Chicken & Egg Pictures at Getting Real 2024
Chicken & Egg Pictures is proud to be part of the sixth edition of Getting Real, a biennial for documentary practitioners and focused on the business and art of nonfiction storytelling. The event takes place from Monday, April 15 through Friday, April 19 in Los Angeles.
Fourteen supported filmmakers, as well as our Program Director Kiyoko McCrae and Board Members Félix Endara, Marjan Safinia, and Alex Simon, will participate in a four day event designed to provide a space for the field to hold constructive conversations, build lasting relationships, and tackle the ethical, creative, sustainability, production, and distribution challenges facing our growing community. Please take a look at the details below.
Playing with Reality: Staging Documentary
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 10:30 AM PDT
Panelists: Alison O’Daniel, Cecilia Aldorando, Theo Montoya
Moderator: Ela Bittencourt
Surviving the Aftermath: Protecting Creative Expression
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 10:45 AM PDT
Panelists: Assia Boundaoui, Farihah Zaman, Anam Abbas
Moderator: Aizzah Fatima
Open Breakout Session: From Concept to Catalyst (with A-Doc and BGDM)
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 2:00 PM PDT
Panelists: Grace Lee, Farihah Zaman, Leo Chiang, Iyabo Boyd
Moderators: Sonya Childress, Sahar Driver
Risky Business: Accessing Difficult Places
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 3:45 PM PDT
Moderators: Jennifer Petrucelli, Stephanie Jenkins, and Rachel Antell
Respondents: Dawn Porter, Jon-Sesrie Goff, and more to be announced
The Hot Seat
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 3:45 PM PDT
Panelist: Program Director Kiyoko McCrae, Mads K. Mikkelsen, Bryn Mooser, and Luis Ortiz
Moderator: Abby Sun
Delegation: Is There Independence Out There? (BFI Doc Society)
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 10:00 AM PDT
BFI Doc Society, in partnership with FWD-Doc, is hosting a virtual Delegation of six UK filmmakers, producers, and editors who identify as disabled, D/deaf, and/or neurodivergent. In this virtual discussion on the spirit of independence, filmmakers Ella Glendining, Lindsey Dryden, and other filmmakers will elaborate on what voice, audience, and success mean to them as disabled filmmakers, and how reframing “access” beyond accessibility can create and sustain space for radical new voices in the documentary industry.
Disaster Preparation: Building Your Support System
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 10:15 AM PDT
Panelists: Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, Emily Mkrtichian, and Gema Allen Juarez
Moderator: Zara Meerza
Open Breakout Session: Trans Filmmaker Meetup
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 11:45 AM PDT
Moderator: Board Member Félix Endara
Panelists: Chelsea Moore, Moi Santos, seyi adebanjo, Cary Cronenwett
Workshop: Brands 101
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 11:45 AM PDT
Moderator: Board Member Alex Simon
Facilitator: Brian Newman
Here’s What Really Happened: Your Fat Friend
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 2:00 PM PDT
Panelists: Jeanie Finlay, Suzanne Alizart
Moderator: Keisha Knight
Worth Our Weight In Gold: Identifying Value in Your Production
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 2:15 PM PDT
Panelists: Tabs Breese, Chris Perez, Lexy Altman, and Asmae El Moudir
Moderator: Zeynep Güzel (Berlinale Talents Doc Station)
We Don’t Need to Reinvent the Wheel: Connecting to Audiences
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 4:00 PM PDT
Panelists: Elizabeth Woodward, Pulkit Datta, Lucas Rosant, Paula Ossandón
Moderator: Winnie Wang
Keynote: Kirsten Johnson
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 5:30 PM PDT
Kirsten Johnson is a 2017 Chicken & Egg Award Recipient
Collective Performance: Our Declaration of Independence
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 7:00 PM PDT
Panelists: Board Member Marjan Safinia, Maxine Franklin, Michelle Plascencia
Game Show: What’s the Deal?
