26 Films from Talented Filmmakers That You Will Be Hearing from in Future
With each of the four Roy W. Dean Film Grants offered by From the Heart Productions, there is a select group of films and filmmakers that, while not making the finals, deserve recognition. These are the Hot Films in the Making. These are films that chosen by the grant judges that have excellent concepts and brilliant filmmakers. They should be in the finals for Roy W. Dean Grant in coming years.
“Separation” – Feature from Hasan Demirtas
“These films deserve to be noticed and be supported.” said Carole Dean, President of From the Heart Productions. “It is exciting to see, in the throes of creation, so many touching, heartfelt stories being tackled by exceptional filmmakers.”
The Roy W. Dean Grant seeks films that are unique and that make a contribution to society. It is the hope of From the Heart Productions that, by shining a light on these films, it will not only expand their audience, but help them find those who will help the films on their journey to completion.
The films chosen for Hot Films in the Making include documentary, narrative features, short films and web series. Projects were submitted to the grant from filmmakers in Asia, Europe, the United States and Canada.
The Hot Films in the Making for the Roy W. Dean Grant for Summer 2021 are:
| Title | Type | Filmmaker |
| Underdogs | Documentary Feature | Ashia Lance |
| The Door | Short Fiction | Pablo Lopez |
| Saving Amy | Feature Fiction | Jessie Kahnweiler |
| Fish House | Documentary Feature | Kristin Adair |
| Woman in the Mirror | Documentary Feature | Tatyana Bronstein |
| The Better Part | Feature Fiction | Mollie Mulvey |
| American Sons | Documentary Feature | Andrew Gonzales |
| The Haunting of Molly Pickett | Feature Fiction | Michael K. Johnson |
| Why Are You You? | TV,Web or New Media | Lindsay LaPointe |
| For a Daughter | Feature Fiction | Daniel Pouesi |
| My Piece | Documentary Short | Bervick J. Decullus II |
| The Gathering Society | Documentary Feature | Barb Benton |
| Broken Strings | Series | Catherine Dudley-Rose |
| I’m So OCD | Documentary Feature | Charles Frank |
| Separation | Feature Fiction | Hasan Demirtas |
| Motherland | Short Fiction | Grace Merriman |
| There is No Sushi Chef | Documentary Feature | Vinicius de La Rocha |
| Plant Moms | Short Fiction | Liv Amundsen |
| Oaklead | Documentary Feature | Alex Bledsoe |
| Rediscovering John Bergman | Documentary Feature | Kelly Lamphear-Dash |
| Saving Walden’s World | Documentary Feature | James Merkel |
| Caddisfly | Documentary Short | Liv Johnson |
| The New York Love Songs | Documentary Feature | Darah Golub |
| Just Bake Cookies | Short Fiction | Quinn Early |
| Unmuted | Series | Milena Warns |
| City of Heroes | Documentary Feature | Fiona Lloyd-Davis |
Each finalist is given the opportunity to post information on their contending film on the From the Heart Productions website. Filmmakers can include an image from the film, filmmaker info, and loglines. If they have available, filmmakers can include a link to their film’s website, Facebook page, or relevant social media connection.
Roy W. Dean Grant for Fall 2021 Now Accepting Applications
The final Roy W. Dean Grant of the year is open for submissions until Oct 31st. Winner will receive $3,000 and thousands more in donated services including a film score, animation, camera rental, and more to help them complete their film.
For more information and to apply, go to: https://fromtheheartproductions.com/roy-w-dean-film-grants-and-awards/
About the Roy W. Dean Grant
Now celebrating its 30th year, the Roy W. Dean Grant has awarded over $2,000,000 in cash and donated film services to independent films. 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.
Past winners of the grant include the Emmy winning Mia: A Dancer’s Journey, 2019 Sundance Film Festival selection Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins, Peabody Award nominee Belly of the Beast, 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. Besides providing funding through the grant, they offer film fiscal sponsorship to filmmakers. This allows donations made to films they sponsor to be tax deductible. From The Heart has helped independent filmmakers raise over $30 million through it’s fiscal sponsorship program. President Carole Dean is the best-selling author of The Art of Film Funding: 2nd Edition, Alternative Financing Concepts and the new online class “How to Fund Your Film”.
