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You’ve found a story and you’re committed to telling it—no matter what. Let’s do it together.

  • FUNDED FILMS
    1,573
  • PEABODY
    39
  • EMMY AWARDS
    43

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    Open Call

    Open Call provides documentary funding and co-production support so you can complete your nonfiction work in progress, then air it on public television.

    Reopens January 6, 2020 9:00 AM PST
    Learn about Open Call

    Recent Open Call Projects

    See all 547 Open Call Projects

    Diversity Development Fund

    DDF gives producers of color up to $25,000 in research and development funding so you can develop your documentary for air on public television. Pre-production nonfiction projects only.

    The deadline for this round was September 13, 2019 11:59 PM PDT
    Learn about DDF

    Recent Diversity Development Fund Projects

    See all 65 Diversity Development Fund Projects

    Digital Open Call

    Digital Open Call offers research and development funding for you to pilot a story on public media digital platforms. Pre-production nonfiction projects only.

    Reopens Winter 2020
    Learn about Digital OC

    Recent Digital Open Call Projects

    See all 19 Digital Open Call Projects

    Series and Special Projects

    We commission a limited number of innovative and timely projects for public media, providing development and production funding. Submissions for Series and Special Project funding are by invitation-only. This collection also encompasses documentary films funded through limited special open calls held over the years.


    Recent Series and Special Projects

    See all 183 Series and Special Projects

    Get in touch.

    Questions about what we do? We’re happy to talk.

    itvs@itvs.org

    (415) 356-8383

    ITVS in the Field

    We’d love to meet you! Join the ITVS team at an event. We want to hear about your latest projects.

    1. International Documentary Association (IDA)

      December 7-7, 2019
      Los Angeles , CA
      Executive Producer of Independent Lens

      Lois Vossen

      Vice President of Content

      Noland Walker

    2. Sundance Film Festival

      January 23 - February 2, 2020
      Park City, UT
      Senior Vice President of Content

      Jim Sommers

      Executive Producer of Independent Lens

      Lois Vossen

      Vice President of Content

      Noland Walker

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    Get Funded

    We join forces with visionaries like you from across America to bring risk-taking independent film to the public.

    Filmmaker Resources

    From our blog

    1. New Powerful Slate of Open Call-Funded Films Announced

      December 2, 2019

      As we look forward with great anticipation to the next Open Call round (in January 2020), ITVS is excited to announce the latest Open Call-funded films.These powerful projects will take viewers from a Syrian mother fiercely determined to protect her family amidst nightmarish conditions, to a nationwide support group for mothers coming to terms with…

    2. “Everything Fell into Place”: Jeff Chang and Bao Nguyen Gon’ Be Alright

      November 20, 2019

      When everything dovetails together so nicely for a creative project, any other filmmaking team would love to know just how it happened. Serendipity? Lightning in a bottle? Blood, sweat, and tears?The collaborators behind the ITVS Digital Open Call-supported We Gon' Be Alright documentary web series, filmmaker Bao Nguyen and writer/producer Jeff…

    3. From Fashion to Food and Beyond: Billy Luther Brings Native Stories to the Forefront

      November 1, 2019

      Filmmaker and producer Billy Luther's first feature documentary Miss Navajo, which follows a young woman competing in the Miss Navajo beauty pageant, aired nationally on Independent Lens after premiering in the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Since then, Luther has collaborated with Independent Lens on the alter-NATIVE series highlighting the…