The Transgender Film Center, a new nonprofit organization established to support transgender filmmakers with resources and opportunities for their projects, announced its first initiative, the Transgender Film Center’s Trailblazer Grant. The grant will provide start-up and completion funds to qualifying narrative or documentary projects written, directed or produced by trans creators.
The grant is open to all transgender people, the center’s founder and executive director Sav Rodgers said. There will be two selected grant recipients, who will each receive $1,500 toward their films. While projects do not necessarily need to center on trans identity to be eligible, they must be spearheaded by transgender people to qualify. Applications are due Jan. 15.
Rodgers, the independent filmmaker behind the upcoming documentary “Chasing Chasing Amy” exploring the cultural impact of the titular ’90s queer rom-com, created the Transgender Film Center in response to his personal frustration over the lack of institutional support for trans creatives.
“The biggest obstacle for any independent filmmaker is always funding. The Transgender Film Center was created to try to help bridge that gap for the trans community. The more money we can raise, the more we can give it back to the brilliant trans creatives who have been previously overlooked and underfunded,” Rodgers said in a statement. “Our main goals for the Transgender Film Center are not only to create new opportunities for trans creators, but also to amplify the work of trans filmmakers and activists who have been long fighting for a more equitable entertainment industry for all.”
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More details on eligibility requirements for the grant are available at transgenderfilmcenter.org. The Transgender Film Center plans to announce additional grants and programs for transgender creators in the coming months.
