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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 545 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 182 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
      VP of Marketing & Communications

      Lisa Tawil

      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. 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…

    2. Native Filmmaker Jeffrey Palmer Tells N. Scott Momaday's Story

      October 29, 2019

      Native American filmmaker Jeffrey Palmer talks with writer Jason Asenap about making a film on one of the preeminent Native writers, N. Scott Momaday, including how he shot the flashback recreations and animated sequences.

    3. ITVS Filmmakers Win Five 2019 News & Documentary Emmy Awards

      September 24, 2019

      It was a night to remember at the 40th Annual News and Documentary Emmy® Awards ceremony in New York City, as ITVS filmmakers garnered five Emmy Awards, on top of 16 total nominations. The Awards, as announced by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), were presented at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall on Tuesday, September 24, and…