Vimeo Doubles Short-Film Grant to $300,000 for Five Newcomers
Vimeo will give $300,000 to five emerging filmmakers to make original short films.
The video platform has doubled the prize pool for the second year of its Short Film Grant Program, Variety reported. That is double last year. Each winner gets funding to make one new short — a complete story told in minutes rather than hours — plus mentorship and practical resources.
Submissions open on 21 September through the Vimeo website. Winners will be notified by 15 March.
The five grants will be decided by a five-person jury. It brings together Kogonada, Josephine Deck, Pete Ohs, producer Sarah Winshall and cinematographer Jomo Fray.
Interest was strong the first time around. The inaugural programme drew more than 3,100 submissions, according to Variety.
The practical help is organised with several industry supporters. The grant is backed by Panavision, Other World Computing, AJA and ShotDeck. Winners will also get temporary access to Nikon and RED cameras, Vimeo said.
The programme is led by Ina Pira, head of curation at Vimeo. Vimeo is now owned by Bending Spoons, the tech company co-founded by Matteo Danieli that acquired the platform last year.
For newcomers, this means money, kit and guidance in one package. Shorts are often a first calling card, but they are hard to fund. Five funded films will not change that maths alone, yet for the five chosen it removes the largest barrier: paying for the shoot.
