The partnership includes an annual 50,000 euros award for the documentary that has made the most significant social interest.
Sports brand Puma’s creative arm has teamed up with the Channel 4 Britdoc Foundation to launch a series of initiatives aimed at supporting documentary films, including an annual 50,000 euros award towards given to the documentary of the year that has made the most significant social impact.
The partnership was announced today at Britdoc’s annual London based networking event, The Good Pitch. Other initiatives include the PUMA.Creative Catalyst Awards, made up of 40 annual grants of 5000 to help film-makers with the production of their trailers. The first ten award winners were announced today at the event.
Also on offer will be the PUMA.Creative Catalyst Programme,which aims to provide workshops and education to film makers who do not have access to the main film circuit
Finally, the PUMA.Creative Mobility Awards will be dedicated documentary film grants, to be incorporated into Puma’s existing Mobility Awards programme to provide financial support to directors for travel costs at any stage of a documentary’s production or release.
“Puma and documentary filmmakers have much in common; we both want to engage the hearts and minds of our audience. As a Sportslifestyle brand we feel a great responsibility to not only behave in a responsible and ethical way, but to also inspire our consumers to do likewise,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of Puma.
Jess Search, CEO of Channel 4 Britdoc Foundation, said: “Storytelling is at the heart of every culture because sharing stories is how we explore, question and celebrate our world. Documentarians make real films about real people and real places – real stories that can challenge, engage and delight their audiences. Puma.Creative’s commitment is the first of its kind and their long-term support will catalyze the next wave of documentary filmmakers to find their voices and surprise us with their stories.”
Puma’s previous involvement with film has included the support of Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s environmental documentary Home, which takes an environmentally-themed aerial view of Earth, and Desert Flower, which was screened on International Women’s Day.
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