Any movie, TV, or streaming venture, at any stage: That’s what NewFilmmakers LA is backing with 4 $5,000 grants by way of its NewNarratives Content material Program — plus a fifth $5,000 grant particularly for post-production on a brief movie centered on environmental points. Submissions at the moment are open, with an August 5 deadline.
Now in its 18th yr, NewFilmmakers LA (NFLA) continues to supply its month-to-month movie competition showcasing 15 to twenty titles per occasion, giving filmmakers a uncommon year-round alternative to display their work and construct trade connections.
“We meet with [the filmmakers] anyplace from 60 to 45 days earlier than their competition to ask them like, ‘Hey, what do you guys want collectively as a bunch for the market a part of the competition?’” mentioned government director Larry Laboe. “That’s the place we’ll deliver within the largest corporations within the trade down to essentially small manufacturing corporations.” Laboe mentioned these relationships have led to financing, reps, even directing jobs.
The grant program launched in 2019 with an preliminary $100,000 from a pre-Zaslav Warner Media. This yr’s funding contains $20,000 from the Rhulen Household Basis, in honor of the late “The Butterfly Impact” producer Anthony Rhulen, and one other $5,000 from the Hollywood Local weather Summit and Athens Providers.
NFLA additionally runs applications just like the STARZ #TakeTheLead Writers’ Intensive and mentorship for highschool college students, however Laboe sees larger potential.
“We’re attempting to satisfy filmmakers the place they’re at with their venture and contribute what we will,” Laboe mentioned, whereas pondering longer-term with a enterprise mannequin he hopes might entice “a Mackenzie Scott of the world.”
The concept: As a substitute of serving to filmmakers one after the other, a philanthropist fascinated with supporting unbiased movie might set up a belief or endowment. Grants would then be distributed from the funding yield, not the principal, making it a renewable, low-risk supply of assist.
That might be a welcome various to the normal donor mannequin behind among the fiscal sponsorships NFLA facilitates. “That’s not a fantastic enterprise mannequin,” Laboe mentioned. “It’s not really a enterprise mannequin in any respect.”
And whereas he sees the worth of grants, Laboe is fast to level out that they’re not a financing technique.
“A filmmaker, one among our alumni, referred to as me,” he mentioned. “She’s like, ‘Larry, I don’t know what to do. I’m getting so overwhelmed. I’ve been submitting to all these completely different labs and all these various things, and I’m simply rejection after rejection.’”
Laboe will get it; he runs a nonprofit that additionally lives on grant submissions. However he careworn that should you’re able to make a movie, making use of shouldn’t be a heavy elevate.
“The best way we constructed our software, there’s nothing in there that takes time if you have already got it carried out, which after all it’s best to have it carried out should you’re attempting to make a venture,” he mentioned. “For those who don’t have any form of presentation or pitch deck, that’s an issue. For those who don’t have the primary 10 pages of the script, that’s an issue.”
As for that overwhelmed filmmaker, Laboe gave her the identical recommendation he’d give himself: “I mentioned, ‘I believe what I’m listening to is you’re getting upset that you simply’re getting rejected, and you need to have the mentality to submit it and overlook it. Don’t even give it some thought. For those who don’t get it, you don’t get it. Transfer on and preserve doing it.’”
