McKnight Artist Fellowships for Filmmakers

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Deadline: February 29, 2012

Please note that the Eligibility Requirements have changed this year.
See the new list below.

To download a PDF of these guidelines, click here.

 ATTEND A "HOW-TO-APPLY" SESSION OR WEBINAR

WHO: Mid-career filmmakers and media artists in Minnesota. Documentary, narrative, animation, experimental, and new media directors are welcome to apply. Are you “mid-career?” See Eligibility Requirements below. Please read carefully: filmmakers who were eligible in previous years may no longer be eligible.

WHAT: Two $25,000 Fellowships for Minnesota filmmakers. The Fellows are selected by a panel of jurors who are film artists and professionals from outside of Minnesota. Applicants submit two completed films/videos, which jurors evaluate for consistent artistic excellence and merit, clarity and uniqueness of vision, professional quality in the technical aspects of production, and demonstrable, sustained growth in the artist's career. Additionally, jurors consider the artist's ability to present his/her application for the Fellowship in an articulate and professional manner.

WHEN: Deadline for submission: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 4:00pm. Fellowships are awarded in June 2012.

 WHERE: All written application materials must be E-MAILED to IFP at grants@ifpmn.org. Films/videos may be submitted online or mailed to IFP Minnesota.

WHY: To support excellence in filmmaking in Minnesota.

HOW: After determining your eligibility to apply, submit the required written materials by e-mail. Send two completed films/videos of any length on DVD or via an e-mailed link. You may also send a 5-minute work in progress in addition to your two completed works.

For questions about the Fellowships or the application process, contact Lu Lippold, Director of Funding Programs at IFP MN, 651-644-1912 x106, llippold@ifpmn.org.

Why have the eligibility requirements changed?

The McKnight Foundation’s goal for the Artist Fellowships is to reward mid-career artists. The new eligibility guidelines, listed below, indicate a more advanced level of career accomplishment than in previous years. This reflects the program's intent to award artists who meet a national standard of excellence.

Eligibility Requirements

THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS HAVE CHANGED. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.

1. Proof of mid-career status.

To be considered “mid-career,” applicants must demonstrate a sustained level of professional accomplishment over a period of at least five years. Theatrical and television distribution, film festival screenings, museum screenings, other curated public screenings, awards and grants for film, video and/or screenwriting, publications, teaching, lecturing, and other activities will be considered as evidence of an advanced standing and active participation in the filmmaking community.

2. Filmmakers who were full-time or part-time students in any undergraduate film, video, or screenwriting related degree programs at any time in the past three years are not eligible. *** THIS IS A NEW CRITERION.

3. Applicants must provide documentation to show that their work has been shown in at least two film festivals or curated exhibitions, one of them outside of Minnesota, OR has been broadcast nationally or internationally. *** THIS IS A NEW CRITERION.

4. The Fellowship program is currently open only to individuals credited as director, or serving as director, of the films/videos submitted. Producers, partnerships, organizations and companies may not apply. If you are submitting a work that you co-directed, you must submit a letter from your co-director acknowledging that you shared creative directorial control of the work.

5. If you are a previous McKnight Filmmaking Fellow, you may not submit the same work you submitted the year you won the McKnight.

6. Applicants must be current Minnesota residents who have resided in the state continuously for a minimum of one full year before the application deadline. Applicants may be required to provide documentation in addition to a driver's license if residency is in question.

7. Fellows must remain in residence in Minnesota during the Fellowship year, or forfeit the award.

8. Fellows may not attend school full-time during the Fellowship year.

9. The Fellowship allows only one application per individual per year.

10. Films that were made for a degree-granting program are not eligible.

11. Employees of IFP MN and The McKnight Foundation are not eligible to apply, nor are Fellowship staff from any McKnight Artist Fellowship program, nor staff and board of The McKnight Foundation, as well as immediate family members of foundation arts program staff.

12. Artists may apply to only one McKnight Artist Fellowship program per year in any discipline (i.e., Screenwriter or Filmmaker or Playwright, etc.).

13. Fellowship recipients in any McKnight discipline may not apply again to the program until four years after receiving the award.  The 2008 Fellows are eligible to apply to the 2012 program. The 2009 Fellows are eligible in 2013, etc.

 

 Eligible Genres and Formats

• Feature-length narratives
• Short-form narratives
• Feature-length documentaries
• Short-form documentaries
• Feature-length experimental projects
• Short-form experimental projects
• Feature-length animated projects
• Short-form animated projects
• Music videos
• Multi-part or single television projects * NEW
• Multi-part webisodes * NEW
• Interactive games * NEW

Projects may be intended for projection, hand-held devices, the web, or television.

