
In 2020, the film festival and distribution roadmaps we could reliably navigate were disrupted by a global pandemic and came to a grinding halt. In light of this, IF/Then has decided to launch FINISH LINE, a program that will support and guide filmmakers through this new and evolving world, helping them refine their work and strategies to find the most successful opportunities available. Each project will receive personalized support based on their needs, which can include editorial feedback, creative consultation, distribution and festival premiere strategy, and mentorship around navigating the industry.
PARTICIPANTS:
Directors: Joseph East, Erica Tanamachi
Producers: Joseph East, Erica Tanamachi, Evan Mascagni
A formerly incarcerated woman turned activist fights to legally end the shackling of incarcerated pregnant people in Georgia.
Director and Producer: Merete Mueller
In two prisons in the Pacific Northwest, incarcerated men and women watch nature videos on loop, prompting reflections on isolation and the wilderness.
Filmmakers: Beeta Baghoolizadeh and Shane Nassiri
Diaspora Letters explores memory and migration in the Iranian diaspora.
Director: Alejandra Vasquez
A filmmaker returns to rural West Texas to document the effects of the boom-and-bust nature of the oil industry on her hometown, unexpectedly documenting the political transformation that takes place in her family over five years and two election cycles.
Co-Director: Christian Vasquez
Co-Director & Producer: Stevie Walker-Webb
A family reeling from the unjust incarceration of an ailing mentally ill loved one, calls on their faith and the strength of community to right a systemic wrong. Music, love and creativity are used to permeate the isolation of a solitary confinement cell, and a public performance on prison grounds is used to challenge the state to do better.
Director: Sonali Gulati
Occupy is an animated documentary comprising of personal stories by queer, gender non-conforming, and transgender South Asians, sharing experiences of gendered public spaces. The result is a landscape using portraits of people who have encountered gendered spaces in hostile, violent, humorous, and life-changing ways.
A national open call for archival and journalistically driven short documentaries highlighting social issues and identities.
An open call for short-documentary filmmakers based in North America. This lab channels IF/Then and Hulu’s shared vision of creating a new pipeline of diverse talent, incubating strong voices who will be the next class of non-fiction storytellers, and spotlighting creators elevating LGBTQIA+ narratives with their filmmaking prowess.