Two unfinished documentaries win first Ellis-Beauregard award and $50,000 each
Two documentaries still being finished have won the first Ellis-Beauregard Foundation Documentary Film Award.
The recipients are Untitled “Ear Hustle” Film and Indígena. Each film receives an unrestricted $50,000 grant in recognition of artistic excellence, as reported by Deadline. That money has no strings attached.
The director and editor of each winning film will attend a creative retreat hosted by Points North Institute. The retreat coincides with the Camden International Film Festival, which runs 17-20 September in Camden and Rockland, Maine, according to Deadline. It puts both teams in Maine as festival audiences and industry guests arrive.
Untitled “Ear Hustle” Film is directed by Erika Cohn and edited by Kristina Motwani. It follows Ear Hustle podcast creators Nigel Poor, Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams as they travel to prisons around the world. The producers are Jaz Kealoha Berger and Rajal Pitroda, with executive producers including Morgan Freeman, Lori McCreary, James Younger, Insiyah Haveliwala and Patty Quillin.
Indígena is written and directed by Siku Allooloo. It is edited by Avrïl Jacobson and Lawrence Jackman. Further story details have not been released.
The inaugural jury comprised Chloe Walters-Wallace, Jeff Seelbach, Nell Lawrenz-Wareham and Ian Kibbe. All four chose the two recipients from projects submitted earlier this year.
The award was created by the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation in collaboration with Points North Institute, as described by the Points North Institute. It supports feature-length documentaries in post-production, the editing and finishing stage after filming ends. The invitation for the director and editor to attend the Maine retreat is part of the prize.
What makes this stand out is the practical shape of the help. Cash for the final edit, plus focused time away with mentors and other filmmakers. For audiences, this means two new nonfiction features moving closer to the screen.