Thursday, April 18, 2024 11:15 AM PDT
Panelists: Daresha Kyi, Keith Wilson, Gary Kam, and Vinay Shukla
Moderator: Chase Whiteside (América)
Meet Our Team
Along with our Program Director Kiyoko McCrae, CEO Jenni Wolfson, COO Sarah Anderson, and Senior Program Manager Elaisha Stokes will be attending Getting Real. They will be attending panels and supporting our filmmakers. If you see them, please don’t hesitate to say hello!
Three Chicken & Egg Pictures Supported Films at FIFDH!
Chicken & Egg Pictures was proud to see three supported films and two alumni films at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights Geneva (FIFDH) held from March 11 and March 15. The annual festival runs parallel to the main session of the UN Human Rights Council, utilizing cinema’s power to highlight struggles and denounce violations wherever they occur.
Members of our community also participated in the forum and pro sessions. 2019 (Egg)celerator Lab Grantee Ella Glendining participated in the panel For an inclusive and antivalidist sexuality, and our Senior Program Manager Elaisha Stokes in the keynote Measuring and Reporting Impact.
Our Land, Our Freedom
dirs. & prods. Meena Nanji, Zippy Kimundu
prod. Eliane Ferreira
Our Land, Our Freedom is a 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee.
The Mind Game
dirs. Eefje Blankevoort , Els van Driel, Sajid “SK” Khan Nasiri
prod. Laura Verduijn
The Mind Game is a Project: Hatched 2023 grantee.
Total Trust
dir. Jialing Zhang
prod. Knut Jäger
Total Trust was supported through Jialing Zhang’s 2021 Chicken & Egg Award.
From the AlumNest
- Another Body
dirs. & prods. Sophie Compton, Reuben Hamlyn
prod. Elizabeth Woodward - We Will Not Fade Away
dir. Alisa Kovalenko
prods. Valery Kalmykov, Oleksiy Kobelev
10 Community SIMA Award Wins & Mentions
Last month, SIMA, the nonprofit impact media agency that celebrates, curates, and distributes documentaries and creative media projects that advance positive social change, announced the winners of the 12th annual Social Impact Media Awards. Of the 2024 winners, we were proud to have five supported films and two filmmakers win awards, and three alumni films and filmmakers receive special mentions. Congratulations to all those strong social impact leaders recognized in this year’s awards.
Eat Bitter
dirs. Ningyi Sun, Pascale Appora-Gnekindy
prod. Mathieu Faure
Eat Bitter is a 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab finalist who won the award for Best Cinematography.
PAY OR DIE
dirs. & prods. Rachael Dyer, Scott Alexander Ruderman
prod. Yael Melamede
PAY OR DIE is a Project: Hatched 2023 grantee and won the Systemic Change Award (Sponsored by the Foundation for Systemic Change (FSC)).
The Eternal Memory
dir. & prod. Maite Alberdi
prod. Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue
The Eternal Memory was supported through Maite Alberdi’s 2020 Chicken & Egg Award and won the award for Best Director.
The Script
dir. Brit Fryer, Noah Schamus
prod. Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney
The Script was supported in partnership with Multitude Films as a part of the QUEER FUTURES series and won the Creative Activism Award.
Twice Colonized
dir. Lin Alluna
prods. Emile Hertling Péronard, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Stacey Aglok, Bob Moore
Twice Colonized is a Project: Hatched 2023 grantee who won the Transparency Jury Prize.
Special Mentions
How to Carry Water
dir. Sasha Wortzel
prod. Jess Devaney, Anya Rous, Colleen Cassingham
How to Carry Water was supported in partnership with Multitude Films as a part of the QUEER FUTURES (2022) series.
Suddenly TV
dir. & prod. Roopa Gogineni
prods. Reem Haddad, Trevor Snapp, Fiona Lawson-Baker
Suddenly TV is a Project: Hatched 2023 grantee.
