Tribeca announces HBO Fellowships for first TFI doc fund

Recipients will take part in one-on-one meetings with industry figures during the 10th annual Tribeca Film Festival, set to run from Apr 20-May 1.

Very Semi-Serious directed by Leah Wolchock and produced by Davina Pardo will receive the TFI/HBO “Documentary Screen Test” Fellowship, a $50,000 grant to an emerging filmmaker in production on their first feature-length documentary along with a year-long mentorship with an established filmmaker and a meeting with HBO Documentary Films.

The Genius Of Marian directed by Banker White receives the TFI/HBO “House I Live In” Fellowship, providing $25,000 as well as professional guidance and a meeting with HBO Documentary Films towards the completion of a documentary focused on the filmmaker’s own personal story.

A Contemplation Of A Very Serious Matter directed by Vladi Alpin receives the TFI/HBO “Outside Looking In” Fellowship, awarding $25,000 in support of an extraordinary character-driven story which aims to take audiences into someone else’s world, and will include professional guidance from TFI staff and a meeting with HBO Documentary Films.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with HBO to support what we both feel is an important and under-funded film genre,” Beth Janson, executive director of Tribeca Film Institute, said. “What we found is that while social issue documentary films continue to be funded more and more, character-driven documentaries often go unnoticed. Our hope is that the support provided through the TFI Documentary Fund is recognised in the industry and helps open up even more opportunities for this critical funding.”