Sundance, Cinereach launch $1.5m support for socially conscious cinema

The $1.5m programme, underwritten by Cinereach, will support a flexible resource pool for documentary and feature projects with themes concering global cultural exchange and social impact.

By the end of the three-year period, the goal is for the grant to have supported a minimum of 12 films from a new generation of socially conscious artists.

The Cinereach Project At Sundance Institute will comprise a discretionary fund that can be used towards projects under the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program and Documentary Film Program in need of emergency support. 

The project will also establish a Fellowship for emerging documentary and narrative directors committed to global cultural exchange and social impact. Fellows will be selected from existing Sundance Institute lab projects as well as projects specifically recruited by both organisations.

“For nearly thirty years, Sundance Institute has been discovering and developing emerging independent artists,” Cinereach founder and executive director Philipp Engelhorn said. “This long record of nurturing diverse and authentic stories that foster empathy and understanding dovetails directly with the Cinereach mission.”

Cinereach supports and produces films that depict underrepresented perspectives, bridge cross-cultural boundaries and promote dialogue through three focus areas: Grants & Awards, The Reach Film Fellowship, and productions.

“We have long admired the work of Philipp and his team and commend them for their vision and dedication to promoting storytelling and awareness,” Jill Miller, the Institute’s managing director, said. “Their long-term commitment comes at a crucial moment as the current global financial crisis threatens to constrict film artists’ possibilities of connecting to audiences.”