The Found Footage Feature Fund

The Found Footage Feature Fund, powered by Duplass Brothers Productions, is a new initiative designed to support the creation of low-budget, high-creativity feature films by trans filmmakers. The program will award a single $25,000 cash grant to fund the full production of a feature-length film that leverages the found footage filmmaking technique to create resourceful and cost-effective storytelling movies.

This is not a development opportunity; it is a production grant. The selected filmmaker must complete a finished feature film within 12 months of receiving funds, using only the grant amount, with no additional development deals permitted.

The goal is to offer a greenlight, not a stepping stone.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

The recipient of the Found Footage Feature Fund will receive:

  • $25,000.

  • Creative Advisory Support from Duplass Brothers Productions, including one hour of mentorship with Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice (The Creep Tapes), and a final script review from Mark Duplass prior to production, complete with one round of notes.

    Development with Kevin Nicklaus, Partner at Sandstone Artists and former SVP of Development at The Wolper Group, who will provide two one-hour script consultations with studio-level notes, a 90-minute marketing and deck strategy session, and ongoing production support via email.

  • Aesthetica Post will offer 15 days of in-kind post-production services, including conform, color grading, and light VFX, as well as delivery of a DCP and festival-ready masters. Their involvement will begin during pre-production and continue through final delivery to ensure the film is technically sound and ready for festivals.

  • Festival waivers provided by the Transgender Film Center, including our partners at Fantastic Fest.

Program Timeline:

  • Information Session: October 22, 2025 at 5:30 PM PT.

  • Applications Open: October 23, 2025 at 8:00 AM PT.

  • Applications Close: November 7, 2025 at 11:59 PM PT.

  • Grantee Selected: December 2025

What projects are eligible for the Found Footage Feature Fund?

  • Open to narrative feature film submissions.

  • All genres are eligible.

  • Applicants will be required to provide the first ten pages of their script as part of the submission process.

  • For improv-based films, submissions may include detailed, structured outlines in lieu of full scripts.

  • Final film must be completed within 12 months of grant disbursement.

  • No external development is permitted; the film must be made using the resources provided by this grant.

  • Filmmakers are welcome to raise additional funds outside of the Found Footage Feature Fund program, including crowdfunding, grants, and private investments; however, the filmmaker is still required to complete the project within the 12-month period from grant disbursement.

OUR PARTNERS

INFORMATION SESSION

APPLICATION

Q&A

  • The Found Footage Feature Fund is a new grant designed to support micro-budget filmmaking that utilizes the found footage technique.

  • To be eligible for the FFFF application process, you must align with the following criteria:

    18 or older

    Able to legally work in the United States

    Transgender – defined as someone whose gender is different from their assigned sex at birth, including applicants who identify as nonbinary.

    Provide a professional work sample, either:

    A) The product of work on an industry set, or

    B) A leadership role in the production of a completed short or feature film

    Confirm you can 100% complete the film within 1 year of receiving funding.

  • A selection panel of TFC and partner organization representatives identifies each year’s final participants by evaluating applications based on six individual criteria: eligibility, readiness, potential, values, voice and need. In addition, the panel applies a seventh criteria – diversity – to ensure the cohort’s final composition is generally reflective of the people, experiences and perspectives in the transgender creator community.

  • The Transgender Film Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting trans creators in bringing their stories to audiences around the world.

  • Tax-deductible gifts to advance our purpose can be made online here.

  • We’d be happy to chat. Please write us at info@transfilmcenter.org