From the AlumNest
- Mourning in lod – Ethos Jury Prize
dir. Hilla Medalia
prod. Sheila Nevins - This Is Where I Learned Not To Sleep – Humanitas Award
dirs. & prods. Kirsten Kelly & Anne de Mare
prod. Andrew Schwertfeger - Who I Am Not – Special Mention
dir. Tunde Skovran
prods. Andrei Zinca, Danielle Turkov, Paul Cadieux, Patrick Hamm, Amy Shepherd, Edith Weil, Daniel Szandtner, Janos Kovacs
Post written by Communications Assistant Tess Caldwell
Seven supported films at Athena Film Fest!
We were thrilled to see seven Chicken & Egg Pictures-supported films and five supported filmmakers on the lineup at this years’ 14th annual Athena Film Festival. The festival took place between February 29 and March 3, at Barnard College. Congratulations all!
Breaking the News
dirs. Chelsea Hernandez, Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston
prod. Diane Quon
Breaking the News is a 2022 Critical Issues Fund Grantee.
Hummingbirds
dirs. Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras
co-dirs. & prods. Jillian Schlesinger, Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco
prods. Leslie Benavides, Rivkah Beth Medow
Hummingbirds is a 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab finalist.
Is There Anybody Out There?
dir. Ella Glendining
prod. Janine Marmot
2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Is There Anybody Out There? participated in multiple sections, including a panel entitled Keeping the Industry Door Open: Beyond the “Trend” of Disability.
MnM
dir. Twiggy Pucci Garçon
prods. Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney
MnM was supported in partnership with Multitude Films as a part of the QUEER FUTURES (2022) series, and streamed in the “Shorts: A Legacy of Change” section.
Q
dir. & prod. Jude Chehab
Q is a 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee.
The Script
dir. Brit Fryer, Noah Schamus
prod. Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney
The Script was supported in partnership with Multitude Films as part of the QUEER FUTURES (2022) series.
Twice Colonized
dir. Lin Alluna
prods. Emile Hertling Péronard, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Stacey Aglok, Bob Moore
Twice Colonized is a Project: Hatched 2023 grantee.
From the AlumNest
- Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
dirs. & prods. Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster - Periodical
dir. Lina Lyte Plioplyte
prods. Pegah Farahmand, Amanda Spain - The Philadelphia Eleven
dir. & prod. Margo Guernsey
prod. Nikki Bramley - Uncharted
dir. & prod. Beth Aala
prods. Everywoman Studios, Abby Greensfelder - Your Fat Friend
dir. & prod. Jeanie Finlay
prod. Suzanne Alizart
Post written by Communications Assistant Tess Caldwell
Six Supported Films at Verzió Film Festival!
We are thrilled to announce that six Chicken & Egg-supported films and one AlumNest film were included in this year’s lineup for the Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival! The festival took place between Wednesday, November 22 to Wednesday, November 29, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary.
Against the Tide
dir. & prod. Sarvnik Kaur
prods. Koval Bhatia, Quentin Laurent
Against the Tide is a 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee that had its Hungarian Premiere in the Anthropocene section.
Cine Guerrillas: Scenes From the Labudović Reels
dir. & prod. Mila Turajlić
prod. Carine Chichkowsky
Cine-Guerrillas: Scenes From the Labudović Reels was supported through Mila Turajlić’s 2020 Chicken & Egg Award and had its Hungarian Premiere in the Viewfinder section.
Is There Anybody Out There?
dir. Ella Glendining
prod. Janine Marmot
2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Is There Anybody Out There? had its Hungarian Premiere in the Student Verzió section.
The Mind Game
dirs. & impact prods. Eefje Blankevoort, Els van Driel, Sajid “SK” Khan Nasiri
prod. Laura Verduijn
Project: Hatched 2023 participant The Mind Game had its Hungarian Premiere in the Student Verzió section.
