Filmed in NC Fund

The Filmed in NC Fund supports the production of indie film and video projects by artists who are permanent residents of North Carolina, as well as full-time students at colleges or universities in North Carolina living in the state year round. The Filmed in NC Fund is made possible through the partnership between the NC Film Office and Cucalorus Film Foundation, and through the generosity of Artless Media in conjunction with The Magnifying Glass. It is intended to support the development and production of new and ongoing projects with total budgets under $250,000. Selected projects are supported with funds ranging from $500 to $3,000 per project.

The Filmed in NC Fund supports emerging and established artists with a proven record for producing singular and original work, exhibiting potential for meaningful community impact and generating substantial economic activity in North Carolina.  This program supports narrative, documentary, and experimental films and includes projects at various stages of production (new and existing projects). While the program prioritizes funding for female filmmakers, filmmakers of color, and LGBTQ+ identifying filmmakers, anyone and everyone is is taken into consideration.

2023 Filmed in NC awardees:

  • Syd X. Porter for The Snallygaster, a narrative feature about a recovering drug addict that finds herself caught up in the town cult to sedate a demon, called the Snallygaster.
  • Andie Morgenlander for Whistle Down Wind, a narrative feature about a drunken teenage kiss, a hidden love affair and the conservative ideologies of two friends that force them to confront the truth about their sexualities.
  • Brady Jacquin for Nightingale, a narrative feature focusing on a recovering alcoholic struggling to cope with the sudden murder of his fiance, turning to violence as his only way out.
  • Lydia Carnell Hyslop for Sheila Got Bangs, a narrative feature about a missing brother and estranged sisters reuniting to wrestle with ghosts of the past and seeking redemption.
  • Resita Cox for Basketball Heaven, a documentary feature that takes a poetic look at how a predominantly Black community continues to produce the greatest NBA players in the world.
  • Bree L. Davis and Stewart Nelsen for Tale of the Bull, a documentary feature about Darryl Howard, who was exonerated after spending 20 years in prison for murders he didn’t commit.
  • Linda Royal for Minnie Evans: Draw or Die, a documentary feature that reveals the artistic mastery of one of the most important American artists of the 20th century.
  • Stephanie Diane Ford for Untitled Youth Camp Documentary, a documentary short chronicling the creation of a sexual violence awareness program at an annual youth summer camp.
  • Pierce Freelon for Where Our Spirits Reside,  a documentary short that follows jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon, who wraps her grief in paper mache for a puppet show about transformation and healing.
  • Malinda Maynor Lowery for LUMBEELAND, a narrative short about a quick-tempered Native American drug dealer escaping the shadow of his cannabis kingpin grandfather. 
  • Madison Cavalchire and Maddie Stambler for The Unknown Metal Box, a documentary short about a Durham artist’s mission to reunite a box of photo negatives he found in the 1980s with its original owner.
  • Tatyana Marie for Anxiety & Me, a narrative short that follows a humanized version of a young girl’s anxiety when she invites over her crush, trapping her emotions and causing chaos within.
  • Erwick D’Souza for earthlings, a narrative short about two astronauts on a wayward mission, facing death and coming to terms with their own mortality.
  • Joshua Perez for The Day the Music Stopped: The Story of Sugar Hill, a documentary feature that explores the turbulent history of Kinston, NC’s infamous red-light district, Sugar Hill, and its profound impact on music, civil rights, and the local economy. 
  • Angela Hollowell for Saying Goodbye to Forever Chemicals, a documentary short about the fight for clean water in Eastern North Carolina.
  • Cassidy Scott for Lady in Waiting, a narrative short about Lady Cecelia, who must marry to save her family’s prosperity and reveal her true feelings to her new lady-in-waiting.
  • Camden Watts for Picturing Pigs, a documentary short about two photographers navigating obstacles to remind travelers that pigs are more than just food.
  • Yasaman Baghban for Eight Gates, a documentary short that tells the story of Htarsu, a 39-year-old Myanmar activist, and her children, living in Durham as refugees.
  • Stefani Byrd for Here-There, an experimental immersive sound and video installation that investigates how the transcontinental railroad, capitalism, westward expansionism, and labor unions have shaped the American psyche.
  • Rodney Stringfellow for How to Haunt a House, a narrative short that follows a woman with a well-earned grudge against her brother who is visited by an angry ghost.

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