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The Finalists
Current News Category
Rachel Tsutsumi - Far From Home
Aaron Ship - The Austin Diet
David Smith - Leave No Child Behind
General Documentary
Dream Hampton - Black August: A Hip-Hop Benefit Concert
Micah Shafer - Death of Two Sons
Aminah Bakeer Abdul-Jabbaar - Neither Here nor There
AOL Time Warner Inc. and Harvard University
Seek Emerging Documentary Filmmakers
About the Program
AOL Time Warner Inc. and Harvard University's Department of Afro-American Studies have created a documentary completion grant competition dealing with African-American themes or issues. One winner in each of the categories of "Current News Documentary" and "General Documentary" will be awarded a $100,000 in-kind grant ($25,000 cash and $75,000 in production services designated by HBO and CNN in their sole discretion) to be used toward the completion of their documentary film, and will be given consideration for their films to air on CNN and HBO.
What We're Seeking
Submissions will be accepted through May 15, 2003. Qualified applicants must submit a two-page proposal on paper no larger than 8 1/2" x 11", printed or typed (the "Proposal").
Synopsis of work
Submission category (CNN Current News Documentary or HBO General Documentary)
Detailed information on material/characters that have been or will be shot
Inspiration for choosing this particular subject
Note: Proposals will not be returned to applicants; no footage should be submitted at this point; minimal sample footage will be required for finalists.
How To Submit
Submission forms, including the Proposal Release and the Official Rules can be downloaded by clicking here. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
All submissions must be postmarked by May 15, 2003 and sent to: Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Documentary Completion Grant Competition, Harvard University, Department of Afro-American Studies, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Eligibility
Documentary submissions will be considered only if the filmmaker meets the following criteria:
Submission must explore African-American themes or issues
Filmmakers must be at least 18 years of age
Filmmaker must be a legal resident of the U.S.
Employees of AOL Time Warner Inc., HBO, CNN, or Harvard University, their affiliates and subsidiaries and the immediate families and/or those living in the same household of each are not eligible.
Filmmaker must not have had previous work broadcast nationally on any television or theatrical format
Final work must be original and (a) 30 minutes or shorter in length for General Documentary or (b) 40 minutes in length for Current News Documentary
Judging
Judging will be based on the following criteria: originality, general appeal of story; historical accuracy; and adaptability/appropriateness for purposes of filming. Proposals will be judged by a group of panelists including faculty members from Harvard University's Afro-American Studies Department. This panel will select three finalist proposals in each category (the "Finalists").
Finalists
Finalists will then be judged by a separate panel which will include executives from HBO and CNN and renowned African-American filmmakers and producers using the same set of criteria set forth above. This panel will select a winning film in each Documentary Category. In the event of a tie, tied entries will be rejudged in accordance with criteria listed above to determine final winners.
Finalists will be selected by June 30, 2003 and will be required to submit the following:
VHS rough cut of film or assembly of sample footage (does not need to be broadcast quality if it exists)
Description of completion plan - state plans on shooting your subject and include a projected completion budget
All rights and clearances required including: Documentary Release and License, archival footage, music clearance, location, guardian approval releases
Winners will be notified by mail no later than August 15, 2003.
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