The Golden Thread
dir. Nishtha Jain
prod. Irena Taskovski
The Golden Thread was supported through Nishtha Jain’s 2020 Chicken & Egg Award that had its Hungarian Premiere in the Work/Dream/Work section.
Songs of Earth
dir. & prod. Margreth Olin
prod. Lena Faye-Lund Sandvik
Songs of Earth was supported through Margreth Olin’s 2022 Chicken & Egg Award and had its Hungarian Premiere in the Anthropocene section.
From the AlumNest
- We Will Not Fade Away
dir. Alisa Kovalenko
prods. Valery Kalmykov, Oleksiy Kobelev
Post written by Communications Intern Tess Caldwell
9 Chicken & Egg Supported Films at DOC NYC 2023!
We are thrilled to see nine Chicken & Egg supported films and 17 AlumNest films on the lineup for this years’ DOC NYC Festival! We also have six supported filmmakers and our very own Program Director Kiyoko McCrae participating in the DOC NYC PRO programming. The festival will take place between Wednesday, November 8, to Thursday, November 16. We hope to see you there!
Bad Press
dirs. Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, Joe Peeler
prods. Conrad Beilharz, Garrett F. Baker, Tyler Graim
Bad Press is a participant of Project: Hatched 2023 having its NYC Premiere in the Winners Circle Section.
Get your tickets here.
Eat Bitter
dirs. Ningyi Sun, Pascale Appora-Gnekindy
prod. Mathieu Faure
Eat Bitter is a 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab finalist having its New York Premiere in the Investigations section.
Get your tickets here.
How To Have An American Baby
dir. & prod. Leslie Tai
prods. Jillian Schultz, Chocho Tang, Elivia Shaw, Yan Cong, Xinyi “Leila” Lin
How to Have an American Baby participated in the former 2017 Diversity Fellows Initiative and is having its New York Premiere in the Investigations section.
Get your tickets here.
Is There Anybody Out There?
dir. Ella Glendining
prod. Janine Marmot
Is There Anybody Out There? is a 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee and is having its NYC Premiere in the Fight The Power section.
Get your tickets here.
MnM
dir. Twiggy Pucci Garçon
prod. Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney
MnM was supported in partnership with Multitude Films as a part of the QUEER FUTURES (2022) series and is having its NYC Premiere in the “Shorts: Family Matters” program.
Get your tickets here.
Songs of Earth
dir. & prod. Margreth Olin
prod. Lena Faye-Lund Sandvik
Songs of Earth was supported through Margreth Olin’s 2022 Chicken & Egg Award and is participating in the Winners Circle section.
Get your tickets here.
Suddenly TV
dir. & prod. Roopa Gogineni
prods. Reem Haddad, Trevor Snapp, Fiona Lawson-Baker
Suddenly TV is a participant of Project: Hatched 2023, and is participating in the “Shorts: The People vs” program.
Get your tickets here.
The Eternal Memory
dir. & prod. Maite Alberdi
prod. Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue
The Eternal Memory was supported through Maite Alberdi’s 2020 Chicken & Egg Award and is participating in the Short List: Features section.
Get your tickets here.
Total Trust
dir. Jialing Zhang
prod. Knut Jäger
Total Trust is supported through Jialing Zhang’s 2021 Chicken & Egg Award and is having its US Premiere in the International Competition section.
Get your tickets here.
DOC NYC PRO
DOC NYC PRO FALL 2023 will take place from Thursday, November 9 through Thursday, November 16. The activities are comprised of several panels and pitches designed to empower filmmakers at different stages of their careers.
CINEMATOGRAPHY DAY
Saturday, November 11
DOCUMENTARY ETHICS AND THE LAW
Featuring Jess Devaney, director of Chicken & Egg-supported film Love the Sinner and producer of The Script, MnM, How to Carry Water, and It’s Only Life After All.
