Caroline Waterlow, Joslyn Barnes, Marilyn Ness, Robert Greene Among Recipients of IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund Production Grants

IDA announces $850,000 in grants; John Battsek, Nomi Talisman, Dee Hibbert-Jones among other grantees

Some of the top names in documentary film are celebrating the announcement of grants from the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund.

The IDA fund will disburse $850,000 to a dozen nonfiction projects, ranging from producer Caroline Waterlow's upcoming Untitled Annie Mae Aquash Documentary, directed by Michelle Latimer, to director Robert Greene's Untitled Missouri Priests Film. Waterlow won an Academy Award for producing O.J.: Made in America; Greene's award-winning work includes Bisbee '17 and Kate Plays Christine.

Directors Nomi Talisman and Dee Hibbert-Jones earned support for their animated feature documentary project Run With It. The filmmaking team was recognized with an Oscar nomination for their 2015 animated short documentary Last Day of Freedom.

What they share in common are sophisticated and nuanced approaches that are as insightful as they are gripping.

--Carrie Lozano, director of the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund, on this year's grantees

Emmy-winning producer John Battsek (Searching for Sugar Man) got production backing for his documentary project Israel and the Evangelical Christians (working title). Maya Zinshtein is directing and producing that film, described as "an in depth look into the bond between Evangelical Christians and the Jewish State. Set in Israel and the USA, the film weaves together stories of individuals from two initially separate communities as they intersect to reveal a unique faith based alliance."

​Marilyn Ness, director of the 2018 Oscar-shortlisted documentary Charm City, is producing IDA Enterprise Doc Fund grantee  Untitled Jamie Boyle Project, directed by Jamie Boyle. "Spanning over 30 years," the IDA writes, "the Untitled Jamie Boyle Project interweaves the filmmaker's personal story with one of the most pressing social issues of our time."

An image from "Untitled Jamie Boyle Project." Photo courtesy IDA

Joslyn Barnes, the Oscar-nominated producer of Hale County This Morning, This Evening and Strong Island, received support for her producing project Democrats II, directed by Camilla Nielsson. The film looks at Zimbabwe at a political crossroads after the ouster of longtime dictator Robert Mugabe. [See the complete list of this year's grantees below].

“These films, which were selected through an extensive review process, examine their subjects with a depth and artistry that is truly remarkable,” said Carrie Lozano, director of the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund. “While they are crafting radically different stories, what they share in common are sophisticated and nuanced approaches that are as insightful as they are gripping, provoking audiences to contemplate the contradictions and  complexities of the modern world.”  ​

​The mission of the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund is to "support in-depth explorations of original, contemporary stories that integrate journalistic practice into the filmmaking process." Since its inception in 2017, the fund has made almost $3 million in grants. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation provides major financial support for the funding program. The Jonathan Logan Family Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association provide additional support. 

The full list of documentaries earning grants from the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund:

• Democrats II (Camilla Nielsson, director; Joslyn Barnes, producer; Signe Byrge Sørensen, producer)
  
• Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (Michèle Stephenson, director/producer; Joe Brewster, director/producer)
• Mayor (David Osit, director/producer)
• Reentry (working title) (Jennifer Redfearn, director/producer; Tim Metzger, producer)
• Run With It (Nomi Talisman, director/producer; Dee Hibbert-Jones, director/producer; Amilca Palmer, producer)
• Israel and the Evangelical Christians (Working Title) (Maya Zinshtein, director/producer; Abraham Troen, producer; John Battsek, producer)
• Untitled Annie Mae Aquash Documentary (Michelle Latimer, director; Caroline Waterlow, producer; Amy Kaufman, producer)
• Untitled Criminal Justice/High School Project (Maisie Crow, director/producer; Heidi Reinberg, producer)
• Untitled De-documented Salvadorans  (Nina Alvarez, director/producer)
• Untitled Jamie Boyle Project (Jamie Boyle, director/producer; Marilyn Ness, producer; Elizabeth Westrate, producer)
• Untitled Missouri Priests Film (Robert Greene, director; Douglas Tirola, producer; Susan Bedusa, producer; Bennett Elliott, producer)
• Users (Natalia Almada, director/producer; Josh Penn, producer; Elizabeth Lodge Stepp, producer)