IFP Minnesota recognizes that not all media projects fall within the strict definitions of genres and formats.  Refer to the list below of works not accepted, and speak with the program administrator if you have questions regarding eligibility of a particular work. 

Genres and Formats Not Eligible

• Works produced in fulfillment of a class assignment or a degree program
• Works for hire
• Broadcast news journalism
• Broadcast reality entertainment
• Advertising commercials
• Industrial films and videos
• Corporate films and videos
• Educational films and videos
• Trailers, clips or any proposal for a longer film
• Director's reels
• Incomplete works in progress (unless submitted in addition to two completed works)

APPLICATION MATERIALS

To apply for the Fellowship, here’s what you need to do.

Complete the online Application Cover Sheet here.

Submit the following documents as e-mail attachments or links in the body of the email:

1. Festival participation or broadcast documentation: Provide programs or links to information verifying your inclusion in festivals, other curated programs, or broadcast schedules.
   
   
2.  Professional Résumé:  The resume should be no longer than two pages and should demonstrate professional accomplishment in the film/video medium for a minimum of five years.
   
   
3. Artist's Statement:  Maximum one page, describing your creative journey as an artist and your creative filmmaking process and vision.
   
   
4. Fellowship Plan:  Provide a written discussion of no more than one page describing your artistic and professional plans for the Fellowship year, including activity connected with completion of recent work and development of future work.  You are not required to discuss specific plans for Fellowship money.
   
   
5. Process and History Statements:  For each film you’re submitting, provide a written discussion of no more than one page describing the inspiration or vision for the piece, unique or notable aspects of the process, and the production and exhibition history. If you want the judges to begin watching at a place other than the beginning of your films, please indicate the time code or track number at the top of the page.

   
   

   If you are submitting a work in progress, please provide a process and history statement for it as well.
   
   
6. Photocopy of MN Driver's License or MN-Issued Picture ID: Please scan and send as an attachment, or include a paper copy with your DVD, or fax a copy to Lu Lippold at fax #651-644-5708. If you applied last year and have not moved from your address at that time, you do not need to re-send your driver’s license.

Submit the following either on DVDs or as URLs:

Two complete film/video works:  The two works must be presented in their full length, fully completed, and may not represent a work in progress. There is no minimum or maximum length. They may be submitted on DVD or online. DVDs must be labeled with filmmaker's name, title of work, running time, and year of completion.

The judges will watch a minimum of 10 minutes of each piece. If you want them to begin watching at a place other than the beginning of your films, please indicate the time code or track number in your Process and History Statements.

 

OPTIONAL: You may submit one 5-minute clip from a work in progress, either on DVD or online. This is not required. Please write a Process and History Statement (see #6 above) that describes your work in progress. If you do not have a work in progress to submit, it will not have a negative impact on your application in any way. You may submit one if you feel that your current project helps represent your career trajectory.

Important Dates and Mailing Address

Completed applications must be received at the IFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts no later than 4:00 PM on Wednesday, Febrary 29, 2012. This is an in-office deadline.

 E-mail your completed application documents (resume, screenplay, artist’s statement, etc.) to:

grants@ifpmn.org

If you can’t email your your supporting documentation (WGA registration, etc.), you may fax or mail them to Lu Lippold at:

Fax #651-644-5708

or

McKnight Fellowships
IFP Minnesota
2446 University Avenue West
St. Paul, MN 55114

 

“How to Apply” Info Sessions

Free "How to Apply" workshops will be offered in December to answer questions about the application process and the Fellowship program.  Both screenwriters and filmmakers are welcome to attend either session.

TWIN CITIES
IFP MN Center for Media Arts
2446 University Ave. West
St. Paul

Thursday, December 8, NOON                             
OR                                                                   
Wednesday, December 14, 6:00 PM                     

ROCHESTER
Rochester Art Center
40 Civic Center Drive Southeast

Friday, December 2                                             
5:00 PM “How to Apply”                                      
7:00 PM Cinema Lounge                                                  

WEBINAR

Tuesday, December 20, NOON. Check IFPMN website for information on how to log in.

McKnight Filmmaking Fellows

2004    Melody Gilbert, Eric Tretbar

2005     David Eberhardt, Scott Coleman Miller

2006     John Hime, Tom Schroeder

2007     Emily Goldberg, Jon Springer

2008     Hisham M. Bizri, Gabriel Cheifetz

2009     Rolf Belgum, Mark Wojahn

2010     Dawn Mikkelson, Daniel Schneidkraut

2011     Brady Kiernan, Tom Schroeder

 

Questions? Contact Lu Lippold, Director of Funding Programs at IFP MN. Phone: 651-644-1912, x106. E-mail: llippold@ifpmn.org.

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2012 McKnight Filmmaker Guidelines.pdf	170.51 KB