EDITING DAY
Sunday, November 12
CASE STUDY: GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT
Featuring 2016 Chicken & Egg Award recipient Michèle Stephenson
JOURNALISM AND DOCUMENTARY DAY
Monday, November 13
WHEN JOURNALISTS BECOME DOCUMENTARY VISIONARIES
Featuring Becca Landsberry-Baker, director and producer of Project: Hatched 2023 participant Bad Press.
CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION DAY
Thursday, November 16
HOPE
Featuring 2017 Chicken & Egg Award recipient Dawn Porter.
THE POWER OF EDUCATIONAL DISTRIBUTION
Featuring Chithra Jeyaram, director and producer of 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab participant Our Daughters (working title).
WHERE WILL YOUR FILM BE IN 20 YEARS?
Featuring our Board member Susan Margolin.
From the AlumNest
- Between Life & Death | New York Premiere
dir. Nick Capote
prod. Kimberley Ferdinando, Melissa Leardi, Amanda Spain
- Black Girls Play: The Story Of Hand Games
dirs. & prods. Michéle Stephenson, Joe Brewster
- Candace Parker: Unapologetic | World Premiere
dir. Joie Jacoby
prod. Carolyn Hepburn, Giselle Rodriguez, Julie Lilleby, Paige Bethmann
- Confessions of a Good Samaritan | NYC Premiere
dir. Penny Lane
prod. Gabriel Sedgwick
- Dalton’s Dream | North American Premiere
dirs. Kim Longinotto, Franky Murray Brown
prod. Lorine Plagnol
- Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
dirs. & prods. Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster
- How We Get Free | NYC Premiere
dirs. Geeta Gandbhir, Samantha Knowles
prods. Kathleen Lingo, Sweta Vohra, Jess Devaney
- Obsessed With Light | North American Premiere
dirs. Sabine Krayenbühl, Zeva Oelbaum
prods. Zeva Oelbaum, Sabine Krayenbühl, Christian Popp, Susan Margolin
- The Cost of Inheritance | World Premiere
dir. Yoruba Richen
prods. Mehret Mandefro, Lacey Schwartz Delgado, Iris Samson
- The Dads
dir. & prod. Luchina Fisher
co-prods. Eric Miclette, Shan Shan Tam
- The Lady Bird Diaries
dir. Dawn Porter
prod. Kim Reynolds
- The Minister of Defense | World Premiere
dir. Ken Rodgers, Courtland Bragg
prods. Carolyn Hepburn, Courtland Bragg, Nick Mascolo, Ken Rodgers, Chip Swain, Kobi Theiler
- Time Bomb Y2K | NYC Premiere
dirs. Brian Becker, Marley McDonald
prods. Penny Lane, Brian Becker, Peter Nauffts, Shelby Fintak
- Unseen | NYC Premiere
dir. & prod. Set Hernandez
prods. Félix Endara, Day Al-Mohamed, Diane Quon, Dorian Gomez Pestaña, Josaen Ronquillo, Cheryl Green, Thomas Reid, Qudsiya Naqui, Conchita Hernandez
- We Are Fire (Draw For Change) | World Premiere
dir. Karen Vázquez Guadarrama
prods. Hanne Phlypo, Estelle Robin You, Marion Guth, François Le Gall, Heino Deckert, Femke Wolting, Bruno Felix, Julie Goldman
- Who I Am Not | New York Premiere
dir. Tunde Skovran
prods. Andrei Zinca, Danielle Turkov, Paul Cadieux, Patrick Hamm, Amy Shepherd, Edith Weil, Daniel Szandtner, Janos Kovacs
A Special Congratulations
- I Told You So
dirs. & prods. Malak AlSayyad, Amaan Stewartprods. Judith Helfand (Founder and Consultant), Loren Townsley
Meet Our Team at DOC NYC
Since the festival is on our home turf, we are excited for many of our team members to have opportunities to attend screenings and events for our filmmakers. We are also incredibly excited to announce that our very own Program Director, Kiyoko McCrae, was honored by the Documentary New Leaders program. Learn more about this honor here. Come say hi!
