This Sarah Jacobson Film Grant is intended to honor the spirit and legacy of Sarah Jacobson. Sarah, whose feature film Mary Jane’s Not A Virgin Anymore screened at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, died in 2004 after a battle with cancer. Sarah led a DIY movement in the 1990s, promoting and distributing her own work with her producer-mom, Ruth Ellen Jacobson, speaking at festivals and events everywhere, and writing about film for a number of publications. A tireless, at times even shameless, promoter of her own work, Sarah was also a passionate advocate for the films of fellow filmmakers. The Free History Project, Ruth and Lee Jacobson, and a number of Sarah’s friends and supporters contribute funds in order to give out a small annual grant to one or more self-identifying women and gender nonconforming individuals whose work embodies some of the things that Sarah stood for: a fierce DIY approach to filmmaking, a radical social critique, and a thoroughly underground sensibility.
The Sarah Jacobson Film Grant supports self-identifying women and gender nonconforming individuals whose work embodies some of the things that Sarah stood for: a fierce DIY approach to filmmaking, a radical social critique, and a thoroughly underground sensibility. This year we plan to give out one or more grants of $2,500 to support film projects.
We are open to films of any length and genre, from documentary to experimental to narrative. We’re looking for projects that in some way embody Sarah’s spirit and represent the values that she articulated in her work—powerful representations of women, a do-it-yourself approach to filmmaking and life, and a passionate commitment to advancing equality without sacrificing fun. We award grants to projects at any stage of production, including post-production, but not for marketing or publicity.
The grant is open to international applicants. Applications should be submitted by the director or a key member of the creative team. To apply for the grant, please visit https://freehistoryproject.org/how-to-apply. The application period is open May 15 to July 1, 2020. Check out the website for info on past grantees, who were chosen by a rotating panel of judges
