ROOFTOP FILMS AND AT&T ANNOUNCE FEATURE FILM GRANT

Rooftop Films has announced the Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund AT&T Feature Film Grant, a $10,000 cash grant “given to one Rooftop alumni filmmaker, awarded for a critical stage in their production of a new, independent feature film.” From the official press release:

Rooftop Films is proud to announce the Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund AT&T Feature Film Grant provided by our presenting sponsor, AT&T. This $10,000 cash grant will be given to one Rooftop alumni filmmaker, awarded for a critical stage in their production of a new, independent feature film.

Acting as innovators in independent cinema exhibition, Rooftop Films has enabled the success of many alumni through other Filmmakers’ Fund Grants ranging from production or post-production support. Past grantees include Lucy Walker with her Academy Award-nominated short documentary The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, Sean Durkin with the critically acclaimed Martha Marcy May Marlene, and most recently Benh Zeitlin with Beasts of the Southern Wild-a festival darling that was released in theaters on Wednesday by Fox Searchlight. Other Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund grantees have gone on to have tremendous success at festivals and reaching wide, appreciative audiences and with the generous support of AT&T, this cash grant will help a future filmmaker connect with those audiences.

“We’re thrilled to be working with AT&T on this new grant” says Founder and Artistic Director Mark Elijah Rosenberg. “AT&T immediately recognized the cultural and economic value of independent filmmaking, and thought there was no better way to directly support emerging artists than through the Rooftop Filmmakers Fund. We are sure that Rooftop filmmakers, and audiences everywhere, will appreciate the amazing work that will be produced because of this new grant from AT&T.”

“AT&T is thrilled to support independent artists with this Rooftop filmmaker grant,” said Marissa Shorenstein, President, AT&T New York. “Filmmaking is important to New York both culturally and economically and our commitment has extended even further by presenting Rooftop’s 2012 Summer Series which builds audiences for the independent and emerging artists who are essential to making New York the culturally rich place that it is.”

Details about the grant application will be announced in the coming weeks. The Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund uses community support to provide grants to filmmakers whose work has screened at our festival. A portion of all ticket sales and film submission fees is set aside and given back to selected filmmakers to help with their future productions, forging a bond between audiences and artists in a unique cycle of exhibition and production. The Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund provides additional grants through partnerships with DCTV, Edgeworx Studios, Eastern Effects, and the Adrienne Shelly Foundation. Details about our grants are available at: http://rooftopfilms.com/2012/info/produce