2024 NORTH STAR FELLOWSHIP

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Presented in collaboration with BlackStar, the North Star Fellowship supports five innovative Black, Brown and Indigenous media artists and filmmakers who are developing projects that span the latitudes of creative nonfiction. These might include film, video installation, audio and photo-based work, immersive experiences, performance, or other modes and genres. The North Star Fellowship convenes on two occasions; The Camden International Film Festival and The William & Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar.

Leading up to the 20th edition of the Camden International Film Festival, fellows gather for one week on the coast of Maine. A series of workshops, screenings, meals, and excursions create time and space for an ongoing critical dialogue about expanded documentary aesthetics, multidisciplinary creative processes, collaborative practices and more.

Fellows are joined by curators, critics, filmmakers, multidisciplinary artists, and industry professionals, each of whom provides new perspectives on the Fellows’ creative process and the evolving universe of nonfiction.

The first part of the fellowship culminates during 4 days of CIFF, where North Star Fellows plug into a global community of storytellers and artists, attending screenings, artist talks, panel discussions, industry meetings, and special events.

The fellowship recommences in the spring during the William & Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, a gathering for Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists working in cinematic realms, proudly presented by BlackStar Projects. Fellows will explore the technical and creative aspects of media-making, while having honest conversations about the successes and pitfalls of their work. The environment considers the intersection of cinema and visual arts, and is exclusively designed for people of color to focus and not manage the added burden of representation.

The Seminar is named after visionary filmmakers William and Louise Greaves, who together co-produced landmark documentaries such as Symbiopsychotaxiplasm and Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey.

The North Star Fellowship includes the following support:

At The Camden International Film Festival:

(1) Round-trip flight* to Camden, including ground transportation from Portland or Bangor, Maine,
(1) All Access pass to the Camden International Film Festival and Points North Forum,
(7) nights of accommodations for one during the festival and fellowship.

At The William & Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar:

(1) Round-trip flight* to location of Seminar in 2025, TBD*
(1) Pass to the William & Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar
(3) nights of accommodations for one during the seminar.
(1) Pass to the BlackStar Film Festival in 2025

Following the week in Maine, Fellows will have an opportunity to schedule online meetings with funders, distributors, and other industry decision makers. In 2023, these meetings included representatives from Sundance, Firelight, Ford Foundation, Field of Vision, CAA, Cinetic, POV, ITVS, NBC, Netflix, HBO, NEON, and dozens of other major platforms.

Note: The North Star Fellowship can only support one person per project and is intended to foster a space for individual artists as much as their projects.

ELIGIBILITY

The North Star Fellowship is open to all Black, Brown, and Indigenous filmmakers and media artists worldwide, regardless of nationality or citizenship status.

We’re looking for artists developing projects across a range of disciplines or modes of documentary, including film, video installation, audio and photo-based work, immersive experiences, performance, and others.

The program is open to filmmakers from backgrounds that have been historically marginalized in the film industry by virtue of their ability, citizenship status, ethnicity, gender identity, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

Projects that focus on historically underrepresented communities must have a key creative in a decision-making role either from the community or with deep ties to the community that the film focuses upon.

The 2024 North Star Fellowship will take place in person in Maine from September 10-17 (exact dates to be confirmed closer to the festival but please hold these dates for now) followed by virtual 1:1 industry meetings on 9/26 & 9/27.

If you have questions about the program or the application process, please contact artistprograms@pointsnorthinstitute.org

Deadline: June 3, 2024 @ 11:59 p.m.

Personal Info

Demographic questions are for internal program evaluation related to our ongoing equity and inclusion work. Your response will be kept strictly confidential.

Applicant's First Name *

Applicant's Last Name *

Director's Race or Ethnic Origin *

Hispanic or Latinx

Middle Eastern

Black, African-American, Afro-Caribbean, or African descent

Native American, First Nation, Inuit, or other Indigenous peoples

Asian, South Asian, or Indian

Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Bi-racial or Multi-racial

Race, ethnicity, or origin not listed

Choose Not to Answer

Director's Gender *

Male

Female

Non-Binary

Another Gender Identity Another Gender Identity

Is the director a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community

Yes

No

Prefer not to Answer

Yes, Specifically... Yes, Specifically...

