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5th annual Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund Grant

2006 will mark Rooftop Films’ 10th anniversary, and we've grown from showing one night of local films to being a media center and film festival with an international reach. We couldn't and wouldn't've done it without all of you.

At Rooftop Films, we aim to be more than just a film festival, where we show your film and say so long; we are a film community. We help filmmakers from exhibition to distribution to production and back again. We help you make more films.

With that, we launch the 5th annual Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund grant applications.

+ You can read about past grants and the history of the fund here .
+ You can get full details about how to apply for this year's fund, and get an application form here . (That link is not available from the public pages, so you need to click through from here).

HOW IT WORKS
Each of the nearly 7,000 people who came to Rooftop Films last summer paid an $8 admission fee, and most of the filmmakers who submitted paid our recommended $8 submission fee, and we put $1 from every ticket and submission fee into our Filmmakers’ Fund. (The rest goes into paying our expenses; remember, we’re still a primarily volunteer-run organization). Every filmmaker whose work we've ever shown is eligible to apply for a grant from this fund, so that you can make your next film.

WHAT WE'VE GOT
For the 2005 Filmmakers’ Fund, we have a whopping $7,756 to give away, plus Avid and Final Cut editing time and equipment rentals (including DV cameras and a wireless microphone). We have a group of talented people to perform and crew for your film (particularly our staff, including an editor, documentary DOP, still photographer, composer, sound editor/engineer and producer). We also may be able to arrange for you to do your postproduction work at PostWorks, New York's premiere post-house.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Our aim with these grants is to help make creative, intelligent low-budget short films, of the sort you’ve been churning out for us already.

We are open to any genre or type of film, but in our choosing of grantees, we are biased toward:
+ People who we can be confident will actually produce another movie with these resources.
+ People who do not have access to other resources.
+ People who make the kind of movies that we don’t see enough of (see below).
+ People who use money and materials sparingly and wisely.
+ Films with rooftops in them.

We have been asked in past years to explain what kind of movies we don’t see enough of. While we love and will fund short films of all types, some we don’t see enough of include:

+ Intelligent political films: whether documentaries or fiction, drama or comedy, experimental or animation, we see a dearth of thoughtful, well-researched, well-reasoned movies that actively seek to change our world for the better.
+ Films with people of color in primary production roles.
+ Short films of any and all genres which operate outside mainstream, feature film traditions and aesthetics.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
All you need to do is fill out the simple application and return 3 copies to us postmarked no later than December 15, 2005.

The application is attached in a separate email, and can be downloaded here.

The application asks you for the following information:
+ Your name and contact information.
+ A description of the film you want to make.
+ A production plan.
+ A budget.
+ What you want from us.
+ A few lines about yourself.

* * One of the important things which we need to be convinced of is that you will actually make this film as it as presented and in a timely fashion. * *

You can attach additional materials as well, but please include 3 copies. Materials cannot be returned without a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Please send 3 copies of the completed application to: Rooftop Films / ATTN: Film Fund / PMB 401 / 285 5th Ave. / Brooklyn, NY 11215.

If you are in Brooklyn, you can also drop the applications to the address above during normal business hours.

WE'LL GIVE ADVICE
We’re here to help you, and want to work with you to make your film. All filmmakers are encouraged to contact Rooftop Artistic Director Mark Rosenberg with a draft of the application for advice. Don’t think of us as some giant foundation you need to trick into funding you. Think of us as friends with filmmaking resources who want to guide you to make a great film. So if you have any questions, or simply have trouble downloading or opening the application, contact Mark at , or at 718-417-7362.

Due to time constraints, we can only provide one full round of notes, but simple questions are welcome any time.

HOW WE DECIDE
Applicants will be notified by January 30, 2006.

The minimum grant will be $250, and the maximum grant amount we would give to any one filmmaker is $3,000. While we may divide the grants in any number of ways, and service grants could go out to many filmmakers, the cash is most likely to be divided by 3 or 4 filmmakers, for at least one film that is assured to be done in time for screening during the Summer Series 2006.

We are more likely to fund films for which we will have a large impact. That is, we are more likely to fund $2000 of a $2500 total budget than $600 of a total $20,000 budget.

We often fund individual line items, so the more specific you can be with your budget, the better.

For feature films, we are more likely to provide finishing funds. We simply don't have enough resources to commit to a feature early on.

Grants will be decided by Rooftop staff, and money will be dispersed after the final decisions are made. We may choose to disperse funds over a few months, rather than all at once, depending on various production schedules. There may be a second round of applications, in which we would discuss more specific elements of the film. There may be things we would want to see changed in the proposed project, or we may want to participate in the production in order to provide funding. If you are not comfortable with our suggestions, there will be an opportunity to tell us if a second round comes into play.

And that's about it. Again, full details and an application can be found online .

We’re excited to hear about your next projects, and to help them get made and get screened on the roof.

Sincerely,

Rooftop Films Staff:
Mark Elijah Rosenberg (Artistic Director)
Sarah M. Palmer (Festival Director)
Dan Nuxoll (Program Director)
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Movies that show us where you live and how you live.