New film from Margaret Brown and Jason Orans among funding recipients

Nine projects have been selected from 450 submissions from 38 countries for the Gucci Tribeca documentary fund. The projects will receive a total of $150,000, to be administered by the Tribeca Film Institute. They are:

  • An American Promise dirs. Michele Stephenson & Joe Brewster
  • Caught in the Net dir. Hilla Medalia
  • Democrats dir. Camilla Nielsson, Producer, Henrik Veileborg
  • The Great Invisible prod/dir. Margaret Brown [pictured], prod. Jason Orans
  • Untitled Global Health Documentary dir. Kief Davidson
  • Charge, dir. Mike Plunkett

Grantees will each receive year-round support from TFI, including one-on-one guidance and consultation. The fund, now in its fourth year, is open to national and international directors.

Projects were selected by a jury consisting of Jessica Alba, Amir Bar-Lev, Wendy Ettinger, Frida Giannini, Edward Norton, and Mariane Pearl. The committee chose the recipients from finalists selected by TFI. 

New this year, The PPR Corporate Foundation for Women’s Dignity & Rights, has joined the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund, and created the Spotlighting Women Documentary Award which will annually provide $50,000 to films which “illuminate the courage, compassion, extraordinary strength of character, and contributions of women from around the world”. Three projects have been chosen for the inaugural award:

  • Barefoot Engineers dir. Jehane Noujaim
  • Justice for Sale dir. Ilse & Femke van Velzen
  • The World Before Her dir. Nisha Pahuja

“We recognize the invaluable role that documentary films play in helping to bring important social concerns out into the open and thus create meaningful conversation,” said Beth Janson, Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Institute. “We are proud of this year’s selections and are committed to our ongoing partnership with Gucci and new relationship with the PPR Foundation to continue to help inspire change through film.”