{"id":2344670,"date":"2024-09-23T07:38:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T11:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-right-should-get-behind-better-films\/"},"modified":"2024-09-23T07:44:23","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T11:44:23","slug":"the-right-should-get-behind-better-films","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-right-should-get-behind-better-films\/","title":{"rendered":"The Right Should Get Behind Better Films"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-right-should-get-behind-better-films%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2344670&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The recent Emmy season highlighted\u200b the Ford Foundation&#8217;s\u200c significant influence\u2064 on contemporary documentary filmmaking,\u2062 particularly through its support of progressive narratives \u2063and filmmakers. One of the standout winners this year \u2062was &#8220;Going\u2064 to Mars: The Nikki\u200b Giovanni Project,&#8221; which\u200c earned an\u2062 Emmy for documentary excellence and reflects the foundation&#8217;s investment strategy, \u2062totaling $310,000 in grants for\u200c its production. The Ford Foundation, \u200crecognized as the largest funder of film in the U.S., \u200ballocates about $62.4 million annually to this\u200c sector, primarily through its JustFilms initiative, which supports projects\u200b addressing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-lost-all-credibility-on-social-distancing-after-biden-celebrations\/\" title=\"Dems Lost All Credibility On Social Distancing After Biden Celebrations\">social justice<\/a> issues.<\/p>\n<p>The article argues that the rise of &#8216;woke Hollywood&#8217; is largely attributable to consistent, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cornell-university-offering-baskets-of-free-mxnstrual-products-in-mens-restrooms\/\" title=\"Cornell University Offering Baskets of Free \u2018Mxnstrual\u2019 Products in Men\u2019s Restrooms\">long-term funding<\/a> and the cultivation of\u200c a &#8216;social justice documentary ecosystem&#8217; that encompasses filmmakers, support organizations, educational\u200c institutions, and \u2063more. This ecosystem has enabled \u2063a range of successful films and documentaries to thrive, significantly shaping public perceptions and awareness of various issues.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the Ford Foundation&#8217;s approach includes sustained funding for \u2062emerging talent, promoting diversity within\u200b the filmmaking community, and investing in\u200d festivals that enhance distribution \u2064opportunities for funded films. By maintaining \u2064a robust support\u200c framework for progressive filmmakers, Ford continues to play a pivotal role in guiding the cultural landscape\u200b of cinema.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Another Emmy season has come and gone. This year&rsquo;s winners and nominees are once again a sweeping validation of the left-leaning Ford Foundation&rsquo;s strategy to sponsor and cultivate progressive films and filmmakers.<\/p>\n<p>The Ford Foundation&rsquo;s biggest winner this season, &ldquo;Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,&rdquo; an artsy biopic about a poet and activist, won a creative arts Emmy for &ldquo;exceptional merit in documentary filmmaking.&rdquo; The film&rsquo;s producers, husband-wife duo Mich&egrave;le Stephenson and Joe Brewster, received six Ford Foundation grants for the project, totaling $310,000, according to their public <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fordfoundation.org\/work\/our-grants\/awarded-grants\/grants-database\/?search=rada+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">grants database<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But Ford&rsquo;s success this award season extends far beyond this individual film: The foundation has its fingerprints on many of the most esteemed and successful documentaries &mdash; from the films themselves to the training and education of the filmmakers who created them.<\/p>\n<p>Cinema&rsquo;s slow march to the left, from the golden years of John Ford&rsquo;s pro-American westerns and dramas of the 1950s to the politically correct superheroes of today, did not happen by accident. Like all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/making-socialism-sexy-again-new-york-magazine-honors-our-first-female-wunderkind\/\" title=\"Making Socialism Sexy Again: New York Magazine Honors \u2018Our First Female Wunderkind\u2019\">left-wing institutions<\/a>, &ldquo;woke Hollywood&rdquo; is supported by a vast network of progressive foundations, nonprofit organizations, and public funding. The entire film ecosystem, from film training programs to festivals, awards, direct funding, and advocacy, lifts all boats in the media and entertainment space, bringing us everything from the Hollywood movies and actors we know and love to the advocacy-oriented independent films and documentaries that slowly move the needle on the culture. At the moment, that ecosystem is controlled almost entirely by left-leaning funding, chiefly from the Ford Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/state-of-american-philanthropy-pdfs\/2022\/10\/21\/giving-for-film\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2022 report<\/a> from Inside Philanthropy, the Ford Foundation is &ldquo;clearly the biggest foundation funder of film in the country,&rdquo; spending about $62.4 million a year on film &mdash; or about 12.5 percent of their total annual grantmaking.