All projects are works in progress, at varying stages of development and production.
The grants have been awarded to first time feature directors and accomplished filmmakers who are building on past achievements and exploring new directions in their work.
With descriptions provided by Cinereach, the nonfiction projects are:
- The Angola Project - Directed by Jeremy Xido (Crime Europe), Angola, currently in research and development - A post-colonial western-meets-road film about the fevered reconstruction of the Benguela Transcontinental Railway and the African and Chinese lives that are intertwined because of it.
- Diamond, Silver and Gold - Directed by Jason Kohn (Manda Bala), USA, currently in production - A look into the origins of life, synthetic diamonds and other nagging problems.
- The Great Invisible - Directed by Margaret Brown (Order of Myths), USA, currently in production - An observational documentary about the Gulf oil spill and the resulting moratorium on drilling in the Gulf.
- Just Do It: A Tale of Modern Day Outlaws - Directed by Emily James, UK, currently in post-production - An observational documentary providing unprecedented access to the environmental direct action movement in the UK.
- Montana Medical Marijuana Film - Directed by Rebecca Richman Cohen (War Don Don), USA, currently in production - Reflecting the controversies enveloping the marijuana industry throughout the United States, Montana braces itself to become the first state to repeal a medical marijuana law.
- Narco Cultura - Directed by Shaul Schwarz, Mexico/USA, currently in production - An in-depth and vivid exploration of a new, powerful culture fueled by the cartels responsible for Mexico's deadly drug wars.
- States - Directed by David Soll (Puppet), USA/Southern Sudan/Western Sahara, currently in research and development - The world's only freelance diplomats guide non-states in their struggle for recognition, through the pageantry of international affairs.
- Strong Island - Directed by Yance Ford (Producer, Standing Silent Nation), USA, currently in production - A documentary about the violent death of the filmmaker's brother nearly 20 years ago, and how the collision of silence, fear and the judiciary allowed his killer to go free.
- Ushio + Noriko - Directed by Zachary Heinzerling (Producer, Lombardi), USA, currently in post=production - A meditation on companionship, sacrifice, and the creative spirit, this love story explores the chaotic forty-year marriage of two New York-based, Japanese artists.
- The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga - Directed by Jessica Oreck (Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo), Russia/Poland/Ukraine, currently in post-production - A descent into the woodlands of Eastern Europe that uncovers the secrets of the mysterious mushroom and the mythic qualities of the forest it inhabits.
And, the hybrid project is:
- The Patron Saints - Directed by Melanie Shatzky and Brian Cassidy (God Provides), USA, currently in post-production - A disquieting and hyperrealistic glimpse into life at a nursing home.
Since its founding in 2006, Cinereach has provided more than $4.5 million in grant funds to more than 90 independent film projects. Applications for the Winter 2011 grants numbered more than 1,000 submissions from 70 countries, making this funding cycle the most competitive in the organization's history.
Cinereach's next grant cycle takes place in Summer 2011. For more information see the Cinereach Website