April 29, 2008–The Tribeca Film Institute has awarded its 2008 Media Arts Fellowships to 20 filmmakers and media artists, who each receive $35,000. Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, awards are presented in narrative, documentary, experimental, installation and computer-generated media genres.
Twelve of the 20 winners this year are women, marking the first time the gender ration has changed. The ceremony was held at the New York Academy of Art.
“What was amazing this year is we had such a strong showing of women winning the fellowships, probably the strongest ever. The panel felt these projects were really pushing boundaries in the form; it's an amazing crop,” said TFI prexy Brian Newman.
Film and video fellows are Andrew Bujalski for doc “Sisters Project,” about twins; Daniel Carrera for “Invoking Dolores,” about spiritualism in Mexico; Cherien Dabis for “Amreeka,” about a Palestinian in Illinois; Jacqueline Goss for animated election doc “Hart's Location”; Judith Helfland for docu “Heat Wave,” about a deadly heatwave; Braden King for relationship drama “Here”; Billy Luther for doc “Grab,” about Pueblo Indians; Shirin Neshat for experimental installation “Iran/Laos”; Laura Poitras for doc “Release” about detention and torture; Dee Rees for “Pariah,” about a black lesbian teen; Jennifer Reeves for “Firelight Song,” about a female forest ranger; Naomi Uman for experimental series “The Ukrainian Time Machine”; Lauren Woods for installation “Fountains,” about civil rights; and Jessica Yu for doc “Signs of Life,” about a deaf educator.
New-media fellows include Sharon Daniel for “Capitalist Punishment”; Joe Davis for “Call Me Ishmael”; Josh On for “They Rule” and “We Work”; C.E.B. Reas for “Untitled”; Michael Rees for “The Sculptural User Installation”; and Paul Vanouse for “Latent Figure Protocol.”