Sundance Institute Announces Second Crop of Building Bridges Grants

EXCLUSIVE: The Sundance Institute, the Doris Duke Foundation and the Islamic Scholarship Fund announced the second crop of recipients of their Building Bridges Fellowship, as part of the larger $1 million grant to expand and elevate Muslim storytelling and voices in the entertainment industry , announced in April this year. year.

The fellowship, which revealed its inaugural cohort exclusively at Deadline in spring 2024, aims to provide financial and creative resources in the form of mentorship and networking to support filmmakers, producers and other creatives focused on telling Muslim stories. Both the first and second crop of fellows will gather at the Doris Duke Shangri-La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture and Design in Hawaii for an intensive artistic development retreat guided by Sundance and ISF staff as well as advisors and distinguished local Hawaiian artists. .

Fellows will receive a $10,000 unrestricted artistic grant, a personalized list of services tailored to their project and career goals, a year-long mentorship, Sundance Collab Community Pack, and access to the Sundance Institute’s ELEVATE program. The Building Bridges program seeks to reduce obstructions so that “emerging artists can connect with broader audiences and, ultimately, pave the way for a new generation of filmmakers to enrich our nation’s cultural tapestry and encourage meaningful dialogue around themes common areas of identity, belonging and diversity”.

“At Sundance Institute, we are committed to fostering an inclusive creative ecosystem that amplifies diverse voices and stories,” said Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs, director of the Sundance Institute’s Artist Accelerator and Women at Sundance programs. “The Building Bridges Fellowship is a powerful initiative to elevate U.S. Muslim narratives, and we are excited to support this talented group of artists as they delve deeper into their craft, share their unique perspectives, and create meaningful connections within the industry. This collaboration with the Doris Duke Foundation and the Islamic Scholarship Fund is vital to ensure these important stories reach wider audiences and inspire richer cultural dialogue.”

Programming will cover key areas such as sustainability, cultivating artistic practices, pitching, building creative collaborations and navigating the industry. The advisors are Leila Abu-saada, Rameez Khan and Sameh Zoabi. Local artists include Ualani Davis, ʻIhilani Lasconia, Kauwila Mahi and David Shepard.

“We are pleased to announce our new group of Building Bridges Fellowship artists, each uniquely gifted in their ability to weave varied narratives that explore the greater Muslim experience,” said Zeyba Rahman, Director of the Building Bridges Program at the Doris Foundation Duke. “This inaugural fellowship and gathering in Shangri-La goes beyond mere storytelling; it is a celebration of identity and belonging, through the shared experiences that connect us all. Our commitment as part of the broader Building Bridges Program is to continue investing in creators and culture makers, like Building Bridges Fellows, to ensure their stories have opportunities to be told and also to highlight the universal humanism that unites us. ”

“Since 2009, the Islamic Scholarship Fund has been at the forefront of supporting Muslim filmmakers,” said Iman Zawahry, Director of Film Programs at ISF. “Now in our 15th year, we are proud to continue this mission with the second cohort of the Building Bridges Fellowship. For too long, Muslim storytellers have been ignored, their stories untold and undervalued. Thanks to the generous support of the Doris Duke Foundation and our strong partnership with the Sundance Institute, we are ensuring these filmmakers receive the career and artistic development they need to thrive. We have already witnessed the incredible achievements of our inaugural group and are excited to build on that success.”

The Building Bridges Fellowship is one of several initiatives under the Doris Duke Foundation’s Building Bridges Program, launched in 2007 to combat hate directed at U.S. Muslim communities after 9/11 and to promote mutual understanding. The Building Bridges Fellowship, like the Building Bridges Completion Fund, is part of the Sundance Institute’s Artist Accelerator Program, which works with artists to create a more equitable and sustainable independent film and TV ecosystem.

Selected by a panel that includes representatives from the Sundance Institute and ISF, the second group of 2024 fellows and their projects are:

Mitra B. Alavi, Organized: Mithra B. Alavi is an Iranian-American Muslim comedy writer whose next project, Organizedfollows a 35-year-old Iranian-American woman whose white boyfriend of two years leaves her on her birthday instead of asking her to marry him. Taking matters into her own hands, the protagonist gets drunk, calls her father and asks to date an eligible Iranian bachelor. Mithra wrote on Freeform’s Drunk single woman Season 2 (ep. 206 “Keeping it Professional”), and its previous short film, Three is a crowdwon the Student Emmy Award.

Aqsa Altaf, Sonapur: Aqsa Altaf’s next project Sonapur – which is also part of Gotham Film Market – explores a desperate migrant worker who, in the shadow of Dubai’s imposing skyline, embarks on a perilous journey to recover his confiscated passport, determined to return home in Pakistan before time and your sense of identity disappears. Aqsa is short, American Eidis now streaming on Disney+, and its SXSW short, Far awayis being produced into a resource. Aqsa was raised in Kuwait by South Asian Muslim migrant worker parents.

Khaula Haider Malik, Alien Nation: Khaula’s next project Alien Nation is a hybrid documentary that tells the story of a middle-aged Pakistani couple who spot what they believe to be a UFO outside their window. They then embark on a road trip across America, meeting other people along the way who also pose the question: are we not alone in the universe? Khaula, who co-produced the Emmy-nominated film Girls State and was an HBO/Gotham Fellow in 2023, born in Lahore, Pakistan.

Kausar Mohammed, Exoristers: Kausar Mohammed is a writer/actor who works in comedy, horror, and the spaces in between. Your next project, Exoristersfollows three Pakistani-American sisters who, after the death of their grandfather, must repair their frayed relationships when they inherit not only the family duty of performing exorcisms for the Muslim community, but the supernatural abilities that come with it. Your weird romantic comedy, Syed Family Game Night on Christmas Evepremiered at TIFF and was acquired for TV. Her work has been acclaimed in Vogue, Huffington Post, NBC and more.

Fatima Wardy, White Musk: Fatima Wardy is a Sudanese and British filmmaker currently based in Austin, Texas. Her work focuses on diasporic existence and how displacement from home generates connections and disconnections in the daily lives of immigrants. Fátima’s next project, White Muskfollows a young Sudanese Muslim woman who faces the complexities of caring for her dying mother while balancing her own life and desires.

Habib Yazdi, When Pluto was a planet: Habib Yazdi is an Iranian-American comedy director and writer shaped by his upbringing in rural Texas, where his family’s Persian traditions collided with a Southern Baptist community. Your next project, When Pluto was a planetfollows Kaveh who, faced with increasing pressure to marry, can no longer oscillate between the carefree lifestyle of his friends and religiously ingrained ideas of family and responsibility. Their worlds collide one weekend in the Hamptons during the height of summer heat.