Chicken & Egg Pictures is now accepting applications for their (Egg)celerator Lab for women and gender-expansive filmmakers. Deadline to apply is Wednesday, May 22nd.
OVERVIEW:
The (Egg)celerator Lab is focused on identifying and supporting nonfiction directors working on their first or second feature-length documentary. This program brings together ten projects, with a special focus on women and gender-expansive directors.
In this year-long program, these ten projects will receive:
- $40,000 USD in grant funding for the production of their feature-length film
- Monthly mentorship with Chicken & Egg Pictures’ team members
- Two creative retreats focused on career building and creative development
- Tailored industry meetings and funder connections
- Peer support from the (Egg)celerator Lab cohort
ELIGIBILITY:
To be eligible for this grant, filmmakers must meet the following criteria:
- Identify as a woman (cis and trans) or gender-expansive director:
- For information about how we define gender-expansive, please refer to additional information on the gender expansion page of our website.
- Applicants who are not in the target demographic that our organization serves are encouraged to partner with a woman or gender-expansive director.
- If a prospective applicant does not meet the targeted demographic criteria, we will accept and evaluate the application based on merit/strength of the proposed project.
- Be directing their first or second feature-length (48 minutes or longer) documentary or nonfiction (including hybrid docs) film. See below for additional information on how we define this career stage.
- A first-time director has never completed a feature-length documentary/nonfiction film and is currently working on their first feature-length documentary/nonfiction film.
- A second-time director has already completed one feature-length documentary/nonfiction film and is currently working on their second feature-length documentary/nonfiction film.
- A director who has completed one feature-length documentary/nonfiction film and has two works-in-progress is considered a second-time director as long as they have not completed/premiered a second feature documentary/nonfiction film.
- You are still considered a first- or second-time director, even if you have the following experience:
- You have directed multiple shorts or a web series.
- You have directed feature-length narrative film(s)
- You have produced feature-length documentary film(s)
- If you have questions about co-directing teams go to the FAQ: “What if we are co-directors, but the other has made more than two feature-length films?”
- Be based anywhere in the world, except for the countries which are under comprehensive US sanctions, which include: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the following regions of Ukraine: Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk. Further information on why filmmakers based in these countries/regions are ineligible to apply can be found here.
- Legally, Chicken & Egg Pictures is required to comply with these laws, and therefore is not able to engage in financial transactions (i.e. grant disbursements) with any person/entity in any country/territory that is the subject of current comprehensive sanctions administered by the US Government.
- If you are originally from these countries/regions but are based outside of them, you are still eligible to apply.
- Please note: If you are making a film that takes place in one of these countries/regions, you may apply, but you will not be able to spend the grant in such countries/regions.
PROJECT ELIGIBILITY:
Applicants to this grant must submit a project for consideration that meets the following criteria:
- Must be a documentary or nonfiction film (including hybrid docs). VR, interactive, branded content, or fiction films are not eligible.
- Must be intended as a feature-length (48 minutes or longer) film. Short / medium-length films or series are not eligible.
- Must be in early to mid-production at the time of applying:
- We recommend that you apply if you have between 10-60% of your footage shot by the date of application.
- If you are aiming to reach the rough cut stage by the end of 2024 or by the first quarter of 2025, your project is most likely too advanced. The purpose of the (Egg)celerator Lab is to support projects at a stage where they can be actively workshopped and developed over the course of the program year.
- We understand that production timelines are dependent on many factors including funding, and so if you have any questions about the eligibility of your project stage, please reach out to us at [email protected]
- Must be independently produced. Works-for-hire are not eligible, and student films produced in an undergraduate or graduate program are also not eligible.
You do not need a fiscal sponsor to apply for the (Egg)celerator Lab. However, if you are awarded, you must secure a US fiscal sponsor, or be a 501(c)(3), to receive the funds. A fiscal sponsor is a 501(c)(3) organization that shares its tax-exempt status with individual filmmakers, meaning that you are able to accept charitable grants. In exchange for this service, they may take a percentage of the incoming funds. A few examples of 501(c)3 organizations that offer fiscal sponsorships to filmmakers are included here.
For more details about eligibility, please review the full list of FAQs at the end of this page. If you have any questions regarding our open call that are not addressed in the FAQs, you can contact us at [email protected].
The Chicken & Egg Pictures (Egg)celerator Lab for first- and second-time directors is generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, and through general operating support from our wonderful community of donors and grantmakers.
APPLICATION TIMELINE:
- March 21, 2024: 2025 (Egg)celerator Lab application opens.
- May 22, 2024, at 3:00 pm EDT: 2025 (Egg)celerator Lab application deadline
- June – October 2024: Chicken & Egg Pictures reviews applications in a three-round process
- Late October 2024: Chicken & Egg Pictures interviews finalists
- November 2024: Applicants are notified of their application status
- February 2025: (Egg)celerator Lab program year begins with first cohort check-in call
- February – March 2025: Grants disbursed
We kindly ask that you do not email to request an update on your application status. We will update applicants on the status of their application as we move through the reviewing process. The timeline may be subject to change, and we will communicate any significant delays to applicants.
PROGRAM TIMELINE:
- February 2025: Orientation Call (Zoom)
- March/April 2025: Spring Retreat (5 days, in-person – all costs covered by Chicken & Egg Pictures)
- June 2025: Cohort call (Zoom)
- July 2025: Summer Retreat (5 days, in-person – all costs covered by Chicken & Egg Pictures)
- October 2025: Cohort Call (Zoom)
In addition to the group activities outlined above, the program includes monthly one-on-one calls with members of our senior creative team. Each of the ten projects will also receive individualized industry strategy consultations with International Program Consultant Tereza Simikova.
Please note, the program timeline may be subject to change, and any changes will be communicated in November upon acceptance into the program.
ABOUT CHICKEN & EGG PICTURES:
Chicken & Egg Pictures shapes a more equitable and just world with the catalytic power of documentary films by providing funding, mentorship and industry access to a global community of women and gender-expansive filmmakers. Our work is done through an intersectional lens that acknowledges that various forms of inequity often operate together and exacerbate each other, slowing or even halting people’s careers. It is our mission to disrupt and help dismantle these barriers.