Spotlight Documentary Residency

Overview

We invite you to co-create a more inclusive record of American history by shaping how stories from your community are told. Now accepting applications through May 31, 2024, our inaugural Spotlight Documentary Residency will support a cohort of four teams of filmmakers and community builders in chronicling the histories of notable American women and girls who are well-known to their communities but have not been recognized or celebrated in mainstream narratives about American history.

Reimagining a conventional residency, teams will receive all the support of a structured program – funding, creative and logistical guidance, as well as presentation of the completed work – while living and working in place to complete a short-form, limited documentary series. Each team will receive $50,000 in production funding, interdisciplinary mentorship, regular work-in-progress reviews, and retain full ownership rights to their completed series. Launch activities will include a robust program of promotional events as well as distribution across the museum’s communication channels and by Smithsonian partners.

Requirements

During the six-month residency program, running from mid-August 2024 through mid-February 2025, each team must complete a limited documentary series of three to five videos, each between three to five minutes in length. For the purpose of this program, “complete” means shot, edited, and completed post-production activities, including closed captioning and audio description, such that the final version is polished and ready for public screening. In addition to story, format, and experience requirements outlined below, you can find the full list of requirements, including details on licensing your series to the museum, in the official residency Rules and Guidelines.

Visit https://womenshistory.si.edu/spotlight for more information.