Delivering on its commitment to support emerging storytellers, Vimeo, in partnership with Nikon and RED, announced the five winners of its inaugural Short Film Grant program. This follows the launch of the initiative in March and marks a significant step in providing a platform for five promising filmmakers to bring their creative visions to life.
Each of the five selected creators will receive a substantial prize package designed to provide comprehensive support from concept to distribution. This includes $30,000 in funding, one-on-one mentorship from a jury of acclaimed filmmakers and Vimeo’s own Curation Team, and access to a suite of state-of-the-art professional equipment. The gear, provided by partners Nikon and RED, features the new Z mount V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X cinema cameras, alongside Nikon’s celebrated mirrorless cameras like the Z9, Z8, and Z6III. Furthermore, the winners will get dedicated distribution support on Vimeo, with their completed films being showcased at exclusive screenings in New York City and Los Angeles.
“Vimeo has long been a home for the world’s most original storytellers, and supporting the next wave of bold, creative talent remains core to our mission,” stated Philip Moyer, CEO of Vimeo. “In a time where algorithms shape so much of the content we’re exposed to, human-curated, intentional stories have never mattered more.”
The challenging task of selecting the winners fell to a prestigious jury of Vimeo Staff Picks alumni: filmmakers David Lowery, Charlotte Wells, Sean Wang, Savanah Leaf, and cinematographer Adam Bricker, ASC.
In a collective statement, the jury expressed their admiration for the submissions: “The completed shorts we viewed were bold, complex, and formally daring; the projects we considered for the grant were rich, conscientious, and so full of promise that they left us feeling inspired and invigorated. Selecting just a handful for the award was a daunting task… We can’t wait to see them!”
The winning filmmakers and their powerful projects are:
- Andrew J Rodriguez, Spaceboi: A Bronx boy, convinced aliens abducted his father, starts interviewing other children with absent parents, only to uncover a more profound and unsettling truth in their shared stories.
- Annie Ning, The Only Man to Ever Exist: Following an accident, Arnie is in the hospital, determined to receive forgiveness and refuses to leave until he achieves it.
- Carmen Pedrero, I remember the house was red: Years after having an affair on Facebook with an older man, which led to his divorce, 28-year-old Paula unexpectedly runs into him and finds herself at a barbecue with him and his new wife.
- John C Kelley, The Ineffable Hum: A series of five drifting vignettes that span a lifetime, capturing moments of love, loss, addiction, and memory, all unfolding in and around cars that serve as vessels and witnesses.
- Sofía Camargo, La Selva: An overprotective immigrant mother and her daughters find that bringing a stray dog into their home opens the door to healing, teaching them that recovery begins with letting something in.
Naoki Onozato, President and CEO of Nikon Inc., commented on the winners, “The winners selected represent fresh ideas and brave storytelling. We are honored to play a part in helping them to deliver their creative vision to a broader audience and tell their unique stories.”
This grant marks a significant investment in the independent film community, providing crucial resources that will undoubtedly launch the careers of these five talented storytellers. We at Indie Shorts Mag look forward to seeing these bold and original films come to life.