Six Social Justice Documentaries From Sundance Selected for Ford Foundation Grants (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Matt Minton mminton@variety.com Six documentaries that have premiered in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival are among the 46 recipients of The Ford Foundation‘s $4.2 million donation as part of the organization’s commitment to social justice stories, Variety has exclusively learned.

The Sundance documentaries chosen include “Free Leonard Peltier,” “Heightened Scrutiny,” “How to Build a Library,” “Seeds,” “Life After” and “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.” Collectively, these films cover topics such as Native American rights, media reporting on transgender issues, decolonization, disabled communities and navigating Hollywood as a deaf actor.

The Ford Foundation’s JustFilms program provides production grants as well as deepens the organization’s commitment to supporting historically marginalized voices and adjusting to distribution challenges in the industry.

In a statement to Variety, program officer of JustFilms’ Creativity and Free Expression programs Paulina Suárez said that “we are committed to supporting independent filmmakers as central agents of narrative power.