From the Executive Director
Act Up, Fight Back
Bill T. Jones is one of my heroes. This Black History Month, I spent some time immersing myself in his work; the way he moves, the way he writes (check out Last Night on Earth), and the terrific documentary, Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters (by Tom Hurwitz and Rosalynde LeBlanc). I’ve been thinking about the AIDS crisis and the fierce activists from Act Up fighting for our collective survival. I am not giving up my life to this current politics of disaster. And it is a disaster. I plan to show up for what I believe in and care for those around me. I will speak up even when my age, or gender, or ethnicity might cause others to expect my silence. Thank you, Bill. T. Jones. The Alliance has been busy this month as usual: researching and prototyping ethical AI-strategies and rubrics for a new Digital Community Archive platform sponsoring Arts2Work programs with the Tribal Media Center in Colorado, Watts Labor Community Action Committee, Joe’s Movement Emporium and Action Youth Media in Baltimore, and the Philly Youth Media Collaborative activating field-wide conversations on justice reform and creative youth development with our Communities of Practice planning Creative Producing Labs focused on the Art of Nonfiction for summer 2025 producing a pop-up Doc Fest in Spokane, WA featuring Borderland The Line Within and Acts of Reparation Please be well, support the Alliance, connect with friends and neighbors, and make rebellious works of art.
Wendy
wendy@thealliance.media
Notes from the Field
Submissions are Open for the BlackStar Film Festival
The BlackStar Film Festival, which features films that prioritize the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color, is currently accepting submissions for its upcoming event. Filmmakers at all levels of experience are welcome to submit, with categories including narrative, documentary, and experimental films. The festival will take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from July 31st through August 3rd in-person at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Suzanne Roberts Theatre, and the Wilma Theater, as well as streaming online. For more details and to submit your film, visit the BlackStar Film Festival Submission page.
Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture Presents Afrofuturism: A History of Black Future
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture’s wide-spanning exhibition on the futurist vision within African American Culture is currently on display at the institution with an in-depth collection of information and media available online. The exhibit explores the contributions of artists, writers, and musicians like Sun Ra, Octavia Butler, and Janelle Monáe in envisioning liberatory black futures.
Grants and Calls
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Grants
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts offers various funding opportunities for U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organizations, including Exhibition Support for innovative contemporary art presentations, Curatorial Research Fellowships for developing new projects, and Multi-Year Program Support for sustained visual arts programming
Deadline: March 1st
Doc Society Climate Story Fund
Up to $125,000 in funding is available to aid in the completion of production for nonfiction films addressing climate justice issues through the Doc Society Climate Story Fund. The fund is specifically looking for narratives that come from underrepresented communities engaged in creating climate solutions.
Deadline: March 10th
Sundance Institute | Sandbox Fund
The Sundance Institute’s Sandbox Fund provides non-recoupable grants and artist support for independent nonfiction filmmakers with projects that use storytelling to explore the connection between science and culture.
Deadline: March 10th
Roy W. Dean Film Grants
The 2025 Roy W. Dean Spring Grant, provided by From the Heart Productions, offers $3,500 in cash and a range of professional resources to independent filmmakers with a unique vision, whose work contributes to society, and who could have difficulty finding funding otherwise.
Deadline: March 31st
Job Bank
New York International Children’s Film Festival, February 28th–March 16th, New York, NY South by Southwest (SXSW) Film & TV Festival, March 7th–15th, Austin, TX Ann Arbor Film Festival, March 25th–30th, Ann Arbor, MI Cleveland International Film Festival, March 27th–April 5th, Cleveland, OH Garden State Film Festival, March 27th–30th, Cranford and Asbury Park, NJ Annapolis Film Festival, March 27th–30th, Annapolis, MD |
Media Policy Watch
Last week, the Trump administration imposed a wide range of restrictions on the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), continuing its efforts to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs from the federal government through two Executive Orders. On Monday, the NEA received a directive from the White House Office of Management and Budget requiring that all federally funded arts programs must align with “traditional American values.” The directive prohibits organizations from promoting “gender ideology” and bans programs that use racial quotas.
In response to the Executive Order, over 400 artists signed an open letter urging the NEA to refuse compliance with these new regulations. This is not the first time the NEA has faced pressure to withhold funding on ideological grounds. In 1990, a group known as the NEA Four was formed after Congress passed a clause that led to grant rejections based on the concept of “decency.” Performance artist Holly Hughes, one of the NEA Four, spoke to Hyperallergic last week about the recent Executive Order, stating, “The two targets of these restrictions—queer and trans artists, as well as the broader communities affected by anti-DEI language—are being targeted across all forms of public funding.”
In line with Trump’s efforts to control arts institutions, Deborah Rutter, who had served as president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the past decade, was dismissed from her position. Many of the organization’s board members were also replaced with individuals loyal to Trump. She spoke about the experience two weeks ago in an interview with NPR where she expressed a deep concern for the future of arts institutions.
Workshops, Festivals, Convenings
Head of Cinema The Barbican Centre, London, England
Vice President of Marketing & Communications Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville, TN
Dean, College of Arts, Media and Design Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Director of Development Points North Institute, Maine (Hybrid )