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films that have an urgent timely social issue driv-
ing the story will likely rise to the top. “If you pay
attention to what we are looking for you will see.
Some recent examples include the opioid crisis
and income inequality.”
TFI also favors stories created by established
filmmakers who still need more support. Some-
times, a first-time filmmaker can get in the mix.
However, the panel likes to see a track record of
completed films. This helps ensure filmmakers
put the grant to good use. Rodriguez says, “We
like to see films that are in mid to late production
and that showcase a palpable access to the story.”Tapping into current trends
Throughout the process, TFI looks for films that
have global topics, unique access to the subject
and can resonate with a large audience. Looking
at this year’s Sundance Festival winner, “Knock
Down the House,” we can see how recent media
trends can impact the jurors’ decisions.
“Rachel Lears, the filmmaker of ‘Knock Down
the House,’ applied for the 2018 grant. And we
keep an eye out for trends, so we noticed last
year that we got a lot of submissions for films
about women running for Congress. The ques-
tion was do we support one, many or none of
these films because it’s urgent or timely? And
when AOC won, we revisited the footage, and
that gave it an edge, so it was pushed to the fi-
nalist stage and from there it was a no-brainer,”
Rodriguez explained.House,” is a hit on Netflix. The doc chronicles
the journey of three women running for Con-
gress and challenging the status quo. The film
includes the breakout star Alexandria Ocasio-
Cortez and her grassroots journey to Congress.
Netflix acquired the award-winning film for a
record-breaking $10 million dollars this year at
Sundance. Lears’ film was one of six projects
chosen to receive a grant in 2018. Together, the
projects took home a total of $150,000 spread
out among the 2018 grant winners.
Some other noteworthy docs selected for the
grant in past years include “Call Her Ganda,”
which played Tribeca Film Festival and at Hot
docs, and “Roll Red Roll.” Both are available on
PBS/POV. Another recipient, “Crime and Punish-
ment,” is available on Hulu. “The Infiltrators”
has been optioned by Blumhouse TV to develop
as a scripted series — and the list goes on.What does TFI look for in a grant application?
“Since it’s an international and well-known
program,” Rodriguez explains, “we get a lot of
submissions — around 400-500 a year — and
this year exceeded that number with about 100
more.” TFI manages all of these submissions
with a multistep selection process based on
several criteria.
TFI has other funding programs for indie
filmmakers. Yet, what sets the Gucci grant apart
is the focus on stories that have a social urgency
or are media-driven. Rodriguez emphasizes thatHow to win a grant: An inside look at the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Film Fund
In the 2018 Gucci Tribeca Doc Fund submissions, there were several competing documentaries about women running for
Congress. Footage of successful candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave “Knock Down the House” the edge.Knock Down the House starring Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez directed by and photo by Rachel Lears courtesy of TFIReentry directed by Jennifer Redfearn photo by Red Antelope Films and TFI390 F08 Tribeca Film Fund.indd 28 9/24/19 2:15 PMVIDEOMAKER >>> NOVEMBER 2019 29
The review process
After the grant closes submissions, the review
process begins. In addition, the judging process
is a collaborative process. There are different
levels of filtration that each submission is sub-
ject to before moving onto the next stage.
“Me and my team personally put our eyes
on everything. Once everything is processed,
one of us does first look. Then after first
look, if the application is strong, then it gets
bumped up to the next level. Then outside
reviewers take a look; they either comple-
ment our opinions or they might contradict,”
Rodriguez explains. Reaching out to these
peripheral TFI associates helps the team get a
fresh perspective.
“Then we end up nailing it down to 100-150.
Then another team member joins and helps
us cull the list down. When we get to a place
around 50 applications, we bring in our top
brass to take a look, including Monika Navarro.”
Navarro serves as TFI’s Senior Director of Pro-
grams. She has plenty of experience in manag-
ing content and funding initiatives as a former
Senior Manager at ITVS.
After that, Rodriguez says, “We have jury
deliberations with a 1-2 hour call, then have to
bracket three to four weeks for the Gucci jury
to review the 15 finalists at their own time until
the end of August.films that have an urgent timely social issue driv-
ing the story will likely rise to the top. “If you pay
attention to what we are looking for you will see.
Some recent examples include the opioid crisis
and income inequality.”
TFI also favors stories created by established
filmmakers who still need more support. Some-
times, a first-time filmmaker can get in the mix.
However, the panel likes to see a track record of
completed films. This helps ensure filmmakers
put the grant to good use. Rodriguez says, “We
like to see films that are in mid to late production
and that showcase a palpable access to the story.”Tapping into current trends
Throughout the process, TFI looks for films that
have global topics, unique access to the subject
and can resonate with a large audience. Looking
at this year’s Sundance Festival winner, “Knock
Down the House,” we can see how recent media
trends can impact the jurors’ decisions.
“Rachel Lears, the filmmaker of ‘Knock Down
the House,’ applied for the 2018 grant. And we
keep an eye out for trends, so we noticed last
year that we got a lot of submissions for films
about women running for Congress. The ques-
tion was do we support one, many or none of
these films because it’s urgent or timely? And
when AOC won, we revisited the footage, and
that gave it an edge, so it was pushed to the fi-
nalist stage and from there it was a no-brainer,”
Rodriguez explained.TFI wants to make a difference
The panel also factors in whether or not the
grant will ultimately be a factor into complet-
ing the film. The panel doesn’t want the grant
to be just a “drop in the bucket” as Rodriguez
described it.
“Projects tend to be in the half-million range on
average. With that budget in place, we ask: Is this
the type of filmmaker that has amassed a lot of
support from other funders? Is their ask meaning-
ful? Is it something we can say we are helping to
make a difference?” Rodriguez says. “Or maybe
it’s a first time filmmaker with a killer social story.
It may be a cause for concern if it’s a first-time
filmmaker, but you still kind of take that leap.”
Rodriguez says “Ideally you want films out
there a year from now. We want to make sure
the filmmaker is serious enough to complete the
project, and we can support that. We like it to be
something tangible.”
Also, repeat projects sometimes come back to
apply for the grant a year later. Rodriguez says
they keep an eye on how projects have developed
to decide if they can now reach the finalist stage.
“Most of the submissions by U.S. filmmakers are
known or we have been tracking. Abroad inter-
national submissions are where we find the most
surprises that we weren’t aware of... We tend to
discover a couple that reach the finalist stage that
we had no idea about,” Rodriguez explains.How to win a grant: An inside look at the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Film Fund
Knock Down the House starring Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez directed by and photo by Rachel Lears courtesy of TFIJennifer Redfearn’s “Reentry” looks at how women have become the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. prision popula-
tion. It’s an example of the type of socially-driven project the Gucci Tribeca Doc Fund loves to support.Reentry directed by Jennifer Redfearn photo by Red Antelope Films and TFI390 F08 Tribeca Film Fund.indd 29 9/24/19 2:16 PM