The MENA Canada Filmmaking Grant is a one of a kind funding stream for a MENA/SWANA-identifying filmmaker or team in Canada to help fund a short film to be presented at the fifth annual MENA Film Festival!
Presented in partnership with Movies Move Us, the short film grant 2023 provides a single $5,000 initial or “top-up” fund for new and emerging talent.
UPDATE: GRANT DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MONDAY, JULY 31
All genres are welcome, and experimental and original portrayals of the MENA/SWANA identity and narratives are encouraged.
For any inquiries about the guidelines, eligibility or timeline of the grant, feel free to email info@menafilmfestival.com
MENA Film Festival and Movies Move Us are pleased to announce the winner of the third MENA Canada Filmmaking Grant: “Hair! (مو)” by Sara Jade Alfaro.
Sara is a filmmaker and writer hailing from Oshawa, Ontario whose films explore unique experiences within multi-cultural families - often stemming from her upbringing with an Iranian mother and Mexican father. She frequently writes about language, gender and domestic family dynamics, within a whimsical and dramatic lens.
In “Hair! (مو)”, Fariba (aka “Maman”), Miriam and Layla are three middle aged witchy sisters with years of baggage and inches of stubborn body hair.
As the matriarchs gather for their monthly hair removal and chai session, their daughters – 18-year-old Rina and 11-year-old Nora, observe and are engulfed in the madness of hair and the whirlwind of emotions that come with unfinished business for the suburbanite Iranian diaspora.
Sara Jade Alfaro-Dehghani is filmmaker and writer hailing from Oshawa, Ontario.
She began making films in Montreal while studying at McGill University, developing her short-form work with commercial and music video projects after moving to Toronto in 2017.
In 2021, Sara served as head of production alongside EP Ian Webb and director Tim Godsall to launch MERCHANT, a Toronto-based commercial production company, with extensive international outreach.
Sara’s films explore unique experiences within multi-cultural families - often stemming from her upbringing with an Iranian mother and Mexican father. She frequently writes about language, gender and domestic family dynamics, within a whimsical and dramatic lens.
In addition to filmmaking, Sara is also devoted to outreach and education and develops workshops and lectures for underrepresented filmmaking communities. Some recent collaborations include: production instructor and board member at the Weengushk Film Institute, producer for Caribbean Tales Incubator, and workshop instructor and producing mentor for the Black Entrepreneur Producer Program with the Reelworld Screen Institute.
Her short film I Cant, Said The Ant is currently in festivals. She is in development for her debut feature film NOCTURNA.
When she’s not filmmaking, Sara is amateur metal detecting and raising bees at the family farm.
This year, we are opening the grant to projects that may be in production. MENA continues to ask for the world premier at this year’s MENA Film Festival. Otherwise, deadlines as outlined in the Schedule and Timelines section above still apply.
The MENA Canda Filmmaking grant may be part of a “top-up” to a bigger budget, but feasibility and scope within the timeline above should be kept in mind. The successful applicant may also continue to seek further funding and in-kind support during the production phase.
We have left the criteria for Southwest Asia/Middle East and North Africa open, and operate based on an inclusive rather than exclusive understanding of the socio-geographic region. There are many resources online to guide you on what is included under the MENA banner. However, if you still have doubts or require guidance, you can reach out to info@menafilmfestival.com and we’re always happy to chat!
No, all applications must submit via the application form available starting July 3.
In addition to filling out the application form, we ask applicants for:
The pitch video should be no more than 1 minute and give us a good sense both of the visual style of the proposed film and the team’s ability to bring it to completion. The content can be snippets of work, teaser of the future film or introduction to the team. Whatever it is, it should display some of the storytelling acumen that will go into the eventual project. Be creative and show us what you got!
The MENA Canda Filmmaking grant may be part of a “top-up” to a bigger budget, but feasibility and scope within the timeline above should be kept in mind. The successful applicant may also continue to seek further funding and in-kind support during the production phase.
We are looking above all for the creativity of the project in tandem with the skills of the team, as well as the feasibility of the proposed project and its relevance to the MENA-Canadian context. While the project doesn’t have to speak to that identity specifically, we will be looking at how the proposed film furthers MENA identity and visibility within the larger Canadian context.
We are looking for films between 3-15 minutes, but there are no strict rules. We are open to a different range according to the story and ideas presented.
We expect a director, writer and producer. At least 2 individuals must account for these roles (ie. one person can be writer and director, but one person shouldn’t occupy all three positions.) This does not include the production crew.
As described in the grant rules and guidelines, if deemed necessary, first-time and early-career filmmakers who may be awarded the grant may be paired with a filmmaking mentor with experience in the industry and filmmaking process. This is both to ensure a timely and successful completion of the proposed project, as well as to offer the creative team access to knowledge and problem-solving resources and industry “in” that will be invaluable to their future career.
No, however, we do expect a solid story treatment. Of course, if a script is available, we would love to see it. That said, we appreciate and value as many components that showcase an advanced vision and creative direction. Above all, we are looking for you to demonstrate an ability to shoot and execute the project based on the above timelines.
We allow prospective fundees’ films to be produced outside Canada. The applicant based in Canada who applies for funding for a film shot and produced outside Canada must indicate how they will be part of the ongoing production process from pre- to post-production. As part of the application, we ask for the applicants’ and creative team’s bio, and this must demonstrate a past involvement in some aspect of the film industry. Ie. This shouldn’t be the applicants’ first introduction in the film world on behalf of the writer/director.
No. It’s absolutely free!
Farhiya Ahmed is a Somali-Canadian Black filmmaker. Her interest in storytelling came from exploring complex narratives, social issues, and lived experiences of first and second generation racialized immigrants. Through her film, Ahmed wants to explore the untold stories of people in her communities and show a nuanced depiction of immigrants with specificity and universal themes. Her works include Sisterhood Softball, which premiered at HotDocs 2023 as part of the second series of Citizen Minutes. My Father’s Name was funded by the Canada Arts Council and the Winner of the MENA Film Festival’s national filmmakers grant. Ahmed is also a mother of 2, a wife, and an active community member.
Matthew Broughton is a film director, writer, and programmer based in Vancouver, BC. His passion and dedication to film turned into working with VIFF, Vancouver Short Film Festival, MENA Film Festival, and Movies Move Us, which gave him the opportunity to discover and promote new cinematic voices across communities. He’s a certified film fanatic who is driven to share and create stories that impact audiences around the world.
Karen works as a freelance writer, podcast producer and show-runner.
She’s an indigenous Coptic Christian (Egyptian).
She’s living with her family on turtle island. She worked as a dentist before following her passion as a writer. Her work has been published in CBC, Globe and Mail, Today’s Parent and more. She has experience in research, marketing and working in different aspects of media.
Xinyue is reading for a DPhil in fine art at the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford. She is a practice-led Clarendon scholar aiming to posit the ‘Cinema of Ecological Grief’ as a distinct visual genre using film, text, and installation. In understanding the genre as a filmic endeavour that carries ecological grief through the work of mourning, her art spans the disciplines of visual anthropology, contemporary film and visual art studies, and ethics.
Ogheneofegor Obuwoma (She/They) is a Nigerian storyteller and writer with a BFA in film and communications from Simon Fraser University. The possibilities of bodies as personal archives and their relationship to the world is an important part of her practice. Ogheneofegor’s work emerges from an investigation of the dynamic, nuanced and ever changing state of contemporary Nigerian society, people, and culture. Her artistic practice is influenced by African futurism and a visual language born of cultural and lived experiences. They are constantly exploring the interrelations between cultural production and rituals and ground their practice in traditions of care and reimagination.