Fledgling Fellowship in Documentary Film at The MacDowell Colony

About the Project

An international arts center based in rural New Hampshire, The MacDowell Colony provides an ideal environment for filmmakers and other artists at all stages of their careers to create their best work. Within the diverse artist community at MacDowell, documentary filmmakers are perhaps the most directly engaged with the definitive concerns of our times. Whether exploring issues of poverty, war, the economy, immigration, healthcare, faith, environmental justice, or scientific discovery, the footage they bring to the Colony is often central to the global dialogue on their subjects and offers important perspectives to a wide viewership. MacDowell residencies are especially suited for documentary work, providing time, space, and freedom to flesh out narratives, edit raw footage, and assemble content into complete works.

The Fledgling Fund Fellowship covers all costs of this experience for a documentary filmmaker engaged in innovative work that explores social issues. Resident artists receive exclusive use of a self-contained studio, all meals and accommodations, and the benefits of working in a dynamic multidisciplinary community of artists. The opportunity for creative exchange often leads to important breakthroughs, creative growth, and long-term partnerships for filmmakers and their projects. In addition to Fellowship support, MacDowell provides more than $120,000 annually in direct financial aid for artists who otherwise would not be able to take the time off for a residency.

Since adding filmmaking as a dedicated discipline in 1971, MacDowell has awarded Fellowships to more than 250 film and video artists from all over the world. These residencies have had a hand in award-winning documentary films featured on PBS and HBO and in theaters and classrooms worldwide. Among the exceptionally talented documentary filmmakers who have worked at the Colony are Sam Green, Heiko Kalmbach, Aviva Kempner, Anne Makepeace, David Petersen, Laura Poitras, and Jessica Yu. While these artists have gone on to great success in film, the majority of Colony Fellows are emerging artists just beginning to make breakthroughs in their fields.

The residency experience also gives filmmakers the opportunity to make an immediate impact on public audiences in the Colony’s neighboring communities through several outreach programs. Medal Day, MacDowell’s annual open house, recognizes the outstanding lifetime achievement of major artists and opens the Colony’s studios to the public. Over the past decade, these programs and other outreach initiatives have engaged more than 25,000 youth and adults in lively dialogues about creativity and the social impact of contemporary art.

The Fledgling Fund Impact

The Fledgling Fund is committed to making sure our grantees, and the film industry more broadly, has opportunities for growth and learning. The MacDowell Colony provides a haven for reflection and sharing that is a real gift to the field. We are pleased to provide this support.