The Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF) has acquired $500,000 from the Doris Duke Basis’s Constructing Bridges Program to offer multi-year assist by a collaborative fellowship with the Sundance Institute, attendance at business occasions (together with April’s Getting Actual convention), and unrestricted funding to filmmaker grantees. It’s the most important single grant the ISF has ever acquired.
The ISF Constructing Bridges Program prize actions began earlier this yr. The Sundance collaboration supported six U.S.-based filmmakers centered on telling Muslim-related tales and can proceed for the subsequent two years, totaling 18 awardees receiving a yearlong structured mentorship program that begins with a “bespoke expertise” of attending Sundance. Pipeline growth continued with ISF filmmakers moreover attending SXSW, CAAMfest, IDA’s Getting Actual, and extra business occasions to return, with screenings, meetups, and convenings sponsored by ISF throughout every competition or convention. Moreover, an unspecified variety of ISF grantees acquired $10,000 every in unrestricted funding.
In a ready assertion, ISF Movie Director Iman Zawahry contextualized this grant in this system’s historical past: “Over the previous 16 years, ISF has confirmed the worth of advancing the careers of filmmakers by tutorial scholarships, mentorship, and opening up doorways to an leisure business that for therefore lengthy has excluded Muslim tales whereas gatekeeping portrayals of the Muslim expertise. We’re so happy with the over hundred filmmakers and initiatives we’ve helped set up up to now. And now, due to Doris Duke Basis’s beneficiant grant doubling our capability, we are going to proceed to uplift Muslim tales and assist elevate Muslim views each on display screen and behind the digital camera.” ISF has supported over 101 filmmakers by 116 scholarships, grants, and mentorships.
“Investing in storytelling about Muslims is important to constructing bridges between communities to foster larger understanding and empathy in the direction of various communities,” mentioned Zeyba Rahman, Director of the Constructing Bridges Program on the Doris Duke Basis. “The Basis is thrilled to assist the continued development of ISF’s movie program, to assist take their filmmakers’ careers to new heights.”
ISF will increase U.S. Muslim illustration in media and authorities to enhance public coverage and public opinion. Up to now, ISF has given away over $3 million {dollars} to packages that assist filmmakers, and aspiring journalists, public curiosity attorneys, and policymakers. The mission of the Doris Duke Basis (DDF) is to construct a extra artistic, equitable and sustainable future by investing in artists and the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical analysis, baby well-being and larger mutual understanding amongst various communities. By way of the Constructing Bridges Program, the DDF works to raise U.S. Muslim tales with the objective of accelerating mutual understanding and well-being amongst various populations for the good thing about constructing stronger, inclusive communities.