Tribeca Film Institute & Pond5 Announce Partnership to Provide Exclusive Opportunities to Filmmakers

Tribeca Film Institute®(TFI) and Pond5 announced a partnership to launch a forward-thinking filmmaking fund and ongoing industry program aimed at promoting sustainable careers for independent storytellers.

TFI worked closely with Pond5, the world’s largest stock video marketplace, to develop a program that speaks to the needs of filmmakers who lack resources during “in-between” phases such as research, creative collaboration, festival travel, content, community screenings, outside-the-box mentorship, and extra release support.

TFI and Pond5 designed this unique program to ensure that filmmakers with diverse backgrounds and a wide range of perspectives are provided an array of support to improve visibility in an often-inaccessible, difficult-to-break-into industry. Support available through the program includes funding, targeted networking events, access to Pond5 content and mentorship programs, all designed to facilitate a sense of community for independent storytellers.

The program is funded by tax-deductible donations, allowing anyone to pledge their support at pond5.com/tfi. Additionally, Pond5 is matching donations. TFI alumnae and Pond5 artists can apply for micro-grants through the program three times a year, offering multiple opportunities to receive funding. Applicants outline their needs during the application process so that the program can provide more targeted and flexible support.

TFI and Pond5 hosted a Producers Networking event, bringing together emerging filmmakers and established producers to meet and discuss future projects, as well as announcing the first 6 grant recipients for 2019 at an event in Manhattan, following the networking event. (See below for winners.)

“TFI’s mission is to break barriers in access, exposure, and sustainability,” said Amy Hobby, Executive Director of TFI.  “We have assessed that there is a period of time in a project cycle when filmmakers need support not only financially, but also from peers and veterans of the industry.  Partnering with Pond5, we’ve been able to create a very flexible fund and program that can meet those needs.”

“Pond5 prides itself on being the world’s most filmmaker-friendly creative marketplace. Helping filmmakers succeed in their craft is what we’re all about. As filmmakers ourselves, we know how hard it can be to secure the finances, resources, and footage necessary to tell your story. If we can play a small role in helping filmmakers tell an even better story, we feel like we’ve done our job,” said Pond5 CEO Jason Teichman. “Through the Tribeca Film Institute Pond5 Program, we’re honored to further that goal and help more storytellers achieve and share their visions.”

499 AÑOS (499 YEARS)

Creative Documentary Feature

Directed by: Rodrigo Reyes

Producers: Inti Cordera and Andrew Houchens

499 Years examines the brutal legacy of colonialism nearly five centuries after Cortez arrived in the Aztec Empire. Bold, unique, and strikingly cinematic, the film uses magical realism, combining documentary and fiction to show how past traumas continue to affect contemporary reality while challenging us to overcome our histories of violence.

DEATH OF NINTENDO

Scripted Feature

Directed by: Raya Martin

Writer/Producer: Valerie Castillo Martinez

Executive Producer: Whitaker Lader

Co-Producers: Jeremy Chua, Nikolo Juban

Set in 90’s suburban Manila, the story takes us into the colorful pop-culture world of four 13-year old friends, back in the days when videogames were still a novelty. Mimaw and her friends Paolo, Kachi, and Gilligan go on a journey of self-discovery together as they play games and wrestle with new dilemmas - puppy love, circumcision and other horror stories.

A HOLE TO HELL

Documentary Feature

Directed by: Pawel Nazaruk & Tomasz Adamski

Producer: Pawel Nazaruk

The Cold War race to dig the deepest into the Earth reveals an entrance to Hell in arctic Russia. Forty years later, Yuri Smirnoff is the last man standing.

NO FAULT

Scripted Short 

Director: Myna Joseph

Producers: Amy Lo, Lucy Owen, Lizzie Shapiro

Executive Producer: Lana Yang

Following a near-fatal car accident, Lu wrestles with creeping invisibility as she approaches the second half of her life. On this long winter day, she finds her physical identity fractured, ignored, misunderstood, and judged – but with wry humor and stubborn resilience, she’s determined to be seen.

SOLACE

Scripted Feature

Directed by: Tchaiko Omawale

Producers: Hope Olaide Wilson, Maya Emelle, Sophia Solomon

Co-Producers: Sabine Hoffman, Sascha Brown Rice

A 17 year-old orphan is shipped off to her estranged grandmother and she plots her escape while navigating a foreign environment, new friendships and a hidden eating disorder.

SURVIVOR LOVE LETTER

AR Experience and Installation

Lead Artist & Executive Producer: Tani Ikeda

Lead Artist & Creative Director: Jess X. Snow

Additional Lead Artist: Layqa Nuna Yawar

Producers: Kevin Tsukii

Through a network of augmented reality murals centering Survivors of sexual assault, Survivor Love Letter presents a galaxy where survivors are not only believed and supported, but also loved unconditionally. Using our AR app, users can watch the mural and the love letter come to life through animation and read a library of love letters from survivors and allies all over the world, and ultimately have the option to add to the galaxy by writing their own.

Images of the films can be found at:

https://www.tfiny.org/press_releases/images/tribeca_film_institute_pond5_announce_partnership

For more information on the Tribeca Film Institute Pond5 Program, visit http://www.pond5.com/tfi.

About Tribeca Film Institute

TFI partners with storytellers and joins them in breaking barriers of access, exposure, and sustainability in the media landscape. The Institute prioritizes creators whose points of view have been marginalized due to race, gender, sexuality, class, and/or politics. Through grants, mentorship, industry connections, and professional development, TFI helps to ensure that storytellers from a multitude of backgrounds have access to the resources and tools they need to tell their stories, connect with audiences, and thrive in their careers. The Institute’s educational programming leverages an extensive film community network to cultivate the next generation of storytellers. Through customized mentorships and curriculum-aligned film screening workshops, TFI provides New York City public school students with media literacy skills necessary to be creative and thoughtful global citizens. TFI was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in the wake of September 11, 2001 and is a 501(c)(3) year-round nonprofit arts organization.

About Pond5

Pond5 is the world’s largest, most vibrant video-first content marketplace, providing filmmakers, creators, and producers of all kinds with the content, inspiration, and tools they need to improve their projects. As the only content marketplace that meaningfully shares licensing revenue with its contributing artists, Pond5 is driven by a commitment to its passionate and growing global community of more than 60,000 professional visual and audio creators, providing a platform where their creative work can flourish, and helping them to make a sustainable living. With groundbreaking features like visual search for video and integrations into all major video-editing software, Pond5 is innovating daily, making it easier to find and use the content that creatives need to bring their vision to life. Pond5 is a venture-backed company funded by Accel Partners and Stripes Group with offices in New York, Dublin, Prague, London, and LA. For more information, please visit http://www.pond5.com.