2012 has been a good year thus far for director Yoruba Richen and her work-in-progress feature documentary titled The New Black.

As we announced in April, she was honored with the Creative Promise Award at Tribeca All Access for her explosive new documentary, The New Black – an upcoming project we've profiled here on S&A.

Yvonne Whelbon and Angela Tucker are listed as producers.

The New Black is a documentary that "uncovers the complicated histories of the African-American and LGBT civil-rights movements," as the short, simple description reads (its Facebook page describes it "an explosive new documentary about race, sexuality and the church"), and it was one of 5 documentaries selected to receive $10,000 in grant money from the Tribeca Film Institute.

Now add a Guggenheim Fellowship to Richen's resume, as she was recently selected as one of 2012's recipients. 

Guggenheim Fellowships are grants to selected individuals made for a minimum of six months and a maximum of twelve months. Since the purpose of the Guggenheim Fellowship program is to help provide Fellows with blocks of time in which they can work with as much creative freedom as possible, grants are made freely. No special conditions attach to them, and Fellows may spend their grant funds in any manner they deem necessary to their work. 

The amounts of grants vary, and the Foundation does not guarantee it will fully fund any project. Working with a fixed annual budget, the Foundation strives to allocate its funds as equitably as possible, taking into consideration the Fellows' other resources and the purpose and scope of their plans.

The New Black's Facebook page says it'll be completed by 2013.

Congratulations Yoruba! I'm sure this is a film we'll be talking about next year, when it's done and traveling the film festival circuit.