<\/p>\n<p>Much of Ford&rsquo;s film strategy is run through their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fordfoundation.org\/work\/our-grants\/justfilms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">JustFilms<\/a> initiative, which &ldquo;supports independent film and emerging media projects that explore urgent social justice issues and seeks to challenge inequality in all its forms.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>There is nothing nefarious about a left-leaning organization supporting progressive advocacy through film. Indeed, the fact that Ford has become the largest player in this space with such a small portion of its funds is evidence that conservatives can easily step into the fray if they so choose, competing to create a healthy, balanced environment for the entertainment industry. But decades of uneven funding have shaped the films, filmmakers, and awards that shape the culture.<\/p>\n<p>Documentary films tend to rely on philanthropic gifts, so foundation funding often stands up films that could not otherwise support themselves. Documentaries are uniquely positioned to affect the way Americans think about specific issues, thereby shaping the public consciousness. Just look at how &ldquo;Gasland&rdquo; and &ldquo;An Inconvenient Truth&rdquo; affected the way Americans think about climate. As the nation&rsquo;s largest documentary funder, Ford is a kingmaker when it comes to shaping culture through film.<\/p>\n<h2>Ford&rsquo;s Strategy<\/h2>\n<p>Even so, one can&rsquo;t just put money into documentary filmmaking and start buying Emmys. Ford has a straightforward and coherent film funding strategy that supports an entire healthy ecosystem of progressive filmmaking, which eventually yields the type of mainstream hits that affect hearts and minds.<\/p>\n<p>The first aspect of this strategy is long-term, sustained giving. Ford has been consistently investing in film for decades, spreading their funds around with mission-aligned filmmakers, unafraid of the industry eventuality that most movies flop. JustFilms, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fordfoundation.org\/work\/learning\/program-evaluations\/evaluation-of-fords-creativity-and-free-expression-justfilms-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sent out<\/a> 187 content grants for films between 2018 and 2021, has made a point of backing the little guy. Fifty-two percent of the program&rsquo;s grants go to filmmakers who had previously made fewer than five films. These grants, with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fordfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/JustFilms-Evaluation-Executive-Summary-with-Foreword_Dated-October-2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">median<\/a> spend of $125,000, often give early-career filmmakers their first big chance, well positioning them to raise future funds off their success with Ford.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, they always take care of their top talent. &ldquo;Going to Mars&rdquo; was not the first film for which Brewster and Stephenson received Ford funding. They were also nominated for an Emmy in 2015 for &ldquo;American Promise,&rdquo; a film about the admission process of the prestigious Dalton School on Manhattan&rsquo;s Upper East Side that received a total of $800,000 from the foundation.<\/p>\n<h2>Documentary Infrastructure<\/h2>\n<p>Secondly, Ford has carefully cultivated what California-based consulting firm Informing Change has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fordfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/JustFilms-Evaluation-Executive-Summary-with-Foreword_Dated-October-2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> the &ldquo;social justice documentary ecosystem&rdquo; that consists of &ldquo;filmmakers, filmmaker support organizations, academia, journalism, tech, social movements, and more.&rdquo; JustFilms <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fordfoundation.org\/work\/learning\/program-evaluations\/evaluation-of-fords-creativity-and-free-expression-justfilms-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spends<\/a> 60 percent of their total funds on the components of this &ldquo;documentary infrastructure.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Two films that received JustFilms funding in 2024 recently premiered at Sundance: &ldquo;Union<em>,<\/em>&rdquo; a film about labor organizing at Amazon, and &ldquo;The Battle for Laikipia<em>,<\/em>&rdquo; a film about &ldquo;unresolved historical injustices and climate change &hellip; in a generations-old conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya.&rdquo; Both of those projects were supported by a $4.2 million <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fordfoundation.org\/news-and-stories\/news-and-press\/news\/ford-foundation-invests-over-4-2-million-to-support-new-documentary-films-focused-on-social-justice\/\">film fund<\/a> for &ldquo;documentary films focused on social justice.