Firelight Media, the non-profit organization co-founded by Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith to support documentary filmmakers, has revealed the latest cohorts of both its Impact Campaign Fund and William Greaves Research & Development Fund.
The Impact Campaign Fund provides resources for audience engagement and impact campaigns for socially relevant projects that address or engage with underrepresented issues or communities in the U.S., from filmmakers who have received past support from Firelight Media’s artist programs. The fund’s 2024-25 cohort comprises eight projects selected by Firelight Media, each of which will receive grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000, as well as the opportunity to receive impact and engagement strategy advice from Ani Mercedes of Looky Looky Pictures, an alumna of Firelight’s Impact Producers Lab.
The William Greaves Research & Development Fund, meanwhile, is designed for mid-career filmmakers in the U.S. and Latin America, providing grants of up to $25,000 to support research and development on a feature-length non-fiction film. The funds can be used for purposes including research, developing film treatments, presentation decks, sizzle reels, and other fundraising materials.
The recipients of the 2024-25 Impact Campaign Fund and William Greaves Research & Development Fund are listed below. Film descriptions are adapted from loglines provided by Firelight Media.
New Wave
Director: Elizabeth Ai
Filmmaker Elizabeth Ai was on a mission to excavate an untold story of rebellious punks in the chaotic world of ’80s Vietnamese New Wave, until she uncovers a hidden past.
Exodus Stories
Director: Ilse Fernandez
Exodus Stories provides an intimate look at the high-stakes journeys of three Central American immigrants who join migrant caravans, risking everything to escape violence as they seek refuge in the U.S. Amid the escalating assault on the institution of asylum, their unyielding spirits defy relentless challenges and systemic barriers.
Commuted
Director: Nailah Jefferson
When Danielle Metz’s triple life sentence was commuted, she got a rare chance to regain the life and family that she’d been dreaming about in prison. But back home in New Orleans, she steps into a different reality.
Union (pictured)
Directors: Stephen Maing, Brett Story
Producer: Mars Verrone
Up against one of the most powerful companies on the planet, a group of Amazon workers embark on an unprecedented campaign to unionize their warehouse in Staten Island, New York.
Between Goodbyes
Director: Jota Mun
When a queer Korean adoptee visits her original mother in Seoul, long-held regrets and cultural misunderstandings come to the surface alongside tenderness, humor, and tenacity.
Dear Aloha
Director: Cris Romento
Dear Aloha is a heartfelt story of the meaning of aloha through the lives of diasporic Hawaiians in the Pacific Northwest, and how it sustains them across distance, loss, and longing. Meanwhile, in Hawai’i, locals confront the lasting impact of colonization that has Hawaiians disappearing from their homeland.
The People’s Way
Directors: William Tyner, Ashley Tyner
After the Black Lives Matter movement sees an international tipping point in the summer of 2020, three young Minneapolis community leaders intersect in their local activism to preserve the legacy of George Floyd, fight systemic injustice, and strive for meaningful change.
Wouldn’t Make It Any Other Way
Director: Hao Zhou
Having built a colorful queer life in Iowa, an aspiring costume designer visits their island homeland of Guam to make costumes for a children’s theater while reconnecting with distant parents.
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Rebel Love
Director: Anonymous
Rebel Love tells the love story of Dora and Ana, two Nicaraguan human rights and LGBT activists who face political repression and exile, fighting against the clock to dismantle the oppressive regime of their homeland.
Stallions (U.S.)
Director: Rita Baghdadi
A crew of stallion riders makes dreams come true on the coast of Morocco.
Crowned (U.S.)
Director: Twiggy Pucci Garçon
Crowned unveils the little-known world of underground LGBTQ+ pageants and celebrates the Black and Brown trans women who have broken barriers, created families, and are making history.
Sa’in and the Invisible Beings of the Land (Colombia)
Director: Elizabeth Pirela Gonzalez
In the magical landscapes of La Guajira, Colombia, a young Wayuu woman undergoes mystical transformations while unraveling secrets about her existence.
Raká (México)
Director: Teresa Camou Guerrero
Like the pine trees of the Sierra Tarahumara, Miguel (79) and Rosa (78) are determined to stay in a forest threatened by loggers. Every day this Rarámuri couple speaks and listens to the pines, the water, and the clouds; they name trees in a world that only puts a price on them.
1821 What’s My Name? (Colombia)
Director: Heny Lorena Cuesta Mena
In 1821, suspense flows like a river of memories, where intense gazes and delicate emotions intertwine with dramatic moments. An enveloping mystery unveils untold stories, delving into the human experience with depth and sensitivity.
The Instrument (U.S.)
Director: Zac Manuel
A legendary jazz singer, grappling with the deterioration of his voice and seeking to reconcile the mysterious roots of his Southern Creole family, embarks on a journey with his filmmaker son to use artificial intelligence to resurrect the voice of his late father, a mesmerizing vocalist he regrets never recording.
About the Fight (Brazil)
Director: Lincoln Péricles
Jucielen Romeu, an anti-racist activist and professional boxer, is trained in a grassroots organization that helps youth from poor neighborhoods in São Paulo, Brazil. Now a member of the national team, she has competed in two Olympic Games and is preparing for her third. About the Fight depicts her struggles inside and outside the ring, along with other high-performance athletes.
Save Our Children (U.S.)
Director: Kareem Tabsch
Save Our Children chronicles how the 1977 Human Rights Ordinance in Miami, and Anita Bryant’s ensuing “Save our Children” repeal campaign, inadvertently helped to propel the creation of the modern gay rights movement.
Celebratory Samba (Brazil)
Director: Luciana Oliveira Vieira
A pregnant woman will decide whether or not to perform the traditional samba de pareia or “meladinha,” the traditional samba of her quilombo, 15 days after the birth of her baby.
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