Breaking Through The Lens (BTTL) has opened up a $10,800 (€10,000) feature film development grant for directors of underrepresented genders.
The grant is funded by jewellery brand Chopard, with Chopard president Caroline Scheufele part of the grant’s official jury.
The winning recipient will become a part of the 2024 BTTL training programme line-up. Applications open on May 23. The winner will be announced at Venice Film Festival.
BTTL, a US-based non-profit that advocates for a more equitable film industry, supports directors of underrepresented genders through three key pitching and industry events, held at Cannes, Toronto and the Berlinale, and an annual showcase of projects-to-watch.
In Cannes, BTTL will host Activating Change, a black-tie event with a round table discussion on gender parity in the industry, backed by BTTL’s on-going partner Campari, on Tuesday May 23.
In discussion will be Molly Manning Walker, the UK director of Un Certain Regard title How To have Sex, Zoljargal Purevdash, Mongolian director of If Only I Could Hibernate, also in Un Certain Regard, Indian actress Shruti Haasan, Mounia Wissinger, head of marketing at UK sales agent Protagonist Pictures, and Frederic Boyer, artistic director of Tribeca Film Festival.
BTTL was founded in 2018 by Daphne Schmon, Elpida Stathatou and Emily Carlton, and focuses on three pillars — educational training, action grants and industry mentorship.
“At Breaking Through The Lens, we believe in embracing marginalized filmmakers at an early stage where funding is hardest to find due to high risk,” said BTTL founder Schmon. “As a director myself, I know first-hand how challenging it can be to get an independent feature off the ground. If we want to make lasting industry change it’s vital that discussions of gender equality are focused on the financing level, looking at who accesses funding in the new media landscape, and how.”
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