The Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund in Film and Media has announced that its 2023-2024 cohort of 21 fellows have completed fund-sponsored workshops and labs, including story development, film production, and screenplay writing, and are currently in production of their individual projects. This year's diverse cohort brings unique backgrounds and points of view, a hallmark of The Fund's dedication to bringing greater diversity of participation and objectivity to the film industry.
"We all know that the industry lacks diversity, but hoping the situation will improve is not enough – especially when you look at the glacial speed of change in our industry numbers," said Annette Porter, director of The Fund and the Johns Hopkins-MICA Film Centre. "Creating diversity means inviting marginalized groups into the filmmaking process, identifying new talent, and supporting early creative choices with training and mentorship. If we want to see a film industry that looks like and represents the world we live in – and that is exactly what the Innovation Fund wants – then we must trust new ideas and new points of view. We must evolve."
This year's 21 Fund grantees are diverse, ranging in age from 21 to 62. Slightly more than half are people of color, with gender evenly distributed. The Fund has, for the first time, expanded its reach into the deaf community of creatives, supporting a profoundly deaf grantee with a project that has the potential to break new boundaries of storytelling and deaf representation in film.
At the same time this round of grantees moves ahead with their production, an application round is now open to select the next new cohort of potential grantees. This new cohort will be selected in October for mentoring and funding support.
"Our goal is to add to the rich history of cinema by funding great stories and talented filmmakers who have not yet had a chance to shine," said Porter. "The cost of modern Hollywood blockbusters is in the hundreds of millions. This creates a major barrier to hiring young or emerging directors, editors, directors of photography, writers, or others in the filmmaking process. Echoing Cord Jefferson's plea at the Oscars, I've long believed that the industry would also be served by giving one million dollars to one hundred filmmakers. The Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund is moving in that direction by giving new filmmakers access to funds, training with professionals, story development skills, and freedom to make movies. As John Carpenter and Robert Rodriquez discussed in a conversation, you don't look at your budget and plan a movie accordingly. You start with big ideas and create movies with ideas much bigger than budgets allow. I'm always astounded with what our filmmakers are creating with tiny budgets."
For more information on the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund in Film and Media at Johns Hopkins University, please visit: www.zaentzfund.com.