We are delighted to provide you with a discount code on tickets (capacity permitting) for our supported films.
Just enter the code at checkout: DOCNYC_PTNR_23
This code will unlock the following discounts:
Opening Night / Centerpiece / Closing Screenings: $25 (Regular price: $30)
Regular Screenings: $17 (Regular price: $20)
DOC NYC U, Short List, Weekday Matinees (M-F before 12pm): $11 (Regular Price: $13)
Online screenings: $13 (Regular Price: $10)
Post written by Communications Intern Tess Caldwell
DOC NYC Honors 6 Supported Filmmakers And Program Director Kiyoko McCrae
Chicken & Egg Pictures is proud to see six supported filmmakers and Program Director Kiyoko McCrae honored in DOC NYC’s initiatives that recognize the people and projects that are making an impact on the field of documentary: 40 Under 40 and Documentary New Leaders.
DOCUMENTARY NEW LEADERS
DOC NYC’s 2023 Documentary New Leaders program honors figures in the American documentary industry whose work to date and potential for leadership brings greater inclusion and equity to the field. We are deeply proud to see our Program Director Kiyoko McCrae receive this honor. Kiyoko works closely with the CEO and Program staff to strategize, plan, and oversee the implementation of all Chicken & Egg programs.
Kiyoko is among 14 honorees selected for their broad range of experiences, including roles in distribution, education, community engagement, funding, social impact, organizing, and journalism. On the list is also our former staff member and friend Jaad Asante.
Over the next year, the Documentary New Leaders will meet periodically to embark on discussions that address the issues most pivotal to their roles in the field.
40 UNDER 40
We are delighted to see six Chicken & Egg supported filmmakers selected in the 40 Under 40 list: Sierra Urich, Jillian Schlesinger, Joe Peeler, Jonna McKone, Rachael Dyer, and Jude Chehab. This initiative celebrates emerging talent in the documentary world, including directors, producers, cinematographers, and editors. Honorees will be celebrated at the 2023 DOC NYC festival on the festival’s website and social media channels, and feted in an exclusive cocktail reception.
Huge congratulations to the class of 2023!
2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Sierra Urich (Joonam):
Project: Hatched 2022 finalist Jillian Schlesinger (Hummingbirds):
Project: Hatched 2023 participant Joe Peeler (Bad Press):
Project: Hatched 2023 participant Rachael Dyer (PAY OR DIE):
Jonna McKone, producer of 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Our Daughters:
2020 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Jude Chehab (Q):
Meet Our Seven New Project: Hatched Grantees! 🐣
Chicken & Egg Pictures proudly announced via Women & Hollywood seven new grantees of our 2021 Project: Hatched program. Both short- and feature-length projects will participate. Each project receives $20,000 toward film completion and impact campaigns and filmmaking teams participate in a six-month program with tailored mentorship and goal-setting.
“From water rights to reproductive health, the subjects of Chicken & Egg Pictures’ newest grantees are ones that come up constantly in our cultural and political conversations. These seven films push past the headlines to reveal intimate character studies that investigate how social issues impact everyday lives,” said Program Director Lucila Moctezuma. “For the first time in our Project: Hatched program, two short films were selected alongside features. Not only can shorts act as critical stepping stones to help emerging filmmakers build careers, but they also have strong potential to create impact and engage broader audiences.”
Please click the granted films titles for more information on each project, and give these passionate and committed women and gender nonconforming directors a warm welcome to the Nest!
And So I Stayed
Directors & producers: Natalie Pattillo, Daniel A. Nelson (SINGAPORE/UNITED STATES)
And So I Stayed is a documentary about survivors of domestic violence who are unjustly incarcerated for killing their abusers in self-defense.
