DIANE WEYERMANN FELLOWSHIP

 

DIANE WEYERMANN FELLOWSHIP

Supporting filmmaking teams to develop significant works of art that highlight stories of moral and ethical urgency from around the world.

Through her leadership roles at the Soros Foundation, Sundance Institute, and Participant, Diane Weyermann made immeasurable contributions to global expansion and artistic flourishing of independent documentary filmmaking. In honor of her generosity and her commitment to supporting bold, visionary artists, the Diane Weyermann Fellowship champions filmmaking teams producing bold, cinematic feature-length documentaries that take artistic risks in highlighting stories of moral and ethical urgency.

The 18-month program includes $100,000 in unrestricted grants for each project, tailored mentorship from veteran filmmakers and industry leaders, two creative retreats at CIFF, and ongoing professional development—all designed to support the completion of Fellows’ films and the advancement of their careers as artists.

If you would like to support the Diane Weyermann Fellowship, donations may be made via the form below or mailed to:

Points North Institute
PO Box 836
Camden, ME 04843
EIN: 45-1622247

All gifts will be restricted to the Diane Weyermann Memorial Fund. To discuss leadership gifts, pledges, stock transfers, or other ways to support the Diane Weyermann Fellowship, please contact us: [email protected]

We are deeply grateful to those who have already contributed to the Fund. Your generosity has made this work possible.

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Donation Total: $500.00 One Time

Submissions are now closed for the 2025-2026 Fellowship.

LIVE VIRTUAL INFO SESSION + Q&A

Our team hosted an info session for interested applicants and members of our community to learn more about the program–eligibility, general selection criteria, and also hear from audience questions. For those that were unable to attend, tune in below.

Join us for a live virtual information session to hear from our team about the fellowship as well as get the opportunity to ask questions about the application and selection process. 

When: Friday, December 6, 11:30am-12:30pm ET

FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCE

“There aren’t too many experiences you get to have in life that you might label formative, but this past 18 months has been shaping and renewing. As someone who was lucky enough to work with Diane, if only for a brief stretch, it has been an experience that truly embodies her spirit and how she thought about moving through this documentary world of ours with grace, fierceness and joy.” – Jeff Reichert, 2023-2024 Weyermann Fellow

“The Diane Weyermann Fellowship was a turning point for our film and for my personal career and development. It provided a space to grow, change the perspective and think on a different scale, to liberate the creative potential of the project and refine its language. It empowered us to practice documentary filmmaking as a form of art.” – Biljana Tutorov, 2023-2024 Weyermann Fellow

“I now get visions about a new kind of cinema. A cinema not bound by some passive dream-logic. Rather a cinema that is interventionist. A cinema that wrests back the metaphors and poetry lost in quarreling with the fabulists. A cinema that is self-aware and is truthful in its construction. New cinema is on the horizon, in a lobster induced vision.” – Amit Madheshiya, 2023-2024 Weyermann Fellow

2025-2026 FELLOWS

Captions Will Be Needed
Testimony
The Instrument

ALUMNI

Captions Will Be Needed – Natalia Almada

Testimony – Maya Newell

The Instrument – Zac Manuel

The Production of the World – Brett Story

Untitled Project – Shirley Abraham, Amit Madheshiya 

The Last Nomads – Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazic´

ABOUT DIANE WEYERMANN

Originally from St. Louis, Diane started her career as a lawyer. Recognizing that film could provide a platform to highlight social issues and tell the stories of real people, she went on to receive her MFA at the film school at Columbia College in Chicago. Diane directed the Open Society Institute’s Arts and Culture Program under the auspices of George Soros, launching the Soros Documentary Fund, which she moved to the Sundance Institute in 2001.

There, Diane began laying the groundwork for what became the Sundance Documentary Film Program. In 2005, Diane joined Jeff Skoll’s newly founded Participant Media and headed up the socially-conscious production company’s documentary feature film and television division.
During Diane’s tenure at Participant, the company produced more than 100 feature and documentary films.

Collectively, Diane’s Participant projects have earned 10 Academy Award nominations and four wins; eight Emmy nominations and three wins; three BAFTA nominations and one win; and five Spirit Award nominations and three wins.

THE DIANE WEYERMANN MEMORIAL FUND

After her passing in October 2021, and in partnership with the Skoll Foundation and Participant, Points North established the Diane Weyermann Memorial Fund to honor Diane’s legacy and values. The Fund underwrites the Diane Weyermann Fellowship, a flagship artist program at Points North that provides generous, sustained support to emerging and mid-career documentary filmmakers from around the world telling stories of moral and ethical urgency.

Since its launch, the Fellowship has supported filmmakers through an 18-month program combining unrestricted funding, creative mentorship, and a trusted peer community. One of the first projects supported through the Fellowship, To Hold A Mountain, world premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and received the Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary—an affirmation of the program’s artist-centered design and long-term approach.

Points North works closely with a group of advisors, as well as Diane’s close friends and family, to steward the Fund and guide the Fellowship’s evolution. The second cohort of Diane Weyermann Fellows is currently underway, having recently convened for their kickoff retreat in Mexico, marking the beginning of another 18-month journey of creative inquiry and support.

The Fellowship is fully funded through the current cycle, which concludes in December 2026. Its continuation beyond that point will depend on the commitments we build now. Gifts to the Diane Weyermann Memorial Fund help ensure that this one-of-a-kind program can continue to support courageous filmmakers and carry Diane’s legacy forward for years to come.

SUBMISSIONS

Overview

Mirroring Diane’s generosity and commitment to bold, visionary storytelling, the Diane Weyermann Fellowship program aims to empower advanced-career creative documentary directors and producers, building a robust community of support that will help them create significant works of art that connect with audiences across the world.

