Mountainfilm Announces 2019 Commitment Grant Finalists
30 finalists announced for the annual grant, chosen from hundreds of applicants
Mountainfilm is excited to announce its 2019 Commitment Grant finalists. This year’s field includes 30 projects that deliver impactful and meaningful stories as well as meet the mission of Mountainfilm—inspiring audiences to create a better world.
“There are so many compelling narratives waiting to be told; we’re thrilled to be able to offer this kind of filmmaker support,” said Mountainfilm Festival Director Suzan Beraza. “The goal of the Commitment Grant is to serve our dedicated family of filmmakers and assist them in all phases of production.”
“We’re focusing on funding projects in various stages of development as well as stories being told from varied perspectives, added Program Manager Lucy Lerner. “We are striving for an equitable balance.”
The topics this year range from an exploration into the unique relationship the climbing community has with grief, loss, and trauma, to the changing face of conservation, to an adventure set amongst Costa Rican waterfalls.
Mountainfilm received hundreds of proposals. A jury poured through the applications over the summer and narrowed the field to the 30 below.
The judges will conduct a final deliberation to select 12 winners which will be announced in early October. A total of $30,000 will be awarded with grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. Mountainfilm will also award 15” MacBook Pro laptops to five of the selected winners, thanks to Apple.
The 2019 Mountainfilm Commitment Grant finalists include:
- Between the Rains, Andrew Harrison Brown
- Bitterbrush, Emilie Mahdavian
- By Hand, Casey Higginbotham
- Camino de la Cruz, Vincent DeLuca
- Canoandes ‘79, Sonia Szczesna, Adam Nawrot
- Clarkston, Erin Bernhardt
- Dark Summit, Amy Marquis
- Five Years North, Chris Temple, Zachery Ingrasci
- How to Escape from Prison, Elizabeth Mirzaei
- Janwaar Castle, Daniel Schmidt
- Larry From Gary, Dan Rybicky
- Madidi, Elizabeth Unger
- Mermaids Against Plastic, Sylvia Johnson
- Messenger Pigeon, Lindsay Branham
- Messengers: Deciphering the Language of Trees, Joe Bender
- Of Fish and Fire, Josh Murphy
- Omoiyari, Justin Taylor Smith
- Paradise, Karl Malakunas
- Patrol, Brad Allgood
- Penthos, Henna Taylor
- Solastalgia, Gabriele Urbonaite
- The Great Whale, Kelly Teacher
- The Red Waterfall, Lindsey Hagen
- They/Them, Justin Clifton
- This Land, Chelsea Jolly, Whit Hassett
- Untitled Casa de la Paz Film, Dia Sokol Savage
- Untitled Guantanamo Artist Film, Veena Rao
- Vagrant Nation: The Laws that Sparked a Revolution, Catherine Butler
- Walter, Cristina Constantini