Filmmaker Ava DuVernay's non-profit foundation Array Alliance has kickstarted a USD 250,000 funding initiative for organisations and individuals that focus on narrative change by people of colour and women of all kinds.
According to Deadline, the fund will support film festivals and screening series impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
The idea is to provide financial support to grassroots entities that serve as a cultural catalyst for pushing the envelope with storytelling.
Unrestricted grants of USD 10,000 have been awarded to 14 inaugural honourees that serve African American, Latinx, Asian American, Native American, multi-ethnic and women-centric film communities: BronzeLens Film Festival, Cine Latino Film Festival, IllumiNative, Sankofa Film Society, Gary International Black Film Festival, UrbanWorld Festival, Cinema Sala, Lumbee Film Festival, Indigenous Film Festival, Black Femme Supremacy Film Festival, Visual Communications, ImageNation, Cinema Detroit and the Houston Museum of African American Culture.
Grants were also presented to The Sarah Jones Film Foundation and to Wilson Morales of BlackFilm.com.
DuVernay, known for Oscar-nominated film "Selma" and documentary "13th" and, Netflix limited series "When They See Us", founded Array as a multi-platform media company and arts collective in 2012.