RELEASE: The Future of Film is Female Announces its Grant Recipients for their The FOFIF Short Film Fund FALL 2022 Grant.

New York, New York - February 24, 2023 - The Future Of Film Is Female (The FOFIF), the NYC based non-profit dedicated to amplifying the work of all women and non-binary filmmakers, announces its FALL 2022 Short Film Fund recipients. This round marks a total of 52 projects supported by The FOFIF in the organization’s first five years!

Two filmmakers will receive $1000 financial grants: Nicole Otero for production on her short film WAIT FOR NIGHT and Abby Harri for post-production on her short SIDE HUSTLE. Jalena Keane-Lee receives post-production sound services from Heard City (valued at $16,000) for BARRIO CHINO HAVANA. Francesca Mirabella receives color correction services from Nice Shoes for BOMB while Ivete Lucas also receives color correction services from Irving Harvey for THE PASSING (each valued at $20,000).

“I’m tremendously proud to welcome these five filmmakers into The FOFIF family. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Jalena, Francesca, and Ivete, previously with screenings at MoMA and Nitehawk Cinema. And I have greatly admired the work as an editor that Nicole has done and Abby’s casting for films like WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR. To now be able to help further getting these filmmakers work in front of audiences is an honor for our organization.” - Caryn Coleman, Founder of The FOFIF

Founded in 2018, The FOFIF awards financial grants and post-production grants with partners Heard City, Nice Shoes, and Irving Harvey, two times a year. Previous Short Film Fund recipients including Crystal Kayiza whose FOFIF supported short, REST STOP, won Best Narrative Short Film at Sundance and Raven Jackson whose ALL DIRT ROADS TASTE OF SALT with A24 premiered at Sundance this year.

Read the full list of 2022 Spring Short Film Fund recipients below:

Jalena Keane-Lee - BARRIO CHINO HAVANA
HEARD CITY Post Production (sound editing and mixing) Grant.
BARRIO CHINO HAVANA bears witness to how the last of the original Chinese immigrants in Cuba strive to keep their legacy alive through art in Havana’s fading Chinatown.

Francesca Mirabella - BOMB
NICE SHOES Post Production (color mixing) Grant.
BOMB tells the story of two life-long friends Cash and Dallas whose, when things take a turn after they discover an undetonated Bomb from the Boer War, friendship and who they are will never be the same.

Nicole Otero - WAIT FOR NIGHT
Production Financial Grant for splinter unit.
WAIT FOR NIGHT is a triptych of loss in America’s Southwest as two siblings return to their late father’s house for the last time, but they encounter an already unfamiliar environment in the place that holds their past.

Abby Harri - SIDE HUSTLE
Post-production Financial Grant for color and sound mixing.
SIDE HUSTLE follows a day and night in the life of Eden, a dancer in New York City who pays the bills with financial support from her sugar daddy. Documentary interviews with sugar babies and sex workers weave diegetically into Eden's fictional story through her consumption and interaction with social media, contextualizing her experience within a community of voices.

Ivete Lucas - THE PASSING
IRVING HARVEY Post Production (color mixing) Grant.
The film records the unique medical practice of an “Old Austin” house call veterinarian Dr. Michael Mullins on the day his neighbor and good friend Cindy has reached the difficult decision that it is time for Michael to end the life of her 17 year old dog, Fiona.

About The Future Of Film Is Female: The Future of Film is Female amplifies the work of all women filmmakers through its funding, exhibition, and promotion programs. Our mission to support filmmakers early in their career is achieved through our grant program for short films, our unique programming commitment to theatrical representation of films by women, our community building with women in the industry to facilitate necessary culture change. We also ensure equal representation of BIWOC within all of our programs and are committed to creating industry-wide partnerships to work in solidarity towards an equitable future of film.

For any questions, please contact Caryn Coleman at future@futureoffilmisfemale.com.