You may have heard the news that members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada (IATSE), the union that represents camera operators, cinematographers, editors, art directors, and many other crew members and craftspeople across the film and television industry, voted to authorize a strike last week.

The intent was to pressure the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), whose members include major studios and production companies like Netflix, Disney, and Paramount, to return to the negotiation table, which has now succeeded as these talks have resumed. The hope now is to reach a favorable agreement for IATSE members, including increased wages, safer working conditions, and adequate rest periods, which would avoid organizing a strike.

LEF Executive Director Lyda Kuth has co-signed this Mass Production Coalition board statement in solidarity with IATSE union members, and LEF Program Director Gen Carmel has co-signed this IATSE petition open to both IATSE members and non-member allies, which continues to collect signatures if you'd like to add your name as well.

Congressional members from across New England, including Elizabeth Warren (MA), Edward Markey (MA), Bernie Sanders (VT), Peter Welch (VT), David Cicilline (RI), Jack Reed (RI), Ann Kuster (NH), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Jahana Hayes (CT), John Larson (CT), Chris Murphy (CT), and Chellie Pingree (ME) have joined 120 senators and representatives in Washington to show support for these workers.

With support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), CAAM provides project funding to independent documentary films by and about the Asian American experience for public television. Documentaries are eligible for production or post-production funding and must be intended for public television broadcast. Awards typically range between $10,000 and $50,000.

Dunamis' EAF program provides professional development training for emerging artists of color in the city of Boston. Over the course of a year, recipients will have access to workshops, masterclasses, social events and one-on-one coaching to help develop their artistic lens and kickstart their career as creative entrepreneurs.

The Frameline Completion Fund offers up to $5000 to emerging and established filmmakers in the post-production phase of their LGBTQ+ projects. Submissions are accepted for documentary, narrative, experimental, animated or episodic projects about LGBTQ+ people and their communities.

JFI’s national, year-long Filmmaker-in-Residence program provides creative, marketing, and production support for filmmakers exploring and expanding thoughtful consideration of Jewish history, life, culture and identity.

The largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, the Local Cultural Council (LCC) Program enriches the cultural life of all cities and towns in Massachusetts. Led by municipally appointed volunteers, LCCs award over $4 million every year, supporting 6,000 cultural programs. Contact your LCC to apply for a grant.

In this free online event hosted by Creative Capital, get an inside look at what reviewers and panelists often look for and consider when reviewing grant applications by sitting in on a mock panel-room conversation led by Creative Capital Awardee James Scruggs, and featuring awardee and filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes, and Joan Mitchell Center Director, Toccarra Thomas, all of whom will offer their perspectives and panel experience.

The International Documentary Association (IDA) is calling for applications for its Documentary Magazine Editorial Fellowship program, which will provide stipends of $3,000 each for four emerging writers and will include eight mentorship sessions from January through December 2022. Applicants must be US-based and/or be residents of US Territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam; they must be eligible to work in the US, and should hail from communities that have been historically underrepresented in the entertainment, journalism, film criticism or nonfiction media fields.

Administered by Boston Ujima Project, the Cultural Assembly Grant honors BIPOC Boston artists for their original, exceptional, and compelling work with up to $5,000 in funding. The opportunity is open to individual BIPOC artists, cultural workers, and collectives. Applicants and payees must be 18+ and must live and work in Boston, MA, or be a former Boston resident living in Massachusetts who has been displaced from the city.

In this series of free online workshops offered by MASS MoCA and Assets for Artists, local artists and arts administrators offer guidance on how to support yourself as an artist while also staying true to your practice. The workshops are open to artists who currently live in the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or Connecticut or are current/recent Studios at MASS MoCA artists-in-residence.

The Miller / Packan Film Fund supports documentaries in advanced development (up to $15,000), production and post-production stages (up to $25,000). The Fund is financed through the Rogovy Foundation and believes in the transformational power that comes from enlightening narratives and inspiring characters. Each year, grants totaling $200,000 are awarded to between eight and twelve filmmakers.

The Flaherty Seminar is now accepting Letters of Intent (and nominations!) for its 2023 seminar. Programmers can be individuals or small teams, and all programmers need to have attended the Flaherty Seminar in the past prior to submitting.

Every six months, in January and July, the Interbay Cinema Society gives grants to 10 filmmakers working with 16mm or 35mm film to have 2 and 4K high resolution scans of their work made through Lightpress, a transfer house in Seattle. ICS gives grants to established and emerging filmmakers in the US, and are given for 3 hours of scanning, around a $1200 value.

New Work New England provides grants of $7,500-$15,000 directly to New England artists in dance, film, interdisciplinary work, music, musical theater, opera, poetry, storytelling, and theater to support creating and producing new work that the artist intends to share with multiple New England communities. The focus of this pilot program is on artists and the creative process and projects that further equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.

MacDowell provides time, space, and an inspiring environment to over 300 artists of exceptional talent each year. A MacDowell Fellowship, or residency, consists of exclusive use of a studio, accommodations, and three prepared meals a day for up to six weeks at its location in Peterborough, NH. MacDowell encourages artists from all backgrounds and all countries in the following disciplines: architecture, film/video arts, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, and visual arts. There are no residency fees. Travel grants as well as need-based stipends are available. Reference letters are also no longer required for this round.