Red Deer filmmakers receive documentary grants
The Storyhive grant program has awarded three Red Deer creators funding to film documentaries on local heroes.
Adam Jasper will use the funding to create a documentary about Jan Underwood of the Central Alberta Refugee Effort (CARE) and her efforts to help new arrivals deal with trauma. The film will be entitled “A Refugee’s Refuge – C. A. R. E.” Another grant recipient is Linda Pidhirney, whose film “Anonymous Heroes” will deal with people across central Alberta who have been helped by unknown benefactors. Jessica Swainson’s “Jason and Me” will document her friendship with Red Deer resident Jason Steele.
The Storyhive grant, now in its 19th round, is sponsored by communications company TELUS and gives grassroots creators $20,000 in funding, as well as mentorship from the National Screen Institute and help with distribution. This year’s theme for documentaries was Local Heroes, and it saw 40 awards given to filmmakers in Alberta and British Columbia.
Past rounds of Storyhive grants have awarded funds to creators in a variety of genres, ranging from podcasts to virtual reality. The program has awarded over $11 million to 512 projects since 2013. Such cash support can go a long way for locally made documentaries, which often use tools like poster printing and online streaming platforms to raise their profile and compete with bigger budget efforts.
Jasper, Pidhirney and Swainson were announced as Storyhive recipients in January, and they will complete their films over the following six months.
Adam Jasper will use the funding to create a documentary about Jan Underwood of the Central Alberta Refugee Effort (CARE) and her efforts to help new arrivals deal with trauma. The film will be entitled “A Refugee’s Refuge – C. A. R. E.” Another grant recipient is Linda Pidhirney, whose film “Anonymous Heroes” will deal with people across central Alberta who have been helped by unknown benefactors. Jessica Swainson’s “Jason and Me” will document her friendship with Red Deer resident Jason Steele.
The Storyhive grant, now in its 19th round, is sponsored by communications company TELUS and gives grassroots creators $20,000 in funding, as well as mentorship from the National Screen Institute and help with distribution. This year’s theme for documentaries was Local Heroes, and it saw 40 awards given to filmmakers in Alberta and British Columbia.
Past rounds of Storyhive grants have awarded funds to creators in a variety of genres, ranging from podcasts to virtual reality. The program has awarded over $11 million to 512 projects since 2013. Such cash support can go a long way for locally made documentaries, which often use tools like poster printing and online streaming platforms to raise their profile and compete with bigger budget efforts.
Jasper, Pidhirney and Swainson were announced as Storyhive recipients in January, and they will complete their films over the following six months.