Sundance: Building Bridges Documentary Fund Unveils Filmmaker Grant Recipients

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: The Center for Asian American Media announced at Sundance the inaugural cohort of 15 Building Bridges documentarians, whose films will receive support as part of the Building Bridges Documentary Fund.

The fund is made possible with a $4.5 million grant from the Doris Duke Foundation. The initiative invests in storytelling about Muslims in the United States with the aim of fostering greater representation and understanding of U.S.

Muslim communities by growing the canon of high-caliber documentaries that center them, CAAM says. The 15 projects funded in the inaugural cohort of CAAM’s Building Bridges Documentary Fund span diverse themes, including explorations of intergenerational relationships, music, love, and social justice. “With genres ranging from docu-horror to experiential to investigative films, these works highlight the vibrancy and complexity of U.S.

Muslim stories and contribute to a media landscape that leads with Muslim protagonists, , and their points-of-view,” says Leila Abu-saada, CAAM’s Building Bridges Documentary Fund Manager. “The review process for this fund was rigorous and competitive and the panel awarded films that met several criteria including works that widen the aperture of the U.S.-Muslim experience.” To further their commitment to elevating U.S.