011 to the following address: www.youtube.com/annecyfestival

The winner will receive prizes including a Cristal trophy, a diploma and a week at the Annecy Festival from 6th to 11th June 2011 where the film will be screened.”

After scrutinizing the regulations, YES, they will pay for your flight. A little hockey, but it might be a great way to get to the festival for free! Go to the Annecy website where you can download the pdf regulations and press release. Below is the Annecy/Youtube video explaining the competition – anyone else think the narrator sounds like she wishes she was doing anything else?

And finally, are you British or a UK resident? If so, you may find this opportunity intriguing: Guiding Lights is a program that pairs emerging filmmakers with accomplished professionals for 9 months of one-to-one mentor support. Previous mentors include Danny Boyle, Sam Mendes, Kenneth Branagh, Alison Owen, Stephen Frears and Nick Hornby. The deadline to apply is March 11th, 2011.