Flies Collective Film Grant

Overview

The Flies Collective Film Grant is a filmmaker-to-filmmaker grant program run by Flies Collective, a Brooklyn-based production company founded in 2012 by Daniel Patrick Carbone, Zachary Shedd, and Matthew Petock. The company's own films include Hide Your Smiling Faces (2013 Berlinale selection), Phantom Cowboys, Collective:Unconscious, A Little Closer, Americana, and Chained for Life (theatrically released via Kino Lorber in 2019). The grant launched in 2017 as a way to redirect the company's resources toward independent filmmakers making work that does not fit the parameters of traditional grants.

The grant is unusual in the independent film funding landscape because of its explicit "no-strings-attached" philosophy. Flies Collective does not take producer credit, does not require creative input, and does not attach distribution rights to the funding. The money goes to the filmmaker to use as they see fit on their project. This is rare. Most production grants come with expectations: a producer credit, a distribution deal, a deliverable requirement, or a fiscal sponsor arrangement. Flies Collective strips all of that away.

If you are an independent filmmaker making a narrative, documentary, or experimental short or feature that takes creative risks outside what commercial structures will fund, this grant was built for you. Check fliescollective.com/film-grant for current cycle status.

What It Funds

The grant supports independent filmmakers at the development and production stages. Both short films and feature-length projects are eligible. The grant accepts projects across narrative, documentary, and experimental forms, including work that sits at the intersection of those modes. Projects do not need to fit a conventional genre category to be competitive.

Funded activities include any production or development cost the filmmaker identifies: pre-production, shooting, post-production, equipment, crew, travel, or materials. The grant is unrestricted within the project. Flies Collective does not dictate how the funds are spent.

Historically, the total grant pool per cycle has ranged from $10,000 to $20,000, split among multiple recipients. The number of recipients per cycle has varied from 2 to 5.

Historical Award Data

The Flies Collective Film Grant has run multiple cycles since 2017. Here is what the public record shows:

2017 (Inaugural Cycle): 4 winners split more than $13,000. Over 200 applications received.

• Nettles (Raven Jackson) - narrative short
• Where The Boys Are (Joshua Gleason) - narrative feature
• The Cure For Fear (Lana Wilson) - documentary short
• The Earthenware Head (Jared Hutchinson) - narrative feature

2018 (Second Cycle): 5 winners shared grant funds. Over 500 submissions received.

• Feyatey (Jessica Beshir) - experimental documentary feature. This project evolved into the feature Faya Dayi (2021), which premiered at Sundance and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Distributed by Janus Films.

• Pillars (Haley Anderson) - narrative short
• Don't Ever Let Go (Fabian Molina) - animated short
• Who Can Predict What Will Move You (Livia Huang) - narrative short
• A Black Rift Begins to Yawn (Matthew Wade) - narrative feature

2019 (Third Cycle): 4 winners received nearly $20,000 total. Nearly 400 submissions reviewed.

• Familiar Touch (Sarah Friedland) - narrative feature. Later released by Music Box Films in 2024.

• Chuj Boys of Summer (Max Walker-Silverman) - narrative short. Walker-Silverman later directed the feature A Love Song (2022), which premiered at Sundance and was distributed by Bleecker Street.
• Seeds (Brittany Shyne) - documentary feature
• Space Lady (Sophia Feuer) - documentary short

2022 Cycle: 2 winners selected.

• Tomahawk Springs (Ramzi Bashour) - narrative feature
• Valley of the Tall Grass (Masami Kawai) - narrative feature

As of 2017 through 2019, Flies Collective reported having awarded nearly $50,000 total to filmmakers including Raven Jackson, Lana Wilson, Jessica Beshir, Matthew Wade, and Haley Elizabeth Anderson.

Current Status

The Flies Collective Film Grant's most recent publicly announced cycle was in 2022. As of July 2026, there is no public confirmation of whether the grant will run another cycle. The Flies Collective website at fliescollective.com/film-grant is the authoritative source for current status. Filmmakers should check the website directly before planning around this grant.

This is a small, filmmaker-funded grant run by a production company, not a foundation or institution. That means the grant schedule is flexible and dependent on the company's own production cycle and capacity. Unlike institutional grants with fixed annual deadlines, Flies Collective may skip years or change the cycle structure without formal announcement.

Eligibility

The grant is aimed at independent filmmakers, with a focus on emerging and mid-career artists whose work reflects genuine creative independence. Key eligibility points based on historical cycles:

• Open to filmmakers in the United States (historically Brooklyn- and New York-oriented, but not restricted to NYC)
• Both short films and feature-length projects are eligible
• Narrative, documentary, and experimental forms are all accepted
• No restriction on prior credits: first-time filmmakers and experienced directors are both eligible
• Applicants must show a "demonstrable need" for funding to qualify
• No fiscal sponsor requirement has been historically enforced

The fund values projects that demonstrate a clear artistic vision and a commitment to taking the film in a direction that larger, risk-averse funding structures would not support. The absence of a track record is not disqualifying if the project materials show compelling creative ambition.

What Makes a Competitive Application

Based on the projects Flies Collective has funded across its cycles, the selection committee favors:

• Work with a distinctive visual or structural approach that does not follow conventional narrative or documentary templates
• Projects that take creative risks that commercial production structures would not support
• Filmmakers who can articulate why this specific project needs this specific kind of unrestricted funding
• Projects where the filmmaker has a clear personal or artistic connection to the material

The selection committee has historically included Flies Collective principals alongside rotating guest reviewers who are themselves working filmmakers. Past reviewers have included Anna Rose Holmer, Michael Raisler, Raven Jackson (a 2017 grant recipient), Saela Davis, Christopher Makoto Yogi, Lance Edmands, and Haley Elizabeth Anderson.

Who Should Apply

Independent filmmakers working in narrative, documentary, or experimental forms whose projects are defined by creative risk and unconventional storytelling. The grant is particularly suited to filmmakers whose work does not easily fit the thematic or structural requirements of more specialized grant programs, and who want support from an organization that values artistic independence above commercial viability.

Because the grant is small and its cycle schedule is irregular, filmmakers should not rely on it as a primary funding source. Treat it as a potential supplement to a broader financing strategy. If the grant is active when your project is in development or production, apply. If it is dormant, move on to other funders and check back.

See Also

For independent filmmakers planning production budgets, the Production Schedule Calculator helps structure a realistic timeline. For short film production specifically, the Shot List Generator supports pre-production planning. For an overview of independent film financing and how small grants fit into a broader funding stack, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack.