August 18, 2019 10:43 am
Leading documentary industry funders will visit Chicago on Saturday, August 24th to assess the eight in-progress projects being made by Midwestern documentary makers of color through Diverse Voices in Docs (DVID), a nine-month professional mentorship program organized by Kartemquin Films and the Community Film Workshop of Chicago.
Funder panelists gathering at the DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts to review pitches and view previews by the 2019 DVID cohort will include:
- Margaret Cullerton-Hooper, Chicago Department for Cultural Affairs and Special Events
- Leslie Fields-Cruz, Black Public Media
- Julia Gunnison, Sundance Documentary Fund
- Kyra Kyles, The Field Foundation of Illinois
- Monika Navarro, Tribeca Film Institute
- Jannet Nuñez, ITVS
- Carmen Vicencio, POV
DVID was founded by Kartemquin Films and the Community Film Workshop of Chicago in 2013, and has now supported over 80 filmmakers.
The program culminates in fall graduation showcase featuring a keynote speaker and sneak previews of the fellows’ projects. Applications for the 2019 DVID fellowship will open this fall.
Former DVID fellows include Bing Liu (2014) and his directorial debut, Minding the Gap, recently nominated for a primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special; Ashley O'Shay (2016) and her directorial debut, Unapologetic, selected to participate in the 2019 Chicago Media Project's Great Chicago Pitch; and Jiayan "Jenny" Shi (2018) and her directorial debut Finding Yingying, a 2019 TFI Network participant and a 2019 American Documentary Film Fund honoree.
Special support for DVID is provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,The Field Foundation of Illinois, and The Chicago Community Trust.
Learn more about all of our filmmaker development programs here.