Chicken & Egg Pictures, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to supporting women nonfiction filmmakers, 2 weeks ago, announced its 2013 I BELIEVE IN YOU grantees, 5 of them participating in the IFP’s Independent Film Week 2013 Project Forum.
Looking over the list of grant recipients, I immediately noticed Dawn Porter’s name – the director of the intriguing documentary on public defenders, titled Gideon’s Army, which was highlighted on this blog.
Porter’s new project, which will receive funding and other support from Chicken & Egg Pictures, as a grantee, is titled Trapped, and, based on the below brief description, I’m sure will be of great interest to readers of this blog:
In the abortion wars, the fight for the hearts, minds, and bodies of black women may be a decisive factor in America’s fight over the right to choose.
In reference to that synopsis, you might recall, as just one of several, the outdoor advertising anti-abortion billboard in New York City 2 years ago, that pictured a little black girl along with the tagline, ‘The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb.’ As you’d expect, that billboard drew lots of criticism, as yet another example of the pervasive, historical, and persistent attack on the black woman’s body, highlighting a chasm that exists between white women and black women, on the understanding and perception of struggle in this battle over women’s rights.
Needless to say, I’m sure Dawn Porter’s documentary will be raw and illuminating, just as Gideon’s Army is.
Founded in 2005 by award-winning filmmakers and producers Julie Parker Benello, Wendy Ettinger, and Judith Helfand, Chicken & Egg Pictures matches strategically timed grants with creative mentorship to help filmmakers leverage their films during critical production and distribution phases. The organization has awarded over $2.8 million in grants to 145 film projects and has provided over 4,000 hours of mentorship directly to filmmakers.
The list of 5 I BELIEVE IN YOU grantees follows below:
How to Become an Extreme Action Hero directed by Catherine Gund and produced by Catherine Gund and Tanya Selvaratnam. Hero harnesses the forces of action architect and provocateur Elizabeth Streb—colliding her life and work, testifying to the power and necessity of art.In the Middle directed by Lorena Luciano and Filippo Piscopo and produced by Filippo Piscopo. The collision of two epic crises unfolds in small-town Italy, hit by a ferocious economic downturn when African migrants fleeing the Arab revolutions arrive by the thousands, demanding work and visas.She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry directed by Mary Dore and produced by Mary Dore and Nancy Kennedy. Protesters, poets, and shameless hussies! Outrageous, angry, and brave—they fought for their rights and risked everything to bring about a revolution for women.Tough Love directed by Stephanie Wang-Breal (Emmy®-nominated WO AI NI MOMMY) and produced by Stephanie Wang-Breal, Kristi Jacobson, Carrie Weprin, Ursula Liang, and Evan Briggs. Fighting to reunite with their children, Tough Love follows the lives of two parents in their emotional and trying journey through the child welfare system.Trapped written, directed, and executive produced by Dawn Porter (GIDEON’S ARMY). In the abortion wars, the fight for the hearts, minds, and bodies of black women may be a decisive factor in America’s fight over the right to choose.
Films that have received funding and mentorship support from Chicken & Egg Pictures include some familiar titles we’ve covered, like: The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement by Gail Dolgin and Robin Fryday; Call Me Kuchu by Katherine Fairfax-Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall; and Brooklyn Castle by Katie Dellamaggiore.
