Yahoo Lifestyle Sundance Institute and Gold House Names 10 Recipients of the One House Filmmakers Fund (EXCLUSIVE)
Sundance Institute and Gold House have named the 10 recipients of the One House Filmmakers Fund.
The fund is designed to provide unrestricted financing, educational support and amplification for filmmakers from historically underrepresented communities.
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The 10 filmmakers are Pierre Coleman (“Ricky”), Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan (“Hum”), Colette Ghunim (“Traces of Home”), Julia Kennelly (“Clare”) Sofian Khan (“Karachi Sky”), Naomi Ko (“Marry Korean”), April Maxey (“Work”), John Sutter (“Planet A”), Angela Tucker (“The Inquisitor”) and Jing Wang (“Ride With Delivery Workers”).
The news was announced at the One House Filmmakers Fund Soiree, hosted by Sundance Institute, Gold House and East West Bank Foundation on Saturday, Oct. 26. The event also featured a special pitch session, where the 10 filmmakers were given an exclusive opportunity to pitch their projects to financiers and distributors.
Dominic Ng, chairman and CEO of East West Bank, said, “We are proud to partner with Gold House and Sundance Institute to support the One House Filmmakers Fund. By embracing diverse perspectives and narratives, we enrich our collective innovation and create a more inclusive environment where new ideas can thrive.” Ng continued, “Whether in entertainment or business, celebrating diverse cultural experiences not only broadens a market base but also builds stronger, more empathetic connections between communities, laying the foundation to allow everyone to reach further.”
Christine Yi, general partner of the Gold House Creative Equity Fund, added, “The One House Filmmakers Fund powers stories that create a tomorrow for all. We are so honored to partner with Sundance Institute, the East West Bank Foundation, the Blackhouse, GLAAD, Latinx House, and the NAACP Hollywood Bureau to provide the critical funding, mentorship, and amplification needed to bring those stories to light.”
UCLA’s annual Hollywood Diversity Report showed the demand for diverse storytelling. However, while there has been progress on camera — BIPOC representation on camera in streaming film leads and total actors reached or exceeded proportional representation (45% and 48%, respectively) in 2023 — behind the camera, clear gaps in representation still exist. Less than 1 in 3 streaming film directors and writers identify as BIPOC. The same trends exist for women: less than 1 in 3 streaming film directors and less than half of writers are women.
Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs, director of institute granting at Sundance Institute, said, “We are thrilled to announce the ten filmmakers selected for the second year of the Sundance Institute | One House Filmmakers Fund. These inspirational artists, working across fiction and nonfiction, reflect the rich diversity of storytelling that drives our industry forward. With the generous support of Gold House, we are proud to continue our shared commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices and providing a platform for these filmmakers to explore bold, authentic narratives that resonate globally. Their work speaks to the transformative power of film, and we look forward to seeing the impact their stories will have on audiences everywhere.
Sundance Institute and Gold House, with curatorial support from a collective of multicultural organizations, launched the One House Filmmakers Fund earlier this year to address the gap in diverse storytelling. The inaugural cohort of 10 filmmakers included Arun Bhattarai, whose documentary “Agent of Happiness” premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and Jalena Keane-Lee, whose film “Standing Above The Clouds” premiered at Hot Docs this year and earned her the a spot on Paper Magazine’s Top 5 Asian Creators to Know.
The One House Filmmakers Fund continues Gold House’s mission to empower the Asian Pacific diaspora and multicultural partners to power tomorrow for all. At next year’s Sundance Film Festival, Gold House will once again co-host the official pan-AAPI “Sunrise House” with Daniel Dae Kim’s 3AD and TAAF, as well as the annual Multicultural Dinner that convenes various multicultural organizations present at Sundance. Other multicultural creative unity, investment and promotional efforts include the One House Toasts at major entertainment awards, including the Oscars and Emmys; the One House Open that supports the opening weekend successes of multicultural films; and the One House Leadership Coalition bridging the leadership gap by filling over 60 board seats with diverse candidates.
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