Roy W. Dean Grant Summer 2019 Finalists
Congratulations to the films selected to be Roy W. Dean Grant Summer 2019 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.
2019 Summer Grant Finalists
26 Seconds (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Kelly Galindo |
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Acid Test (Feature) Produced by Eddie Rodriguez, Anna Tran, Hillary Felice, Kerianne Parker, and Jennifer Waldo | Directed by Jennifer Waldo |
![]() Exploring themes of race, identity, gender, class, family, love, and social change, a coming-of-age story emerges as Jenny faces life-after-high-school and fights for agency in her dysfunctional family. Infused with an energetic punk aesthetic coupled with a character-driven journey, Acid Test was shot entirely in Houston, TX with local cast and crew and is in post-production. |
An Elephant in the Room (Documentary) Produced by Katrine A. Sahlstrøm | Directed by Katrine Philp |
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Beyond The Duplex Planet (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Beth Harrington |
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Busted: A Breast Implant Story (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Rebecca Hamm |
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Crossing Market (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Brandon Krajewski and Michelle Opitz |
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Dawn Dusk (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Jason & Blue |
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Help Is On The Way! (Other) Produced by William John Nolan |
![]() TV- A pioneering team of Anthony Bourdain- type of ‘hunters’ explore and find incredible alternative technologies,practitioners & pets that forever change lives of the cast and viewers! |
Inside Justice: Slim’s Chance (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Nikki Hevesy |
![]() Slim, a gang interventionist claims he turned his life around and is volunteering with an anti-violence program. Working with at-risk kids, reducing gang crime and retaliation he is finding ways to give back to his community. This story begins in true documentary style when is Slim is suddenly convicted of first degree murder and the court and murder trial unfold in realtime; a documentarian seeks to find the truth in this senseless killing that represents hundreds of unnoticed murders in marginalized areas of our cities, as issues of race, poverty justice in today’s world emerge. |
La Recua (Documentary) Produced by Trudi Angell | Directed by Dario Higuera and Trudi Angell |
![]() Documenting vignettes along every step of the way, Dario and his compañeros will herd those donkeys across 200 miles of spectacular desert and original El Camino Real, to La Paz. |
Mermaids Against Plastic (Short) Produced and Directed by Sylvia Johnson |
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Quantum Qi: The Taoist Art of Nurturing Life (Web/TV Series) Produced and Directed by Sharron Rose |
![]() Wishing you had more energy, strength & ability to heal? The Quantum Qi series is designed to play a valuable role in the world of heath & wellness by bringing the power of Qigong, Tai Chi, Martial Arts, Acupuncture and Taoist Philosophy to a world wide audience. The wisdom shared in these ancient techniques for self-healing, energetic protection, sexual vitality, longevity, optimal health & inner peace, gives this series the potential to be of tremendous benefit to us all. The Quantum Qi series is envisioned as ten episodes including both interviews, animations & healing exercises. |
Radical Landscapes (Documentary) Produced by Elettra Fiumi and Jessica Wolfson | Directed by Elettra Fiumi |
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Ready or Not (Documentary) Produced by Agustina Perez and Allison Gushée Molkenthin | Directed by Jenny Maceknzie |
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Swanson on Sunset (Documentary) Produced and Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz |
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The History of This (Documentary) Produced by Antipode Films and Leyla Rouhi | Directed by Farahnaz Sharifi and Leyla Rouhi |
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The Other Tribe (Documentary) Produced by Lydia Stewart and Tierney Walker | Directed by April Walker and (Co-director) Mia Zur-Szpiro |
![]() Let us imagine a situation where to access education; you need an ID card, to access healthcare; you need an ID card, a situation where you can be arrested at any moment, because you do not have an ID card. Now let us imagine that you cannot access this ID card because of the ethnic and social group you belong to, classified as ‘other’. How do you survive, let alone thrive. |
The Vintage Voyageur (Web/TV Series) Produced and Directed by Allison Maldonado |
![]() Now in its third season, the series has expanded to include vintage events, car culture, and inspiring individuals who bring their love of nostalgia to everything they do. The only unscripted show of it’s kind, The Vintage Voyageur explores how fashions of the past impact the way we shop for clothes today and features the store owners and enthusiasts who are making old new again. |
Wali and Zuri (Short) Produced and Directed by Derrick Woodyard |
![]() Wali, the new kid on the block, attempts to fit in with a group of boys in his neighborhood but is blackmailed by his sister Zuri to join them for a game of basketball. When Zuri humiliates Wali in front of the group by defending him against a bully, he reveals a devastating family secret about her. In order to reconcile their relationship, Wali must choose between family or friends when the bully insults his sister and attempts to steal her bike. |
Where Love Is Illegal (Web/TV Series) Produced by Nick Fitzhugh and Robin Hammond | Directed by Nick Fitzhugh |
![]() Hosted by Sir Elton John, each documentary episode begins with a quest for identity before becoming a love story threatened by ignorance, violence, and hate yet conquered by truth, compassion, and love. |
Previous Roy W. Dean Summer Grant Winners
2018 – Allison Otto and Maria Clinton for The Love Bugs
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
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