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ford funds permeate the progressive film space, from programs at film schools, to film conferences, pitch contests, and training programs for young filmmakers. For example, since 2021, Ford&nbsp;gave more than $9.6 million to a nonprofit called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/firelight-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Firelight Media<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firelightmedia.tv\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mission<\/a> of which is to support &ldquo;documentary filmmakers of color.&rdquo; Almost all this money was earmarked for &ldquo;general support to connect inclusive talent pipelines with best practices for film impact and audience engagement, and for core support for institutional strengthening.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Firelight filmmakers receive either funding, training, or the opportunity to mentor up-and-coming progressive talent. One such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firelightmedia.tv\/filmmakers\/michele-stephenson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filmmaker<\/a> is Mich&egrave;le Stephenson herself, who received Firelight funding in both 2022 and 2024. Through Firelight, Stephenson likely has the opportunity to pass along her knowledge and skills to the next generation. Stephenson has also been associated with the Ford-funded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wmm.com\/resources\/funders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Women Make Movies<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nywift.org\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York Women in Film and Television<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, Ford supports a variety of film festivals to facilitate distribution of the very films it funds. To keep with our main example, &ldquo;Going to Mars&rdquo; and &ldquo;American Promise&rdquo; both won and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, as have many Ford-funded films. Ford has supported the Sundance Institute since 2000, having donated $14.7 million since 2006, most of it earmarked for documentary films or general development support. Ford invests heavily in the most prestigious festivals, while spreading smaller grants around minor festivals to keep the entire system strong and healthy.<\/p>\n<p>Recent Ford-backed films that have won at Sundance include &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sundance.org\/blogs\/news\/2020-sundance-film-festival-awards-announced\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Fight<\/a>,&rdquo; about the efforts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/american-civil-liberties-union-aclu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">American Civil Liberties Union<\/a> attorneys to combat the policies of the Trump administration, which won the 2020 U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking, and &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sundance.org\/blogs\/news\/2021-sundance-film-festival-awards-announced\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Philly D.A.<\/a><em>,<\/em>&rdquo; about left-wing Philadelphia district attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/larry-krasner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Larry Krasner<\/a>, which won the 2021 Sundance Institute\/Amazon Studios Producers Award for Nonfiction.<\/p>\n<h2>Conservative Counterbalance<\/h2>\n<p>Right-of-center folks who bemoan a slate of woke Emmy winners should complain not of a perceived rigged TV academy, but about the failure of conservatives to create a counterbalance to this massive and successful film ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>The successes of Brewster and Stephenson are their own, and their relationship with the Ford Foundation should take nothing away from their achievements. However, they serve as a perfect example of talented filmmakers benefiting not just from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/visitor-logs-prove-biden-white-house-has-hosted-many-defund-the-police-activists\/\" title=\"Visitor Logs Prove Biden White House Has Hosted Many &quot;Defund the Police&quot; Activists\">left-wing grantmaking<\/a>, but from the entire progressive documentary film ecosystem, from Sundance to Firelight, and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>Decades of successful films have proven Ford&rsquo;s strategy to be the right one &mdash; so when will conservatives imitate that same strategy and compete in the cultural arena?<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Thomas Pack is an associate producer and director of the Film Incubator at Palladium Pictures, where he runs a film training program to support the next generation of documentarians.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Another Emmy season has passed, and this year&#8217;s winners and nominees once again highlight the success of the left-leaning Ford Foundation in promoting progressive films and filmmakers. The foundation&#8217;s standout film this year, &#8220;Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,&#8221; a creative biopic about a poet and activist, received a creative arts Emmy for &#8220;exceptional merit in documentary filmmaking.