Whicker’s World Foundation launches brand new grant for female non-fiction filmmakers
We’re delighted to announce the launch of our brand new bursary for Chicken and Egg Pictures, a pioneering New-York based organisation dedicated to supporting women documentary makers and introducing them to the industry.
Here at Whicker’s World Foundation, we’re expanding our reach to help ensure that more women enter non-fiction filmmaking. That’s why we’re donating an annual £10,000 grant on top of our funding and recognition awards for Chicken & Egg Pictures’ Accelerator Lab program.
The Accelerator Lab, open to applicants from around the world, provides first and second time women filmmakers with a $35,000 grant, a year-long creative support program with participation in three one-week labs (all expenses covered), mentorship catered to each individual and her project, and opportunities for networking with industry professionals and the filmmaker community. As Jenni Wolfson, Executive Director of Chicken & Egg Pictures, said about the program, “We don’t simply support films, we foster careers. This holistic approach is the key to successfully supporting women filmmakers.”
Announcing the new annual award, Alan Whicker’s lifelong partner and founder of the Foundation Valerie Kleeman said: “Alan wanted his legacy to help documentary makers the world over. He was ahead of time in his enthusiasm and support for the female perspective in his own filmmaking. At the Whicker’s World Foundation, we want to be sure that there is equal opportunity for men and women in documentary and I have been impressed by the fact that Chicken & Egg Pictures give to women when they most need it. I feel sure that funding at an early stage will make a huge difference to women in this industry.”
The Foundation is kicking off its support with a grant towards current Accelerator Lab participant Assia Boundaoui’s documentary The Feeling of Being Watched, an exploration of the FBI’s pre-9/11 counterterrorism activities in the filmmaker’s Arab- American neighbourhood outside of Chicago.
“We are so excited about this highly topical project and hope our support will help ‘accelerate’ Assia’s film towards receiving more funding and making the most powerful film she can. Last year, only one in five of our finalists for our main funding award was a woman. We hope the Whicker’s World grant to the Accelerator Lab will widen the base of would-be applicants,” said Jane Ray, Artistic Director of Whicker’s World Foundation.
We are proud to empower women in the industry to have their voices heard and look forward to working closely with Chicken and Egg in the future.