MacArthur Foundation | Documentary Grant

by MacArthur Foundation
(USA, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia)

MacArthur's goal in media grantmaking is to provide the public with high-quality, professionally-produced documentary films, deep and analytical journalism, and well-produced news and public affairs programming.

In a media environment characterized by proliferating information sources of varying degrees of reliability, the Foundation seeks to support serious, fact-based journalism for television, radio and the web, the type of original reporting that is likely to be blogged about, linked to, tweeted, and otherwise circulated throughout the Internet.

Programs supported by the Foundation inform and educate their viewers about important and under-reported topics, provide balance and accurate information, encourage global conversations, and use technology to tell stories in engaging and interactive ways.

Documentary Funding

MacArthur supports U.S.-based independent documentary filmmakers for the production and distribution of social-issue documentary films intended for a broad audience.

The program seeks to fund documentary film projects that address the significant social challenges of our time or explore important but under-reported topics. Domestic and international topics are welcome; preference will be given to projects that align with one of MacArthur's grantmaking areas. Support will be provided primarily for production and post-production activities (though some of the funds may be used for pre-production or outreach activities). Documentary stories that will be told both in film and a second medium are especially encouraged.

This is a highly selective process. The Foundation funds only 8-12 documentary film projects each year. Grants will be made to experienced filmmakers based in the U.S. Projects funded by the Foundation are expected to reach a national U.S. television broadcast. The typical MacArthur documentary film grant is $100,000 to $200,000.

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Feb 13, 2013

first peasent strike in India
by: shyam ranjankar

Proposed Documentary film on
History of land reforms in Maharashtra
while India was struggling for the freedom from british rule, farmers from Konkan region were struggling for freedom from feudal lordship [ Khoti ] in the konkan region. The little known / or deleberately kept neglected chapter in indian peasents movement was strike of Chari.

This is the important struruggle of farmers. The little known strike of Chari, this was the only and longest and sucessful strike, lead under leadership of Dr. Ambedkar. As Dr. Ambedkar was visiting Mahad for his famous Mahad satyagraha. He came to know about the conditions of the farmers in Konkan region. He came to know about the horifying stories about the fuedal lords, commiting rapes and exploiting the peasents. Consequently some of the landlords were murdered. Dr. Ambedkar got in to this issue with his intellectual strength. Few other social reformers were there to stand firmly behind him. Com. R B More. Was one from dalit community. Narayan Nago Patil was from Aagri community. But two of the leaders were Khots, Surba nana Tipnis and Bhai Anant Chitre were feudal lords. They gave up their trditional right as land lords, they gave away their land to the tenents. They joined hands with Dr Ambedkar. The famous chari strike continued for more than seven long years.
. As a result a commission was appointed and which laid foundation of the tenency act.

Some how this important chapter is deleberately hidden or very little spoken about. Communists do not speak about it, because it is not part of their history. Mahar’s do not speak about it because they feel proud talking about Ambedkar as masiha of dalits.
We would like to throw more light on this important chaper from Dr. Ambedkar’s life. Whole lot of documets are available. We intend to make a research base documentary film on Dr. Ambedkar’s struggle against Khoti. We plan to interview some of the scholors and intellectuals and political analysts and activists.
Makingthis documentary will be a real tribute to ambedkar who took up the real issue of sons of this soil.
Length : approx. 120 Mins.
Format : Video
Budget ; Approx. 3500000/-
Production time : approx one year.
Research and Script : Rajesh Pawar, Subodh More, Shyam Ranjankar
Direction : Shyam Ranjankar

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