Roy W. Dean Grant Summer 2018 Finalists
Congratulations to the films selected to be Roy W. Dean Grant Summer 2018 Finalists.
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 and film services to get their projects started or completed.
We invite all the Roy W. Dean Grant finalists to have their films included on this page. It allows filmmakers to bring greater attention to these excellent projects. Some often decide to remain anonymous. We honor that request. That is why the films showcased here may not be a complete representation of all 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.
2018 Summer Grant Finalists
BAMBOO AND BARBED WIRE (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Karen Day |
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BAHARA (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Daniela Apostoaei |
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Brown (Feature) Produced and Directed by Raj Amit Kumar |
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CHAINS (Documentary) Produced by Kate Barry | Directed by Zoe Potkin |
![]() DESCRIPTION: Executive Produced by Katie Couric and Tony Goldwyn, “CHAINS” is a brutally honest portrait of life after wrongful conviction, following the bizarre story of Barry Gibbs, a man framed in the worst case of NYPD corruption. Picking up where all wrongful conviction stories end, this character driven film is about trauma and healing as Barry embarks on a journey for redemption, only to find the loss of freedom can never be undone. |
Coming Home – Celebrating the Women Airforce Service Pilots (Documentary) Produced by Hilary Prentice | Directed by Matia Karrell |
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Eco-Warriors (Documentary) Produced by Ashleigh Allam, Gavin Garrison | Directed by Gavin Garrison |
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Film4Change: Project Puerto Rico (Short) Produced by Film4Change | Directed by Rich Henrich |
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Flunkyball (Short) Produced and Directed by Tess Forestieri |
![]() We want this film to not only resonate with people because it tackles racial stereotypes, but also unearth discomfort and leave viewers re-evaluating their own perspectives. Flunkyball is meant to motivate change, to encourage viewers to learn more about the refugee crisis and talk about issues that we often avoid to remain politically correct. |
I Remember Nicole (Other) Produced by Renee Sotile, Mary Jo Godges, and Margarita Sweet | Directed by Renee Sotile & Mary Jo Godges |
![]() Log Line: A Global Anthem Reclaiming Power Over Domestic Violence. Raising Awareness while Raising the Roof! Mission: To EMPOWER Women. To Give HOPE. To Raise AWARENESS on Intimate Partner Violence. I REMEMBER NICOLE is a CALL to ACTION through Song. |
Invisible Children of LA (Documentary) Produced by Maryanna Palmer | Directed by Maryanna Palmer and Tim Banning |
![]() A short documentary about the daily lives, hopes and dreams of homeless children.SHORT SYNOPSES Invisible Children of LA is a documentary exploring the daily lives of three homeless children. It shows how they cope and survive in a variety of settings from shelters, run down motels and vehicles to the parks and alleys of Los Angeles. Woven throughout their stories will be interviews from frontline homeless advocates, politicians from the Los Angeles city council and members of the California Senate. |
Miles Underwater (Feature) Produced by Jhennifer Webberley, Jen Prince and Will Underwood | Directed by Jen Prince |
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Muslim Sheroes of Minnesota (Documentary) Produced by Nausheena Hussain | Directed by Ariel Tilson |
![]() Shot in a cinema vérité style, we follow a day in the life of our Sheroes juxtaposing the settings in which she lives, works and plays. She leads her own story. When positive imagery and connotations are associated with Muslim women, a feeling of inclusivity and being welcomed builds a vibrant community. |
Perma Red (Web/TV Series) Produced by Lynn-Wood Fields | Directed by Maya Dittloff |
![]() Three men in her life symbolize her struggles and give her very different choices – reservation police officer Charlie Kicking Woman; Harvey Stoner, the quintessential rich, and dangerous, white man; and Baptiste, the man who represents the power and necessity of the old ways. |
Roy’s World: Barry Gifford’s Chicago (Documentary) Produced by Michael Glover Smith | Directed by Rob Christopher |
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Science Friction (Documentary) Produced by Brian Dunning | Directed by Emery Emery |
![]() Few TV viewers are aware that the science channels they trust are often deceiving them. Science Friction will expose false documentaries, online publishers and networks by name, and how they manipulated scientists’ remarks or misrepresented their work simply for sensationalism and/or financial gain. This full-length documentary will give these credible scientists a chance to clear the record and tell us what the science actually supports. |
Swanson on Sunset (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz |
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The Love Bugsn (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Allison Otto and Maria Clinton |
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The Weeping Season (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Alexandra Hidalgo |
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Tracing the Hairstons (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Princess A. Hairston |
![]() Tracing the Hairstons tells the true story of the first Hairstons to arrive in America and their journey to becoming one of the largest slave holding families in American history. The white Hairstons finally open up about their dark ancestry and the descendants from the slaves finally get to tell their ancestor’s stories that have been silenced for far too long. Tracing the Hairstons reveals the struggles and triumphs of a family that is bound by a name through the worst atrocity in American History. |
When All That’s Left Is Love (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Eric Gordon |
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Previous Roy W. Dean Summer Grant Winners
2017 – Erika Cohn for Belly of the Beast
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!