SFFILM New American Fellowship
A fellowship from SFFILM supporting immigrant and first-generation American filmmakers developing documentary or narrative feature projects that explore the American experience through new perspectives.
Overview
The SFFILM New American Fellowship was a development fellowship supporting immigrant and first-generation American filmmakers working on documentary or narrative feature projects that bring new perspectives to stories of American life, identity, and community. The fellowship reflected SFFILM's longstanding commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices and to the particular richness that filmmakers with experience between cultures bring to American storytelling.
The program provided selected fellows with development funding, access to SFFILM's professional community, and mentorship from industry professionals aligned with their project's needs.
What It Provided
New American Fellows received:
- Development grant funding toward their documentary or narrative feature project
- Access to SFFILM's filmmaker network, including potential co-producers, distributors, and industry advisors
- Professional development programming through SFFILM's broader makers program
- Connection to other SFFILM grant and fellowship alumni
The fellowship operated within SFFILM's suite of development programs and was designed to be a gateway into SFFILM's broader support ecosystem rather than a standalone intervention. Fellows often went on to apply for SFFILM's production-stage grants, including the Documentary Film Fund and the Rainin Grant.
Eligibility
The fellowship was designed for immigrant filmmakers and first-generation Americans -- those who have direct personal experience of migration, cultural duality, or the particular perspective that comes from navigating between a country of origin and the United States. Both documentary and narrative feature formats were considered.
SFFILM lists the New American Fellowship among its previous grant programs on its website. Filmmakers should check SFFILM's current funding page for active programs that may serve a similar audience.
Who Applied
Immigrant and first-generation American documentary and narrative filmmakers with a feature-length project in development that engages with questions of American identity, community, migration, or belonging from a perspective shaped by lived cross-cultural experience.
See Also
For SFFILM's currently active grants, see the SFFILM Documentary Film Fund and SFFILM Rainin Grant entries. For building a documentary financing strategy, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack.