Does the Director identify as a person with a disability? (optional)

Yes

No

Prefer Not to Answer

Director's Country of Citizenship *

Director's Country of Residence *

Date of Birth * +

Contact Email *

Phone Number *

Address line 1 *

Address line 2

City *

State (or Province) *

Zip/Postal Code *

Country *

Artistic Background

Discipline
Please mention which formats best describe your practice (ex, film, installation, photography, immersive, sound-based, etc)

*2-3 sentences. *

Short Bio
Please share a little bit about yourself. Include details relevant to your artistic practice, your formal approaches to nonfiction, and/or research interests. Feel free to add any other details you'd like us to know.
*approximately 2 paragraphs. *

0/300 words

Personal Statement
The North Star Fellowship is an incubator for ideas in motion and questions unresolved. Please elaborate on how a film festival setting such as CIFF and the William & Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar would help your own artistic practice and growth. Please be specific in how it would benefit you at this particular time of your career. *

0/300 words

Topic Summary
What provoked you to make this specific film? What history, cultural elements are influencing your motivation to make work about this topic? What is your relationship to the story?

*

0/300 words

Resume / CV *

Project Lookbook *

Project Format
Is your project primarily Film/Video, Installation, Sound Installation, Immersive, Photo, Performance, etc. *

Project Details

Work in Progress: Title *

Work in Progress: Short Treatment

If you have a project in development that you'd like to workshop at the North Star Fellowship, please describe what it is. If a film, does it have a story structure or a narrative trajectory? If not narrative, how/where does it play out? Please clarify its core themes and relationship to form. If the project plays in different temporalities and geographies, please let us know how it could be translated and workshopped with us.

*Lookbooks welcome*

Suggested Length: Approximately 300 words *

Work in Progress: Authorship & Accountability
Discuss your access and relationship to the individuals or beings engaged in your creation. How have you approached any questions about representation, accountability, or other ethical considerations? If your project is experimental or not narrative-driven, discuss the ways you engage with inclusive practices in your team or creative process.

Suggested Length: Approximately 300 words *

Work Sample Link

Please submit a 5-15 minute visual (or sonic for sound-based work) sample of the project you are applying with. YouTube/Vimeo links are preferred for video. If your clip is longer than 15 minutes, please specify the section you'd like reviewers to screen in the notes below.

* 🛈

Password (if necessary)

Describe the sample you are submitting for consideration. What should reviewers be looking for in your sample? Why did you choose this sample and how is it related to your nonfiction storytelling experience and/or aspirations? (If your sample is longer than 5 minutes, please specify the section you'd like reviewers to watch)

Suggested Length: Approximately 1 paragraph *

Project Stage and Timeline *

Development

Production

Post-Production

Project Stage & Timeline
Explain the current status of the project. Outline the projected production timeline from the project’s current state to the anticipated completion date. Your timeline should detail major project activities and release dates. If you have applied to the North Star Fellowship previously, please share how your project has progressed.

Up to 500 words. *

0/500 words

Distribution Strategy

Do you see this project existing in multiple mediums? What is the potential life of this project? Where do you see this type of work being shown or experienced? What is the ideal audience that you're trying to engage with this piece?

Up to 200 words. *

0/500 words

Supplemental Questions

If selected, what are particular needs you have while participating in the North Star Fellowship? *Approximated 2-3 paragraphs. *

Which types of creative collaborators or industry partners are you interested in meeting through the Fellowship? *

A Few More Things

Have you applied to the North Star Fellowship before? *

Yes

No

We are planning for an in-person gathering and will be adhering to any travel restriction guidelines in place during the dates of the fellowship. Before applying, please consider if you will feasibly be able to travel to Maine for the dates of the fellowship. We are able to provide a travel and lodging accommodations for fellows. Please review our COVID protocols, and confirm that you understand and accept these conditions for participation. *

Yes

NO