Reel Sisters Micro Budget Film Fellowship offers women of color a chance for $5000 to produce a short film or web series pilot!
DEADLINE: March 8, 2025
Announcement: May 12, 2025
Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series, the first Academy qualifying festival devoted to women filmmakers, will offer you an opportunity to produce a short film or pilot for your web series!
You will receive $5,000 to produce a short film or the first episode of your web series, which you can use as a calling card to attract a producer and other film opportunities. You will be guided on your journey in learning the art of creating a high-quality micro budget short film. Story is Queen.
Be prepared to begin production and shooting of your film or web series project shortly after you are selected as a Reel Sisters Fellow!
Genres: Animation, Documentary, Narrative, Comedy & Sci-Fi.
You will retain full production and copyrights to your film. You must include Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series in your production credits as a supporter.
The pilot episode of your web series or short film will air on Reel Sisters Tea & Cinema virtual series and have a world premiere in our annual international Oscar qualifying film festival. If you are unable to commit to a world premiere with Reel Sisters, please do not apply for this opportunity.
Eligibility: Script must be written or co-written by a woman of color and non-binary filmmakers of color. Reel Sisters will accept submissions by women of African, Caribbean, Latina, Asian, Indian and Native American Descent. Please include your ethnicity in the application to confirm your eligibility. We encourage writing teams to apply.
Application Fee: $25 (Reading fee for processing your application).
FELLOWSHIP
- $5,000 to direct and produce the first episode of your micro budget film.
- Announced as the Winner on Reel Sisters & African Voices websites. A feature will also be published in African Voices magazine.
- Your Web Series Pilot will premiere on Reel Sisters Tea & Cinema online series and your film will have a world premiere in our annual film festival.
- Under the guidance of a mentor, you will revise your production schedule and begin development.
- Full scholarship to Scriptwriting Essentials: The Art of Creating Strong Female Characters™ (Instruction value: $800). Any script revisions will be done in our workshop series.
- One on one consultation with mentors who will guide you in how to produce your first micro budget film.
- Reel Sisters will assist in securing distribution opportunities and marketing support.
- One Year Membership to African Voices/Reel Sisters (Includes free magazine subscription and discount to our programs).
REEL SISTERS APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Your application must include the following information to be complete. Thank you for submitting your film or web series project in consideration for our Reel Sisters Micro Budget Film Fellowship!
Please submit the information as a PDF document with your mailing information, contact number and email address via Film Freeway with your script.
Introduction (700 words max): Briefly tell us about your journey as a storyteller. Share information about what led you to writing and filmmaking as a career. Share your inspiration for creating the web series and the audience you would like to reach. Describe how the Reel Sisters Micro Budget Film Fellowship would make a difference in your career.
LOGLINE (75 words max): a one to two-sentence description of the story.
SYNOPSIS (350 words max): brief summary of the plot of the script. Please include all major characters and story points, including the ending.
PILOT Web Series Screenplay (no longer than 15 pages)
- Length – no longer than fifteen (15) pages. This does not include the title page.
- Limited to one (1) main location (INT or EXT). If you use more than one location, explain in your application any donated space or ability to accommodate additional locations on a micro budget project.
- Written in English (Translated scripts are welcomed as long as you are the author).
- Writing teams are welcomed but one member must be a woman of color.
- Include a title page displaying only title of screenplay and name of credited writer(s)
- Submit only original screenplays. The rights must be wholly original with and owned by the writer
- Submit as a pdf file and must meet all standard screenplay format guidelines
- Include 1 page draft of your Production Schedule. It will be revised if you are accepted as a Fellow.
Submissions will be evaluated with the following criteria:
- PLOT: Create compelling richly textured characters. Films with strong female roles are encouraged.
- CHARACTERS: Quirky and original characters that are relatable. Give us three dimensional protagonists and antagonists. PRO TIP: “Every villain has someone who loves him,” Steve Carter, playwright.
- ORIGINALITY: Create bold characters that the world has not seen before. Take risks and experiment with visual and written language on the screen and page. Hook the viewer in the first five pages of your script.
ABOUT AFRICAN VOICES & REEL SISTERS
African Voices strives to transform the world one story at a time by creating a space for audiences to experience art, literature and film by artists of color. Founded in 1992, African Voices’ mission is carried out through public programs and the publication of a national literary magazine devoted to showcasing writers and artists from the African Diaspora. Scriptwriting Essentials & The Art of Creating Strong Female Characters™ is a trademark of Reel Sisters, established by African Voices in 1997.
Reel Sisters is the first Academy Qualifying Film Festival for narrative shorts devoted to women filmmakers. Reel Sisters is listed number 3 on Film Daily’s top 10 list of women-centered film festivals. Reel Sisters will celebrate its 28th Anniversary in 2025.
Each year, African Voices provides artistic services to 5,000 artists of color and young people throughout New York City and the tri-state area. For additional information, visit www.africanvoices.com.