From the Heart Productions celebrates visionary storytellers vying for $3,000 cash and in-kind support from top industry professionals
It only takes a few minutes of screen time to change hearts, spark movements, or shift perspectives. That’s the power of a short film—and the driving force behind the Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant.
From the Heart Productions, the non-profit dedicated to helping independent filmmakers fund and finish their projects, proudly announces the 30 finalists for the 2025 Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant. This prestigious grant, now in its 4th year, supports original, compelling short films that embody unique vision and contribute meaningfully to our world.
“Every year we are inspired by the passion, originality, and heart that filmmakers bring to the Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant,” said Carole Joyce, Director of the Roy W. Dean Grants. “This year’s finalists show us the extraordinary power of short films to open minds, move hearts, and spark conversations. Each one reminds us why independent voices matter so deeply in today’s world.”
Here are the finalists for the 2025 Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant:
| Title | Submitting Filmmaker(s) |
| The Bamboo Princess | Salieu Sidique |
| The Funeral | Lillie Evans and Crystal Rhodes |
| Last Cry of the Canyon | Roman Willi |
| Civic-Minded Responsible Thrill-Seeking Women | Alexandra Juhasz |
| Study/Break | Justy Kosek |
| This Blows | Diana Hull |
| Live It to Know It | Logan Gilpin |
| Arecibo | Lovina Yavari |
| Tough Enough | Laura Somers |
| Panther By the Tail | Claire Lanham |
| While You Sleep | Maggie Seifert |
| Homecoming | Elle Xing |
| Mijito | Ian Guzman |
| Small Talk Full Mouth | Jelena Sorkin |
| Star & Sweetie | AnQi Yu |
| Nearly Departed | Molly Quinlan Artwick |
| Skylight | Adia Ivey |
| Ceilidh | Rebecca Wolf |
| Monte Cristo | Devin McKay |
| Irving Berlin’s View of the East River | Sarah Knight |
| Purpleness | Lorena Villanueva |
| Lucky Alien | Jasmin Haugstuen Please |
| Black Seeds Continue to Grow | Jacqueline Maldonado |
| A Friend of Bill W. | Mark Moliterni |
| The Weight of Science | Oscar Rudecindo |
| Ultra Violet | Alex Knell |
| Syringe | Lara Marks and Talisha Elger |
| White Space | Raymond Perez |
| 13 Seconds | John Osborne |
| Fall of the Phoenix | Lauren Lindberg |
| Squirrel | Laura Campbell |
Chosen from hundreds of submissions worldwide, the finalists represent storytellers whose projects shine with originality, courage, and creativity. The winner will receive $3,000 cash plus an extraordinary suite of professional services designed to help bring their vision to life:
- $3,000 in music and audio services from acclaimed composer David Raiklen
- $6,000 in animation from Emmy Award winner Charlie Canfield (1/3 off the normal price for 6 weeks of animation)
- $500 in grip, lighting, or expendables from Filmtools
- $1,400 in sound mixing services (4-hour session) from Silver Sound
- $600 in closed captioning services from Cineprosmedia
And more for heartfelt donors who support indie filmmakers
Each finalist is given an opportunity to post information about their project on the website of From the Heart Productions. Click here out and give your support to the films-in-progress and filmmakers you love.
About the Roy W. Dean Grant
Over its 33-year history, the Roy W. Dean Grant has awarded over $2,000,000 in cash and donated film services to independent films. Outside the short film grant, there are three other grants in Spring, Summer, and Fall. Each of those grants is open to documentary films, narrative fiction films, short films, and web series.
The grant is awarded to films budgeted under $500,000 that are unique and make a contribution to society. It has been an important lifeline for independent filmmakers that help to get their projects started or finished. Without assistance from the grant, many excellent and important films may never have been made.
The winner of the inaugural Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant was Stairway to the Stars. Past winners of the grant include winner of the 2025 Truer than Fiction Spirit Award Winner A Photographic Memory, 2021 Emmy winners Belly of the Beast and The Love Bugs, as well as Sundance Film Festival selection Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins, and acclaimed documentary Kusama-Infinity.
About From the Heart Productions
From The Heart Productions is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to helping filmmakers get their projects funded and made. They have been chosen a top non-profit for nine years in a row by greatnonprofits.org. Besides providing funding through the grant, they offer a unique film sponsorship which has helped filmmakers raise over $30 million for their projects. The program offers personal consultations and guidance on finding funding their project.
President Carole Dean, is a published writer, a producer, and instructor for two essential classes for indie filmmakers. She wrote the best-selling The Art of Film Funding: 2nd Edition, Alternative Financing Concepts. Her Intentional Filmmaking Class teaches film funding. Her new course, Learn Producing: The Ultimate Guide to Indie Film Production is a year-round course that provides filmmakers with the essentials they need to produce their projects.
