The Sundance Institute has announced the 29 documentary feature films that will receive funds from its Documentary Film Program and Fund. The WorldView-funded films, The Dream of Shahrazad, Los Niños and The Storm Makers are among them — selected from 772 submissions from 88 countries.
WorldView congratulates the makers of all three films for receiving funding in such a strong and competitive field.
Submissions were reviewed by a jury of creative film professionals and human rights experts, based on their approach to storytelling, artistic treatment and innovation, subject relevance and potential for social engagement.
The Dream of Shahrazad, a South African production, weaves together music, politics and storytelling to explore Egyptian politics before, during and after the Arab uprising through the metaphor of The 1,001 Nights. The film is receiving discretionary funding. Los Niños, from Chile, follows the lives of a group of friends with Down Syndrome as they face late middle age, when no one prepared or expected them to get old. It is being funded for development. The Storm Makers turns its cinematic lens on globalisation and contemporary Cambodia, and is a Cambodian-French production, which will be receiving development funding.
Cara Mertes, the fund’s director said: “By providing financial support to nonfiction independent filmmakers, we seek to encourage the diverse exchange of ideas that is crucial to fostering an open society. These 29 stories we’ve identified reflect both the global reach of Sundance Institute as well as our commitment to supporting artists at all stages of their careers and work.”