&#8221; Its producers, Mich\u00e8le Stephenson and Joe Brewster, were awarded six grants from the Ford Foundation totaling $310,000 for this project.<\/p>\n<p>However, Ford&#8217;s influence extends well beyond just this one film; it plays a significant role in many acclaimed documentaries by supporting both the films themselves and the training of their creators. The shift of cinema towards more liberal themes\u2014from John Ford\u2019s patriotic westerns of the 1950s to today\u2019s politically correct superheroes\u2014has not occurred by chance. Like other leftist institutions, \u201cwoke Hollywood\u201d is backed by an extensive network of progressive foundations, nonprofits, and public funding. This entire ecosystem\u2014from training programs to festivals\u2014supports various media projects that range from mainstream Hollywood productions to advocacy-driven independent films that gradually influence cultural perspectives.<\/p>\n<p>Currently dominated by left-leaning funding sources like the Ford Foundation\u2014which reportedly spends around $62.4 million annually on film\u2014the landscape is ripe for conservatives to enter if they choose to create a more balanced environment within entertainment.<\/p>\n<p>The foundation&#8217;s JustFilms initiative focuses on supporting independent films that address pressing social justice issues while challenging inequality. While there\u2019s nothing wrong with a left-oriented organization advocating through film, decades of uneven funding have shaped cultural narratives through specific filmmakers and awards.<\/p>\n<p>Documentaries often depend on philanthropic support since they may struggle financially without it; thus foundation backing can help bring important issues into public discourse. Films like &#8220;Gasland&#8221; or &#8220;An Inconvenient Truth&#8221; illustrate how documentaries can significantly alter American perceptions regarding climate change. As America\u2019s largest documentary funder, Ford wields considerable power in shaping culture via film.<\/p>\n<p>Ford employs a clear strategy for its documentary funding that nurtures an entire ecosystem conducive to progressive filmmaking which ultimately leads to impactful mainstream successes. This includes long-term financial commitments where funds are distributed among mission-aligned filmmakers despite industry risks associated with movie failures.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, JustFilms has prioritized supporting emerging talent; over half its grants go toward filmmakers who have made fewer than five films previously\u2014often providing them their first major opportunity with median grants around $125K.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Ford has developed what Informing Change refers to as the \u201csocial justice documentary ecosystem,\u201d which encompasses various stakeholders including filmmakers\u2019 support organizations and academia\u2014all receiving substantial backing from JustFilms (60% of total funds).<\/p>\n<p>Recent examples include two JustFilms-supported projects showcased at Sundance: \u201cUnion,\u201d focusing on labor organizing at Amazon; and \u201cThe Battle for Laikipia,\u201d addressing historical injustices related to climate change in Kenya\u2014all funded through initiatives aimed at social justice-focused documentaries.<\/p>\n<p>Ford also invests heavily in numerous festivals facilitating distribution channels for these funded works while maintaining strong ties with prestigious events like Sundance where many successful projects premiere or win awards due largely due their financial backing from Ford since 2000 (totaling $14.7 million).<\/p>\n<p>For those on the right lamenting about perceived biases among Emmy winners should focus less on alleged rigging within award bodies but rather consider why conservatives haven\u2019t established an effective counterbalance against such influential ecosystems as those created by organizations like Ford Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>While Brewster&#8217;s and Stephenson&#8217;s achievements are commendable independently\u2014they exemplify how talented creators benefit immensely not only from targeted grantmaking but also from being part of an expansive supportive network spanning across various platforms including Sundance or Firelight Media.<\/p>\n<p>With decades proving effectiveness behind such strategies employed by organizations like Ford\u2014when will conservatives adopt similar approaches enabling them compete meaningfully within cultural discussions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3442,"featured_media":2344671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Giovanni-e1726694114641.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[12614,6958,5894,3953],"class_list":["post-2344670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cinema","tag-films","tag-politics","tag-right"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Giovanni-e1726694114641.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2344670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2344671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2344670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2344670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2344670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}