Academy grants $405,000 to 43 institutions

Apr 29, 2003 by Ian Evans

The Academy Foundation, the educational and cultural arm of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has distributed $405,000 in financial grants to 43 college and community film programs across the United States.

The Academy Foundation’s Grants committee, chaired by actors branch member Janet MacLachlan, selected programs that focus on bringing students together with professional filmmakers.

Following are the grants allocated for 2003-2004:

For internship programs, $10,000 each to the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California; Columbia College Hollywood, Tarzana, California; Columbia University School of the Arts, New York City; Loyola Marymount University, School of Film and Television, Los Angeles; New York University, New York City; University of California at Los Angeles, School of Theater, Film and Television; UCLA Film and Television Archive; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of Southern California, School of Cinema-Television, Los Angeles; USC, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Professional Writing Program; and $5,000 each to Austin Film Society, Austin, Texas; and the Museum of Modern Art, Department of Film and Media, New York City.

American Film Institute (Los Angeles), Directing Workshop for Women, $25,000.

Film Arts Foundation (San Francisco), expansion and marketing of Education Program classes and events, $20,000; Workforce LA (Los Angeles), internet version of Acme Animation Program, $20,000.

Film Aid International (New York City), screening programs in refugee camps in Kenya and Tanzania, $15,000; Streetlights (Hollywood, California), motion picture job development and transitional support services, $15,000.

College of Santa Fe (New Mexico), summer girls film school, $12,000.

Brooklyn Academy of Music, Screening Growing Pains, an educational screening series, $10,000; Cinestory (Idylwild, California), educational screenwriting programs, $10,000; Cleveland High School (Los Angeles), Teen International Media Exchange, a collaboration with Korean students, $10,000; Cornell Cinema (Ithaca, New York), visiting filmmakers, $10,000; Film Forum (New York City), discounted screening tickets, $10,000; Foundation of Independent Film & Video (New York City), master class series, $10,000; Independent Feature Project/Chicago, Project Involve Chicago, a mentorship program directed at minority youth, $10,000; Independent Feature Project/LA (Los Angeles), Project Involve, a mentorship program directed at minority youth, $10,000; Independent Feature Project Minneapolis/St. Paul, women filmmakers’ access grants and an independent producers’ conference, $10,000; Squaw Valley Community of Writers (California), student scholarships for screenwriting workshop, $10,000; Writers Guild Foundation (Los Angeles), visiting writers and educational programs, $10,000.

Cineaste Magazine (New York City), “Film and History,” a special supplement, $9,000.

North Carolina School of the Arts (Winston-Salem), visiting filmmakers program, $7,500.

California Film Institute (Mill Valley), educational screenings and discussions, $6,500.

Donna Reed Foundation (Denison, Iowa), film workshops, $5,000; Film/Video Arts (New York), Artist Mentor Project, workshops for emerging film and video makers, $5,000; Frameline (San Francisco), youth outreach and free tickets for “Close-Up: Visionaries of Modern Cinema,” $5,000; Independent Films (Aspen, Colorado), Latino Youth Documentary Project, a production workshop for 15- to 18-year-old Latinos, $5,000; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, travel expenses for director Jules Dassin to attend tribute events, $5,000; New York Women in Film & Television, film preservation, $5,000; Northwest Screenwriters Guild (Seattle, Washington), visiting filmmakers and screenwriting workshops, $5,000; Pacific Film Archive (Berkeley, California), “How to Read a Film: A Visual Literacy Workshop for Teachers,” $5,000; Taos Talking Pictures (Taos, New Mexico), Youth Filmmaking Initiative, a summer production workshop for 13- to 20-year-olds, $5,000; University of Arizona (Tucson), visiting filmmakers, $5,000; Young Filmmakers Program (Austin, Texas), Cinema Summer Camp, film workshops for 9- to 16-year-old students, $5,000.