The Transgender Film Center and Duplass Brothers Productions are teaming up to support trans filmmakers with a new initiative: the Found Footage Feature Fund, a $25,000 production grant aimed at helping transgender creatives bring their feature film visions to life.
Announced Wednesday evening at Fantastic Fest, the new fund offers a fully financed greenlight for a micro-budget independent film. Open to projects across all genres, the only creative stipulation is that submissions must incorporate economical filmmaking techniques such as found footage, archival material, collage, or similar approaches. The goal is to support a bold and cost-effective film that can be completed within one year.
Applications for the Found Footage Feature Fund will open on October 23, close on November 7, and the selected recipient will be announced in December.
“The Found Footage Feature Fund is about meeting the moment with clarity and action,” said Sav Rodgers, executive director of the Transgender Film Center. “We’re thrilled to partner with Mark and the Duplass Brothers team to support independent storytellers who are ready to do the work, leverage their resources, and get their films made.”
The partnership brings together the Transgender Film Center’s mission of trans media empowerment and the Duplass Brothers’ long-standing support for micro-budget, indie filmmaking. Mark Duplass, known for breakout projects like The Puffy Chair and Creep, said the collaboration emerged out of his admiration for Rodgers and the TFC’s work.
“Sav Rodgers and I became friendly over the past few years, and once I discovered the incredible work he’s been doing with the Transgender Film Center, I just knew that Duplass Brothers had to find a way to support and get involved,” Duplass said. “I’m so thrilled to bring our micro-budget found footage experience, and some of my The Morning Show cash, to the table and see what we can do together.”
In addition to the $25,000 grant, the fund includes creative support such as private consultation sessions with Mark Duplass and Creep director Patrick Brice, two script consults from industry veteran Kevin Nicklays, and 15 days of post-production services from Aesthetica Post. The selected filmmaker will also receive festival submission waivers, a marketing and pitch deck strategy session, and ongoing support via email throughout the production process.
The Found Footage Feature Fund is part of a growing movement to create access points for trans storytellers in an industry where such opportunities have historically been rare. By funding a full-length feature on a compressed timeline and limited budget, the initiative allows a trans filmmaker to sidestep the gatekeeping of traditional development models, and get their work directly to the screen.
For more information about how to apply, visit transfilmcenter.org.
