Carole Dorothy Joyce Grant for Student Filmmakers
From the Heart Productions is excited to offer the Carole Dorothy Joyce Grant for Student Filmmakers for 2026.
The 2026 Grant Application is OPEN
>> APPLY NOW
The grant seeks films from student filmmakers enrolled in university, college, community college, extension courses, or high school that need help starting or finishing their film.
Films must be unique and make a contribution to society. Films can be short or feature length narratives or documentaries, but must be budgeted at $50,000 or less. Student Filmmakers from any country are welcome to apply.
Winner Will Receive $3,000 and Donated Services
The recipient of the Carole Dorothy Joyce Grant will receive $3,000 cash. Winner will also receive donated services and products from those who support student films.
- 3 Free 1-Hour Consultations for your Film from Carole Joyce
- 50% off the cost of 8 sessions of the Intentional Filmmaking Class
- 20% discount of Crowdfunding Campaign Setup, Management and Consulting from Jenny Waldo
- 10% discount on Broker Fee with Debbie West from Movie Insure
- 15% off of expendables from Filmtools
- 40% discount on printed materials ( Postcards, Posters, Press kits, Business cards, etc.) from Copymat, Hollywood.
- 10% discount on DCP conversion service and use facility for no charge.
- $110.00 Session for free from Breianne Pryse to clear and strengthen energy, get clarity and dissolve blocks
- 20% Discount on Design Services for your Pitch Deck and/or Website from Adam Heyes
- $119 Beachtek DXA-MICRO-PRO PLUS Active Audio Adapter for DSLRs and Camcorders from B&H Photo Video
- Free consultation, marketing material creation and design and marketing/strategizing for producer-writer-director team for solicitation of distribution from Smart Girls Productions
- Contact our insurance agent Debbie West at MovieInsure for excellent prices on all film insurance needs.
All applicants will also receive:
- Exclusive access to the crowdfunding section of How to Fund Your Film by Carole Dean — packed with practical tools to build and fund their dream projects (copy to be sent at grant close)
- An offer of a 15 minute consultation on their project. Applicants can discuss how to fund their films, marketing them, or how best to advance their career.
Deadline for Application
The 2026 Grant Application is OPEN
The Grant Application Deadline is 11:59pm PT on November 30th, 2026
Finalists for the grant will be announced in March of 2027. Winner will be announced in April of 2027.
>> APPLY NOW
Carole Dorothy Joyce Grant for Student Filmmakers Winners
| SO EVER WARMLY By Yun Heo |
SO EVER WARMLY, is a short narrative drama that examines the emotional cost of ambition, the complexities of fatherhood, and the quiet power of compassion. The story follows a struggling writer who journeys to the remote home of his estranged, dying father to retrieve a final manuscript—only to be drawn into a surreal confrontation with memory, identity, and legacy. At its core, the film poses a profound question: Is it better to burn so brightly that you hurt those around you, or to burn more gently—with warmth—for others? For the film’s father figure, Youngha, this question becomes a final confession. A once “successful” writer who pursued brilliance at all costs, he reflects on the emotional distance and pain left behind in his wake as a parent. Through this intimate and imaginative narrative, Heo explores the generational wounds and choices that shape who we become. |
| Degree of Certainty Producer: Maxwell Kagan Director: Simon Schneider |
Based on real events, Degree of Certainty looks back 50 years to a moment when a small group of people had the chance to change the world—and chose not to. The film examines the forces that influenced them, drawing a compelling parallel to the choices facing society today. Writer/director Simon Schneider, currently a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute Conservatory (Class of 2025), shares: “As the son of a judge and a psychologist who grew up in reunited Germany in the ’90s, I learned early on that we can solve the problems of our time when we act together on a common factual basis. I believe in the power of cinema to make complex issues emotionally tangible and awaken a collective will for change.” |
| From Earth to Earth: The Lost Art of Dying in America Producers: Chess Cabrera, Alyssa Beebe, Mikayla Hall, Max Schweik, Reed Freeman Directors: Max Schweik, Alyssa Beebe, Mikayla Hall, Chess Cabrera, Reed Freeman |
“From Earth to Earth” takes a critical look at the rituals dictated by America’s death-denying culture and asks, “How can people trying to cope with the death of a loved one be better served?” Our documentary takes the viewer deep into the woods of Vermont and the meadows of central New York where deathwork pioneers are inspiring a new way of thinking about life, death, and our enduring connection to nature. Along the way, we explore the systematic problems of the death industry and provide insight into alternative paths for returning our bodies to the embrace of the Earth – and a whole new approach to burial, funerals, and life itself.
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Why We Created the Carole Dorothy Joyce Grant for Student Filmmakers
Since its founding in 1993, From the Heart Productions has offered grants supporting independent filmmakers that are also available to students.
Carole Joyce, as Director of our Roy W. Dean Grants, consults with many of those who applied for those grants. She was touched by how many student applicants told her of the lack of grants for student filmmakers.
As a graduate of Brooks Institute and an award winning student filmmaker herself for the documentary “Survivors,” Carole knows how difficult a task students have in creating and funding their work.
Carole, who is the granddaughter of Roy W. Dean, and From the Heart Productions want to support student filmmakers and encourage them to make films with stories told with passion that enlighten us about our lives and the world we live in.
For More Information
For more information on the grant, please email or call 805-984-0098.
