Bridging Cultures Through Film

National Endowment for the Humanities
Deadline: January 5, 2011

The Bridging Cultures through Film: International Topics program supports projects that examine international and transnational themes in the humanities through documentary films. These projects are meant to spark Americans’ engagement with the broader world by exploring one or more countries and cultures outside of the United States. Proposed documentaries must be analytical and deeply grounded in humanities scholarship.

The Division of Public Programs encourages the exploration of innovative nonfiction storytelling that presents multiple points of view in creative formats. The proposed film must range in length from a stand-alone broadcast hour to a feature-length documentary.

We invite a wide range of approaches to international and transnational topics and themes, such as:

• an examination of a critical issue in ethics, religion, or history, viewed through an international lens;
• an exploration of a topic that transcends a single nation-state, with the topic being explored across borders;
• a biography of a foreign leader, writer, artist, or historical figure; or
• an exploration of the history and culture(s) of a specific region, country, or community outside of the United States.

Projects are strongly encouraged to demonstrate international collaboration by enlisting scholars based both in the United States and abroad, and/or by working with an international media team. Such collaborations should bring broader cross-cultural perspectives to the proposed topics.

Funding: Awards are for one to three years and for up to $75,000 (for development) and up to $800,000 (for production).

For more information: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/BridgingCultures_Film.html