The highly esteemed Points North Institute has announced the recipients of its Artists Programs ahead of the 19th Camden Film Festival. Through these programs, the Institute promises to provide funding and connections for various documentary filmmakers of different backgrounds.

According to a Points North press release, these filmmakers will participate in many workshops and screenings, “which culminate in a series of 400+ industry meetings taking place both in person and online.” The Institute boasts that through these programs, ”22 independent film projects…across 17 different countries“ will be produced and give new ways of seeing the world and relating to one another.” All of this will be accomplished in the week leading up to the festival held in coastal Maine.

The four programs offered by the Points North Institute are the Points North Fellowship, North Star Fellowship, LEF/CIFF Fellowship, and 4th World Media Lab. All four groups are used to provide wider opportunities for funding while helping build connections with mentors and possible collaborators. Currently, projects being funded include Andrea Suwito’s A Distant Call (Points North Fellows), Greko Sklavounos’ Sol y mar (North Star Fellows), Sofian Khan’s Karachi Sky (LEF/CIFF Fellows), and Paige Bethmann’s Remaining Native (4th World Media Lab). According to a statement by the Institute, about three-quarters of the recipients are people of color, and “77% [are] directed or co-directed by women or non-binary filmmakers.”

Three of these projects have been selected to be a part of the Diane Weyermann Fellowship. This fellowship will include a $100,000 grant and 18-month mentorship for each filmmaker. These projects have not yet been revealed to the public but will be announced in the following weeks.

In addition to these programs, the upcoming festival will also bring on deck other fellowships like the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) and the American Film Showcase. The BAVC will bring its students to the CIFF for their first convention, and the American Film Showcase will attend with eight international alumni students, who are all producing their documentary features.

When the Institute first launched, they had made it their mission to provide a “launching pad for the next generation of nonfiction storytellers.” Even if the entertainment industry is in turmoil through its current strikes, Points North still looks optimistically to the future of documentary filmmaking through the younger generations and their efforts.