From the Heart Productions Recognizes 27 Independent Films That Inspire, Challenge, and Transform
From the Heart Productions, the top rated 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to helping independent filmmakers get their unique and compelling films funded, announced the 27 finalists for the Roy W. Dean Grant for Spring 2025. This prestigious grant supports films that are “unique and make a contribution to society,” and the latest selection showcases a powerful spectrum of visionary storytelling.
Finalist projects were selected from hundreds of submissions from across the United States and around the world, including entries from Thailand, Nicaragua, and Spain. The diverse slate of submissions included documentary features, narrative shorts, fiction features, documentary shorts, and web series—all united by the passion and purpose of their creators.
“The range of talent and vision we’ve seen this cycle is breathtaking,” said Carole Joyce, Director of the Roy W. Dean Grants. “These filmmakers are not only artists but courageous voices illuminating truth, justice, and humanity. It’s an honor to support their creative journeys.”
Finalists for the Roy W. Dean Film Grant for Spring 2025 are:
| Title | Type | Filmmaker |
| “Unfriendly Fire” | Fiction Feature | Richard Tucci |
| “26 Seconds USA Docuseries” | TV, Web, or New Media Series | Kelly Galindo |
| “Squirrel” | Fiction Short | Laura Campbell |
| “House of Mirrors” | Documentary Feature | Marissa Polvino |
| “The Tater Tot and the Quest for the Holey Board” | Documentary Short | Leslie M Grigg |
| “Dame” | TV, Web, or New Media Series | Grace Kendall |
| “The Glacier” | Documentary Short | David Byars |
| “Behind the Icon – Marilyn Monroe 100th” | Documentary Feature | Nina Boski |
| “Cindy, Jeff, and I” | Documentary Feature | Ben Feldman |
| “The Duke Webb Story” | Documentary Feature | Rachel Lyon |
| “The Black Woman’s Guide to Wellbeing — Wellness in Our Image” | Documentary Feature | Sherie Tennessee |
| “Heroic Episodes” | TV, Web, or New Media Series | Lisa Regina |
| “Touching the Sky” | Documentary Feature | Chris Jeckel |
| “Absent” | Fiction Short | Thomas Booker |
| “As Silence Calls” | Fiction Short | Zhen Yuang |
| “Baristas vs the Billionaires” | Documentary Feature | Mark Mori |
| “Riders of the Dawn” | Documentary Feature | Karen Lillian Sorrentino |
| “Sudden Times: In the Face of Adversity” | Documentary Feature | Gordon Durich |
| “Time Passage” | Documentary Feature | Maggie Li |
| “American Cowgirl” | Documentary Feature | Jamie Williams |
| “Suga Brown” | Fiction Feature | Clarke Phillips |
| “I am not god but I am Michelangelo Antonioni” | Documentary Feature | Federico Gatti |
| “Fall Of the Phoenix” | Documentary Feature | Laura Lindberg |
| “Marked by Grace: Compassion Prevails on the WWII Battlefield” | Documentary Feature | Stephanie Manesis |
| “Going Fine Since 1889: The Magical Armstrongs” | Documentary Feature | Jennifer Stoy |
| “The Space Between “ | Documentary Feature | Emily Arndt |
| “The Undefeated” | Documentary Feature | Kamran Rosen |
The Roy W. Dean Grant, now in its 32nd year, provides the winner with $3,500 cash and thousands more in in-kind services including production services, film consultation, and equipment rental. This includes $500 in grip, lighting or expendables from Filmtools, 40% deduction on color, editing, and sound & all production services from ProMedia in NYC, $1,600 value / sound mix session from Silver Sound, 30% discount in equipment rental from AbelCine Tech, Inc. NYC and more from many heartfelt donors.
More importantly, finalists gain access to From the Heart Productions’ supportive community of industry professionals, sponsors, and fellow artists.
The winner of the Roy W. Dean Grant for Spring 2025 will be announced in July 2025.
The Roy W. Dean Grant is awarded four times each year—spring, summer, fall, and winter—and is open to filmmakers globally. From the Heart Productions seeks to empower filmmakers who bring messages of hope, transformation, and social impact through their work.
In addition to competing for the grant, each finalist will be given the opportunity to showcase their project on the From the Heart Productions website. Filmmakers can share images, loglines, and project details, as well as links to their websites and social media, allowing them to gain visibility and connect with supporters.
About the Roy W. Dean Grant
Since its inception in 1992, the Roy W. Dean Grant has provided over $2,000,000 in cash and donated film services to independent filmmakers. The grant is awarded to projects budgeted under $500,000 that demonstrate originality and social impact. With four grants awarded each year, the program serves as a crucial resource for independent filmmakers striving to complete their projects.
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 organization committed to helping independent filmmakers secure funding and bring their projects to fruition. In addition to the Roy W. Dean Grant, the organization offers fiscal sponsorship, personal guidance, and free classes on fundraising and filmmaking. Through its fiscal sponsorship program, From the Heart has helped filmmakers raise over $30 million in donations for their films.
President Carole Dean is the best-selling author of The Art of Film Funding: 2nd Edition, Alternative Financing Concepts and the new online class Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.
