Roy W. Dean Grant Summer 2017 Finalists
Congratulations to the films selected to be Roy W. Dean Grant Summer 2017 Finalists.
Since 1992, From the Heart Productions has supported filmmakers with cash and substantial professional discounts from our film industry partners, averaging an estimated $30,000 per filmmaker. The Roy W. Dean grants program, with several annual deadlines, has grown into one of the most sought after competitions in the world.
The Roy W. Dean Grant funds unique films that make a contribution to society. It gives filmmakers with great stories told with passion the funding to get their projects started or completed.
2017 Summer Grant Winner
Belly of the Beast By Erika Cohn |
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2017 Summer Grant Finalists
419: How Nigeria Was Scammed Out Of Its Rightful Identity (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Maeyen Bassey |
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American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton (Documentary) Produced by Lise Pearlman | Directed by Andy Abrahams Wilson |
The sensational 1968 murder case that put American justice on trial, revolutionized the constitutional right to a “jury of one’s peers” and reverberates yet today. We document the startling current relevance to hot-button racial-justice issues of a death penalty trial expected to cause national riots. Instead, with young Panther demonstrators putting an international spotlight on the first political “Movement trial”, a pioneering black foreman led a ground-breaking diverse jury of mostly women and minorities to reach a surprising verdict that kept the peace and inspired reforms. We highlight two unsung establishment heroes (the foreman and prosecutor) and a then rare woman defense lawyer. |
An Act of Terror (Short) Produced by Ashley Brim, Elizabeth A. Lyons, and Chris Riddle | Directed by Ashley Brim |
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Axe Cop: The Documentary (working title) (Documentary) Directed by Nancy Oey |
![]() Through Ethan’s partnership with little Malachai, Ethan experiences the childhood he never had and finds true love. However, life turns out very differently for Malachai. This quirky and heartfelt story was shot over a period of nearly ten years. It shines a spotlight on small town America, big dreams, and the power of art to transform lives. |
Daughters of the Revolution (Documentary) Produced by Karina Guglya | Directed by Dolya Gavanski |
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Finding Kai (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Michael Buday and Oreet Rees |
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Free Spirit (Feature) Produced and Directed by Francesca Root-Dodson |
![]() Exploiting the tropes of romantic comedy to examine what lies beneath romantic pursuit, FREE SPIRIT is a New York City un-love story. |
From Ashes To Eden: An Immigrant’s Story (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Jahangir Golestan |
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How to Have an American Baby (Documentary) By Leslie Tai |
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In the Executioner’s Shadow (Documentary) Produced by Maggie Burnette Stogner and Rick Stack | Directed by Maggie Burnette Stogner |
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Ken and Alex (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Aaron Feinstein |
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MANRY AT SEA ~ In the Wake of a Dream (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Steve Wystrach |
![]() ~ Synopsis: In 1965, Robert Manry was a humble middle-aged suburban family man in Cleveland, Ohio. His colleagues at the Plain Dealer newspaper were shocked to learn he had secretly set sail on a solo transatlantic voyage in his 13½-foot sloop, Tinkerbelle. By the time his 78-day odyssey ended in Falmouth, England, Manry was the target of a wild journalistic chase for the “scoop,” guest of honor to a welcoming throng of 50,000 Britons, and had become a worldwide hero… and to dreamers everywhere. Winner: 2017 AmDocs postproduction grant. |
No Man’s Land (Documentary) Produced by Tom Vigliotta | Directed by Sara Kinney |
![]() Their struggle for recognition in a world unfriendly to women is worth remembering in a time when our rights are still being challenged. No Man’s Land tells the story of America as seen from a motorcycle, and how far women have come. The country has changed, but the struggle continues |
Parallel Chords (Feature) Produced by Catherine Dudley-Rose and Allyson Mace | Directed by Catherine Dudley-Rose |
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Pick (Short) Produced by Rebeca Ortiz and Venessa Harris | Directed by Alicia K. Harris |
![]() PICK will expose some of the discrimination black women face daily, especially if they choose to wear their natural hair. The film will create a much needed dialogue about microaggressions, in order to promote a more inclusive and empathetic society. |
Restoring Balance: Autism Recovery (Documentary) Produced by Alisa Wolf | Directed by Ryan Hetrick |
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Salt Water (Feature) Produced by Keith Black and Ming | Directed by Ajae Clearway |
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Stone | Fruit (Feature) Produced by Michelle Opitz, Emily Beach, and Brandon Krajewski | Directed by Brandon Krajewski |
![]() The film explores a genre of anti-romantic comedies, the break-up movie, from a markedly queer perspective and under the recent advent of same-sex divorce and provides a quiet nuanced exploration of the dynamics of interracial relationships. |
The Rukus (Documentary) Produced by Jeff Orlowski | Directed by Andrew Ackerman |
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Troubled Water (Documentary) Produced by Will Parrinello and Rick Tejada-Flores | Directed by Will Parrinello |
![]() In 2002 Canadian mining corporation Pacific Rim began exploration of the El Dorado gold mine in El Salvador. When farmer Francisco Piñeda vowed to protect his region’s fragile water resources from the devastating impacts of mining, it was the beginning of a major battle in his community that divided neighbors, led to multiple assassinations and pitted the mining company against El Salvador in a showdown in the World Bank court. |
Tuesday Lunch (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Diane Stark |
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Untitled Witchcraft Project (Short) Produced by Kathleen Chew | Directed by Emilija Gasic |
Our project is a thriller/horror film about a Serbian woman living in a small village with her husband. After experiencing symptoms of menopause, she decides that she is being cursed. She seeks the guidance of a witch doctor in order to find a cure. Rather than coming to her aid, the witch assigns rituals that lead the protagonist down a path of paranoia and insanity. |
Women of the Holocaust (Other) Produced and Directed by Bob Massie |
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Previous Roy W. Dean Summer Grant Winners
2016 – Rob Herring for The Need to Grow
2015 – Chelo Alvarez Stehle for Sands of Silence
2014 – Rachel Elizabeth Seed for A Photographic Memory
2013 – Jason Grant Smith for I Voted? – A Non-Partisan Documentary
2012 – Alicia Brauns for The Mosaic of Life
2011 – Leslie Neale for Unlikely Friends
2010 – Sara Maamouri & Jesse Deeter for Burned
2009 – Lori Miller for Shakespeare High
2008 – Karin Mak for Red Dust
2007 – Chelo Alavarez for Sold in America
We thank our Community Partners for their continued support!