Daughter of a Lost Bird
Director & producer: Brooke Pepion Swaney (UNITED STATES)
Producers: Jeri Rafter, Kendra Mylnechuk Potter
A Native adoptee reconnects with her birth family and her Lummi heritage—confronting her identity. Her singular story represents many affected by the Indian Child Welfare Act and Indian Adoption Project in the US.
Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust
Director & producer: Ann Kaneko (UNITED STATES)
Producer: Jin Yoo-Kim
This film poetically weaves together memories of Payahuunadü, “the land of flowing water,” where Native Americans, Japanese-Americans, and environmentalists defend land and water from Los Angeles.
I’m Free Now, You Are Free
Director: Ash Goh Hua (SINGAPORE)
Producer: Arielle Knight
I’m Free Now, You Are Free is a short documentary about the reunion and repair between Mike Africa Jr. and his mother Debbie Africa—a formerly incarcerated political prisoner of the MOVE 9.
On The Divide
Directors: Maya Cueva, Leah Galant (UNITED STATES)
Producers: Melanie Miller, Diane Becker, Amanda Spain, Elizabeth Woodward
On The Divide follows the story of three Latinx people living in McAllen, Texas who, despite their views, are connected by the most unexpected of places: the last abortion clinic on the US/Mexico border. As threats to the clinic and their personal safety mount, these three are forced to make decisions they never could have imagined.
Change The Name
Director & producer: Cai Thomas (UNITED STATES)
Producer: Donald Conley
Student activists and educators from Village Leadership Academy campaign to change the name of a park from a slaveholder to abolitionists Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood.
Storm Lake
Directors: Beth Levison, Jerry Risius (UNITED STATES)
Producer: Beth Levison
Pulitzer Prize-winner Art Cullen and his family fight to protect their Iowan farming community through their biweekly newspaper, The Storm Lake Times—come hell or pandemic.
Read more about Project: Hatched.
Post by 2021 Communications Intern Mariana Sanson.
Announcing Five New Project: Hatched 2021 grantees!
Announced via Women & Hollywood today, Chicken & Egg Pictures is proud to support five new grantees of the 2021 Project: Hatched program for feature-length documentary impact. Each film receives a $10,000 grant and tailored mentorship towards their impact campaigns.
“Each of these films tells a story about racial, economic, or workers justice in the United States and marks a critical moment in our social history,” said Program Director Lucila Moctezuma. “Their directors are uniquely positioned to create change and propel us toward a more equitable future, and Chicken & Egg Pictures is excited to support them with funding and programmatic support to further the impact of these important films.”
Please click the granted film’s titles for more information on each project and give these visionary women directors a warm welcome to the Nest!
Dope is Death
Director: Mia Donovan
Producer: Bob Moore
Dope Is Death tells the story of how radical politics and direct community action birthed the first acupuncture drug detoxification program in America.
Down a Dark Stairwell
Director: Ursula Liang
Producer: Rajal Pitroda
A Chinese-American police officer kills an unarmed Black man in a dark stairwell of a NYC housing project, igniting a complicated fight for accountability and justice.
Since I Been Down
Director: Gilda Sheppard
Producers: Saman Maydani, June Nho Ivers
Producer and Lead Impact Strategist: Bonnie Benjamin-Phariss
Impact Team: YEA! Impact
In America’s backyard, a community held captive by policies targeting gangs and drugs sacrifices their youth for a false sense of justice and safety. Nearly forty years later, a true path to justice and healing is led from inside their prison walls.
Unapologetic
Director: Ashley O’Shay
Producers: Ashley O’Shay, Morgan Elise Johnson
Impact Producer: Naeema Jamilah Torres
Meet Janaé and Bella, two fierce abolitionists whose upbringing and experiences shape their activism and views on Black liberation.
Fruits of Labor
Director: Emily Cohen Ibañez
Producer: Emily Cohen Ibañez
A teenage farmworker dreams of graduating high school, when ICE raids in her community threaten to separate her family and force her to become her family’s breadwinner.
