Give as a gift
BendFilm’s Grant for Voices Who Have Been Underrepresented will support BIPOC women artists with $10,000 toward making their short or feature film. The grant supports storytellers who are working to tell creative and complex stories told from a point of view that is unique and authentic.
Join us for the Live virtual pitch on Sunday, February 12th @ 1:00pm PST!
2023 Pitch Panelists
Rebecca Wyzan
Rebecca Wyzan is the Head of Development at Present Company, a Brooklyn-based production company launched by Dan Janvey (NOMADLAND, TIME) and Paul Mezey (AFTER YANG, MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON). Our focus is on the development and production of bold, carefully crafted work helmed by auteurs in the film and TV space. Present Company's first feature A LOVE SONG (dir. Max Walker-Silverman) premiered at Sundance in 2022 and was distributed by Bleecker Street and Sony Worldwide. Past credits include WE THE ANIMALS, BEACH RATS, HEART OF A DOG, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, SUGAR, HALF NELSON, and MARIA FULL OF GRACE.
Jenny Shi
Jiayan "Jenny" Shi is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker who is passionate about stories that find shared humanity and compassion. Her debut documentary "Finding Yingying" (MTV Documentary Films) has won numerous awards including the Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Voice at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival and a China Academy Award of Documentary Films, and was nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy award. Jenny's work has appeared on Paramount +, MTV, BBC News, PBS NewsHour, and Insider, among others. Jenny is a Kartemquin Diverse Voices In Docs fellow, a Women at Sundance Adobe fellow, a Logan Nonfiction Program fellow, a Firelight fellow, and a DOC NYC "40 Under 40" filmmaker. Jenny is the co-founder and programming director of the Chicago chapter of Video Consortium where she curates films and organizes community events for non-fiction storytellers.
Kira Sterrett (Photo forthcoming)
NYC born and raised. LA Based. They/Them pronouns. Summa Cum Laude Hunter Grad. Company Coordinator at NEON Rated. Previously interned at Tribeca Film Festival, Bleecker Street, Film Comment Magazine, and MTuckman Media. Contributor to The Reel Effect and Film Daze.
More about this Grant:
Barriers need to be broken down until equal representation is achieved on-screen and behind the camera. Better understanding and exposure between neighboring cultures will help create dialog, cooperation, and partnerships that strengthen the interconnectivity of Central Oregon. This grant will support a BIPOC women artist with $10,000 toward making their next short or feature film. The grant supports storytellers who are working to tell creative and complex stories told from a point of view that is unique and authentic.
Filmmakers who have been underrepresented are less likely to have the funding support to produce their first films to jumpstart their careers. This grant breaks down the economic barrier to democratize the art form which in turn will:
1. Support the career of an underrepresented artist.
2. Increase the production of films that accurately portray underrepresented communities.
3. Lead audiences to a better understanding of themselves (if underrepresented) or to the life experience of someone unlike themselves.
The BIPOC Women Film Production Grant is sponsored by The Starview Foundation, NewSun Energy, In Focus Eyecare, The Roiundhouse Foundation and Braemar Charitable Trust.
BendFilm’s Grant for Voices Who Have Been Underrepresented will support BIPOC women artists with $10,000 toward making their short or feature film. The grant supports storytellers who are working to tell creative and complex stories told from a point of view that is unique and authentic.
Join us for the Live virtual pitch on Sunday, February 12th @ 1:00pm PST!
2023 Pitch Panelists
Rebecca Wyzan
Rebecca Wyzan is the Head of Development at Present Company, a Brooklyn-based production company launched by Dan Janvey (NOMADLAND, TIME) and Paul Mezey (AFTER YANG, MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON). Our focus is on the development and production of bold, carefully crafted work helmed by auteurs in the film and TV space. Present Company's first feature A LOVE SONG (dir. Max Walker-Silverman) premiered at Sundance in 2022 and was distributed by Bleecker Street and Sony Worldwide. Past credits include WE THE ANIMALS, BEACH RATS, HEART OF A DOG, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, SUGAR, HALF NELSON, and MARIA FULL OF GRACE.
Jenny Shi
Jiayan "Jenny" Shi is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker who is passionate about stories that find shared humanity and compassion. Her debut documentary "Finding Yingying" (MTV Documentary Films) has won numerous awards including the Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Voice at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival and a China Academy Award of Documentary Films, and was nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy award. Jenny's work has appeared on Paramount +, MTV, BBC News, PBS NewsHour, and Insider, among others. Jenny is a Kartemquin Diverse Voices In Docs fellow, a Women at Sundance Adobe fellow, a Logan Nonfiction Program fellow, a Firelight fellow, and a DOC NYC "40 Under 40" filmmaker. Jenny is the co-founder and programming director of the Chicago chapter of Video Consortium where she curates films and organizes community events for non-fiction storytellers.
Kira Sterrett (Photo forthcoming)
NYC born and raised. LA Based. They/Them pronouns. Summa Cum Laude Hunter Grad. Company Coordinator at NEON Rated. Previously interned at Tribeca Film Festival, Bleecker Street, Film Comment Magazine, and MTuckman Media. Contributor to The Reel Effect and Film Daze.
More about this Grant:
Barriers need to be broken down until equal representation is achieved on-screen and behind the camera. Better understanding and exposure between neighboring cultures will help create dialog, cooperation, and partnerships that strengthen the interconnectivity of Central Oregon. This grant will support a BIPOC women artist with $10,000 toward making their next short or feature film. The grant supports storytellers who are working to tell creative and complex stories told from a point of view that is unique and authentic.
Filmmakers who have been underrepresented are less likely to have the funding support to produce their first films to jumpstart their careers. This grant breaks down the economic barrier to democratize the art form which in turn will:
1. Support the career of an underrepresented artist.
2. Increase the production of films that accurately portray underrepresented communities.
3. Lead audiences to a better understanding of themselves (if underrepresented) or to the life experience of someone unlike themselves.
The BIPOC Women Film Production Grant is sponsored by The Starview Foundation, NewSun Energy, In Focus Eyecare, The Roiundhouse Foundation and Braemar Charitable Trust.
