WILMINGTON, NC. January 5, 2011 - On the tenth anniversary of their start-up, the non-profit media firm Working Films announced a new grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to support strategic collaborations between non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and story-driven documentary films. This one-year grant of $300,000 will enable Working Films to research, design and facilitate a week-long residency for documentary film and media makers, built around one urgent theme. Following the residency, Working Films will launch a high profile collaborative campaign between the filmmakers and NGOs dedicated to the thematic issue at hand.

Working Films is accepting applications for the first annual Fledgling Fund and Chicken & Egg Pictures Grantee Residency to be held in the beautiful Hudson Valley at the LifeBridge Sanctuary Retreat Center, August 12-15, 2009. Eight filmmakers will be selected to participate in this interactive retreat focused on the nuts & bolts of audience and community engagement campaigning for non-fiction films.

Through grants to on-the-ground organizers and nonprofit groups, we connected to those leading change in affected communities and encouraged them to cross-pollinate their strategies for environmental justice.

Last fall, our Co-founder and Executive Director Robert West was diagnosed with GBM, an aggressive and terminal form of brain cancer. To focus on his health and well-being, he has decided to step down. We have assembled a stellar transition team to support our new leadership and developed a new fund to advance Robert’s vision for Working Films far into the future.