Diverse Voices in Docs (DVID) — a collaboration between the Community Film Workshop and Kartemquin Films providing professional development and mentorship program for documentary makers of color — will be celebrated Oct. 5 at an event at the University of Chicago’s Logan Center, free and open to all.
“It was exciting to see the great depth and diversity in the projects this year, and we look forward to sharing that with an audience,” said Margaret Caples, Community Film Workshop’s longtime executive director.
Keynote address by Chaz Ebert, publisher of RogerEbert.com, will be followed by a screening of clips from works-in-progress created with the support of Diverse Voices in Docs.
The 2014 graduating class are Jeff Baraka, Cathena Evans, W. Joelle Gonzalez-Laguer, David D. Grace, Stephen Hatch, Thavary Krouch, Bing Liu, Esau Melendez, Bryant Monteilh, Noel Occomy, Ife Olatunji, Lourdes Ortega, John Owens, Anuradha Rana, Toni Reed, Anton Seals, Kamau Tyehimba, Samuel Vega, and Lajwanti Waghray.
The celebration also launches the call for applications for the 2015 program, as well as a networking and information-gathering event for veteran and emerging Chicago filmmakers.
RSVP to the event by clicking here.
The second class of DIVD filmmakers, enrolled in January 2014, received six months of intense workshops at the Community Film Workshop, project development and consulting on their individual documentary films from Kartemquin producers, associates, and special guests.
They also had an opportunity to pitch their projects to a host of major documentary funders, such as the MacArthur Foundation, Independent Television Service (ITVS), WTTW, and Illinois Humanities Council.
“In this second year of DVID, we were again astounded by the creativity of the DVID filmmakers,” said Kartemquin executive director Justine Nagan, “and warmed by their willingness and desire to forge long-term collaborations with each other.”
Program support was provided by Voqal Fund, The Academy for Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, The Sage Foundation, The Seabury Foundation, KatLei Productions, Kartemquin Films, and The Community Film Workshop.
For 2015, the Academy has increased its funding after seeing the program’s success.
Apply for the 2014 DVID application and submission form here.
Deadline is Friday, Dec. 12.
