This week, ARRAY announced a partnership with Google to offer emerging creatives from historically underrepresented communities with the opportunity to apply for a career-changing $500,000 feature film grant. ARRAY is a grassroots distribution, arts and advocacy collective focused on amplifying work by people of color and women, founded by acclaimed director Ava DuVernay. The ARRAY + Google Feature Film Grant, which will provide funds to produce the recipient’s first full-length feature film, was instituted as a way to help build a more equitable and inclusive artistic community of diverse storytellers.
“Having started my filmmaking journey by self-funding projects, this is a full-circle moment,” said ARRAY Founder Ava DuVernay. “I’m pleased to partner with Google and ARRAY’s grant advisory committee to identify an emerging writer/director to bring their vision to the screen. Inclusive storytelling is at the heart of ARRAY’s mission and we’re proud to also provide access to ARRAY Crew in order to further ensure that the set of the grantee’s film reflects the full array of the world around us.”
“We live and breathe filmmaking at ARRAY. For the past decade we have had the opportunity to amplify the work of so many stellar women and filmmakers of color, and the opportunity to partner with Google on this grant is the start of a strong partnership,” said ARRAY President Tilane Jones. “We are so lucky to have Crystal, Gabrielle, Francis, Maria and Smriti on our advisory committee and be working with every pillar of ARRAY to produce and distribute this project.”
The recipient of this mentorship and filmmaking opportunity will be selected by an esteemed advisory committee within the independent filmmaking community, including Gabrielle Glore (Urbanworld, Festival Director & Head of Programming), Francis Cullado (Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Executive Director for Visual Communications Media), Crystal Echo Hawk (IllumiNative, Founder and Executive Director), María Rauqel Bozzi (Senior Director of Education & International Initiatives at Film Independent), and Smriti Kiran (Artistic Director, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival).
“We’re honored to help ARRAY showcase talented creatives from underrepresented communities and to add volume to more diverse voices,” said Elle Roth-Brunet, Google Assistant’s Entertainment Partnerships Lead and producer on the project. “The Array x Google Feature Film Grant is intrinsically aligned with Google Assistant’s commitment to speak with a diverse set of voices, and connect with more people to help in their everyday lives.”
The production will be powered by ARRAY Crew, the database created by DuVernay as a way for hiring managers in search of below-the-line hires to easily access underrepresented film and television professionals, including but not limited to women and BIPOC individuals of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island decent. The platform currently has over 6,000 qualified members and more than 300 productions across 450 departments. Discoverable positions on ARRAY Crew include grips, lighting directors, production designers, costume designers, sound technicians, production accountants, hair stylists, VFX designers, foley artists, ADR mixers, animal trainers, food stylists, choreographers, scenic painters, toolmen, fabric buyers, stitchers, ADR editors, graphic designers, SFX makeup, and more.
The ARRAY + Google Feature Film Grant was developed in partnership with Google due to their ongoing commitment to amplify marginalized voices and highlight perspectives from historically underrepresented communities. Google also recently partnered with The Black List to launch a storytelling fellowship that provides financial and creative support to writers from underrepresented communities, as a means to develop their first feature film script or TV pilot.
