Finalists Named for 2024 Roy. W. Dean Short Film Grant

Winner to Receive Cash and Donated Production Services to Help Complete Their Film

From the Heart Productions, a top-rated non-profit dedicated to supporting independent filmmakers with unique and socially impactful stories, is thrilled to announce the selection of 26 finalists for the prestigious 2024 Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant. The grant, awarded to a short fiction film that stands out for its originality and contribution to society, offers the winner $3,000 in cash and thousands more in donated production services.

“Future Cosmos Flow” Fuchsia Lin Director/Producer

Chosen from a highly competitive pool of submissions, these finalists represent a diverse range of voices and perspectives, each with a compelling story to tell. Now in its fourth year, the Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant is committed to nurturing the creative talents of independent filmmakers and fostering projects that address important social issues.

Carole Dean, President of From the Heart Productions, expressed her excitement about this year’s finalists. “We are incredibly proud of the quality and diversity of the films selected as finalists. Each project exemplifies the creativity and passion that independent filmmakers bring to their craft, and we are honored to support their vision and dedication to making a difference through film.”

The grant is open to filmmakers from around the world. Finalists include filmmakers from across the United States and an entry from Kenya.  Films can be narrative fiction shorts, live action or animated, that are 40 minutes or less in length. 

As with the other three Roy W. Dean Film Grants, the Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant offers all applicants a free consultation on their project. They can discuss their proposals, search for funding, distribution, or whatever they feel is needed to move their film forward.  

The finalists are:

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. 

The winner of the 2024 Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant will receive $3,000 in cash, as well as a generous array of donated production services, including:

• 3,000.00 in music and audio services from well-known composer David Raiklen
• $6,000.00 in animation from Emmy award winner Charlie Canfield
• $1,400 value (4 hours of sound mix session) from Silver Sound,
• $600.00 for your Free Closed Captioning by NetCaptioning and more from film industry companies and individuals.
• $500 in grip, lighting, expendables from Filmtools

and more from heartfelt film industry companies and individuals.

These services are designed to help the winning filmmaker bring their project to fruition and ensure it reaches a wide audience, further amplifying its impact.

The Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant is a cornerstone of From the Heart Productions’ mission to support films that serve the greater good. Past recipients of the grant have gone on to achieve critical acclaim and success, and many have made significant contributions to the cultural and social fabric of our society.

The final winner will be announced in September 2024, following a thorough review by a panel of judges. The panel will evaluate each project based on its originality, societal contribution, and the filmmaker’s vision and ability to execute the project.

About the Roy W. Dean Grant

Over its 30-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 other Roy W. Dean Grants include recent Emmy winners Belly of the Beast and The Love Bugs ,  2019 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 eight 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: 2^nd 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.