*Down a Dark Stairwell was previously supported through out Diversity Fellows Iniative (past program).
We’re Back to the Cinemas at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival!
The Tribeca Film Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a return to the cinemas in 2021. The festival runs from Wednesday, June 9 to Sunday, June 20 with programming that can be accessed in person and virtually.
At Chicken & Egg Pictures, we are looking forward to the shared experience of film, as New Yorkers head back to the movies again. Viewers within the US can access Tribeca’s virtual programming through $15 online stream tickets.
We are also thrilled to let you know that films slated to premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, but postponed due to COVID-19, will also screen at this year’s edition. Granted films featured in the festival include four (Egg)celerator Lab grantees from 2018 and 2019, one Project: Hatched grantee, one Chicken & Egg Award recipient film, three films from the AlumNest, and one VR project. Learn more about the films below, and get your tickets here.
Ascension, dir. Jessica Kingdon
Ascension examines the contemporary “Chinese Dream” through staggering observations of labor, consumerism and wealth. In cinematically exploring the aspiration that drives today’s People’s Republic of China, the film plunges into universal paradoxes of economic progress.
World Premiere │ Tribeca Documentary Competition │ 2019 (Egg)celerator Lab
Enemies of the State, dir. Sonia Kennebeck
An American family becomes entangled in a bizarre web of secrets and lies when their hacker son is targeted by the U.S. government, making them all Enemies of the State.
US Premiere │ 2018 (Egg)celerator Lab
Pray Away, dir. Kristine Stolakis
Former leaders of the “pray away the gay” movement contend with the aftermath unleashed by their actions, while a survivor seeks healing and acceptance from more than a decade of trauma.
World Premiere │ 2019 (Egg)celerator Lab
Through the Night, dir. Loira Limbal
To make ends meet, Americans are working longer hours across multiple jobs. This modern reality of nonstop work has resulted in an unexpected phenomenon: the flourishing of 24-hour daycare centers. Through the Night is a verité documentary that explores the personal cost of our modern economy through the stories of two working mothers and a child care provider, whose lives intersect at a 24-hour daycare center in New Rochelle, NY.
New York Premiere │ 2018 (Egg)celerator Lab
Landfall, dir. Cecilia Aldarondo
Through shard-like glimpses of everyday life in post-Hurricane María Puerto Rico, Landfall examines a ruined world at the brink of transformation, spinning a cautionary tale for our times.
Project: Hatched 2020
Stateless, dir. Michèle Stephenson
Through the grassroots campaign of electoral hopeful Rosa Iris, director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary reveals the depths of racial hatred and institutionalized oppression that divide Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
2016 Chicken & Egg Award
Simple as Water, dir. Megan Mylan
A look at war and displacement through the lens of parenthood from Megan Mylan, Academy-Award winning director of Lost Boys of Sudan and Smile Pinki. This feature documentary unfolds as a sequence of cinematic short stories revolving around Syrian families living in Turkey, Greece, the US, Germany, and Syria. Each chapter is an intimate portrait of parents—often mothers alone—as they work to rebuild their children’s lost sense of security and possibility. It is a story that is both urgent and timeless.
World Premiere │ 2018 Grant
VR Experience
The Changing Same: Episode 1, dirs. Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster & Yasmin Elayat
AlumNest Films
The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show, dir. Yoruba Richen (2016 Chicken & Egg Award recipient)
Selected for the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival
Women In Blue, dir. Deirdre Fishel (AlumNest for Care)
Selected for the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival
Untitled Dave Chappelle Documentary, dirs. Julia Reichert (2016 Chicken & Egg Award recipient) and Steve Bognar
Egg-citing news! This world premiere will be Tribeca’s closing night film.
See you at the cinema! Post by 2021 Summer Communications Intern Mariana Sanson.