Winner to Receive Cash and Donated Production Services Including Music and Animation
From the Heart Productions, the 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to helping independent filmmakers get their films funded, is proud announce the finalists for the Roy W. Dean Film Grant for Fall 2021. Twenty-three films are still in running for final grant in what was the grant’s 30th year. The grant is awarded to a unique film that makes a contribution to society.
“We’ve been very blessed over the last 30 years to have been able to view such great films before they are completed by their incredibly talented filmmakers.” said Carole Dean, President of From the Heart Productions. “This year is no exception. The judges will have a tough time selecting a winner from this group of amazing finalists.”
The grant winner will receive $3,000 in cash provided by From the Heart Productions and donations of film services and products from film industry professionals and companies. These include $15,000.00 theme music and score written by well-known composer David Raiklen, $6,000.00 in animation from Emmy award winner Charlie Canfield, $750 in Grant Writing Services from Karen Everett of New Doc Editing, and more from many heartfelt film industry donors.
The grant is open to documentaries, narrative features, short films, and web series. Filmmakers from around the globe can submit their projects to the grant. Entries were received from Spain, Australia, the Netherlands and Nepal. Winner is expected to be announced in March 2022.
Finalists for the Roy W. Dean Film Grant for Fall 2021 are:
| Title | Type | Filmmaker |
| Radical Landscapes | Documentary Feature | Elettra Fiumi |
| Journey of a Thousand Miles | Documentary Feature | Zhu Shen |
| After the Vote | Documentary Feature | Dawn Scibilia |
| Second Chances | Documentary Feature | Nathan Roels |
| The History of Women | Documentary Feature | Deborah Romare |
| They Dream | Documentary Feature | William Caballero |
| Racket | Fiction Short | Zoe Eisenberg |
| The Loom | Documentary Feature | Helene Kvale |
| The Girl in the Backroom | Documentary Feature | Francine Graff |
| Finding Snow White | Documentary Shot | Fiona McDougall |
| Ramona At Midlife | Fiction Feature | Brooke Berman |
| The Water Cell | Documentary Short | Sterling Buell |
| Hangtown | Documentary Feature | Stuart Harmon |
| Sangoma | Documentary Short | Dayle McLeod |
| Separation | Documentary Short | Hasan Demitras |
| Piece of Mind | Documentary Feature | Sheila Ganz |
| United Against Hate | Documentary Feature | Shehr Haroon |
| “Untitled” | Documentary Feature | Karen Johnson |
| Greatest Loss | Fiction Short | Marshall McCabe |
| Capturing America | Documentary Feature | Kristen Akers Gozdecki |
| Only in Theaters | Documentary Feature | Raphael Sbarge |
| The Science of Ink | Documentary Feature | Cary Weldy |
| Mom & Me | Documentary Short | Indira Somani |
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.
About the Roy W. Dean Grant
Since 1992, 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. Having recently expanded to four grants each year, 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 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. 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 their 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”.