Up to three original, feature-length documentaries in mid to late production from global filmmaking teams will be selected to participate in a 18 month collaborative Fellowship program.

Over the course of 18 months, Diane Weyermann Fellows receive:

  • $100,000 in total grant support ($50,000/ year) to support both director/producer salaries and/or production costs and/or post-production costs
  • Two creative retreats in Maine coinciding with the 2025 and 2026 Camden International Film Festivals, including work-in progress feedback screenings, mentor-led workshops and industry networking opportunities
  • Ongoing mentorship designed to support the filmmaking teams in the advancement of the project, as well as the individual professional and personal growth of each fellow, through monthly cohort calls, peer support, connection with industry leaders, and reviewing proposals and budgets, providing notes on work samples and rough cuts as needed throughout the duration of the program.

Eligibility

  • Content: Cinematic, feature-length documentaries (70 minutes or longer) highlighting stories of moral and ethical urgency that will resonate with international audiences.
  • Project Stage: We’re looking for films between in mid-to-late production stages with at least 10 minutes of edited material at the time of application and access secured with key participants, including signed releases.
    • Applicants must hold at least 50% of the project’s copyright.
    • Projects on track to be completed and released via festivals and/or theatrical distribution in late 2026 or in 2027 will be prioritized. Due to the duration of the fellowship, projects scheduled to be completed between the end of 2025 and beginning of 2026 will not be eligible.
  • Budget: Projects with budgets of less than $1.5 million and at least 10% of budget raised from other sources will be prioritized.
    • As a note, for the disbursement of the grant money, film teams must be working with a Fiscal Sponsor or other formal financial entity. Fiscal sponsorship is not required at the time of application, but will just need to be secured by the time selected projects receive their funding.
  • Team: Projects must have both a director and producer attached, with both having at least one feature-length film completed and distributed, and signed MOUs or contracts in place for the current project in the application.
    • We strongly encourage applications from filmmakers that have been historically marginalized in the film industry by virtue of their race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, age, class or citizenship status, as well as filmmakers from countries and regions within the Global South.

Eligibility

  • Content: Cinematic, feature-length documentaries (70 minutes or longer) highlighting stories of moral and ethical urgency that will resonate with international audiences.
  • Project Stage: We’re looking for films between in mid-to-late production stages with at least 10 minutes of edited material at the time of application and access secured with key participants, including signed releases.
    • Applicants must hold at least 50% of the project’s copyright.
    • Projects on track to be completed and released via festivals and/or theatrical distribution in late 2026 or in 2027 will be prioritized. Due to the duration of the fellowship, projects scheduled to be completed between the end of 2025 and beginning of 2026 will not be eligible.
  • Budget: Projects with budgets of less than $1.5 million and at least 10% of budget raised from other sources will be prioritized.
    • As a note, for the disbursement of the grant money, film teams must be working with a Fiscal Sponsor or other formal financial entity. Fiscal sponsorship is not required at the time of application, but will just need to be secured by the time selected projects receive their funding.
  • Team: Projects must have both a director and producer attached, with both having at least one feature-length film completed and distributed, and signed MOUs or contracts in place for the current project in the application.
    • We strongly encourage applications from filmmakers that have been historically marginalized in the film industry by virtue of their race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, age, class or citizenship status, as well as filmmakers from countries and regions within the Global South.

Submissions are now closed for the 2025-2026 Fellowship

LIVE VIRTUAL INFO SESSION + Q&A

Our team hosted an info session for interested applicants and members of our community to learn more about the program–eligibility, general selection criteria, and also hear from audience questions. For those that were unable to attend, tune in here to watch the recording.

Join us for a live virtual information session to hear from our team about the fellowship as well as get the opportunity to ask questions about the application and selection process. 

When: Friday, December 6, 11:30am-12:30pm ET

SELECTION PROCESS

  • All applications that pass an eligibility check based on the above criteria will advance to Phase 1 of review.
  • Members of Points North’s curatorial team will select up to 25 finalists to advance to Phase 2. Finalists will be notified and asked to provide any relevant project updates.
  • In Phase 2, a Selection Committee comprised of Points North staff and 3-5 jurors will review all finalist applications and recommend a shortlist based on the following criteria:
    • Artistic Approach: Does the project have a clear creative direction or vision? Does it demonstrate a unique visual language or an innovative approach to the documentary form?
    • Topic: Are the central topics/themes/questions unique to this film, or is the approach to the topic structured in an original way? Does this film ask questions that have a particular moral and ethical urgency? Are the filmmakers approaching their protagonists/participants with nuance and authenticity?
    • Connection to Story/Community: Does the filmmaker have a strong connection or collaborative relationship with the individuals and/or communities they plan to represent on screen? Have they carefully considered their ethical responsibilities, including any potential risks to participants in the film?
    • Feasibility: Are the proposed project timeline and budget realistic? Does the filmmaking team have the experience and/or team necessary to realize the vision outlined? Are there any concerns about roadblocks this project may face in the future?
    • Project and Career Stage: Is the project at a stage where the resources, mentorship, industry connections and exposure provided during this 18-month program, from mid 2025 to end of 2026, will significantly advance its progress? Is the filmmaking team in a place where this opportunity will help them build a more sustainable career in independent documentary filmmaking?
    • Audience: Does the project have the potential to resonate with its target audience(s) and reach audiences across international borders and cultures?
  • In Phase 3, recommended applicants will be interviewed by Points North staff. Final decisions will be made by June 2025.

ADVISORY GROUP

Ally Derks, Founder of International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)

Ben Fowlie, VP, Sales & Partnerships, Original Content at Universal Pictures Content Group 

Laura Kim, Documentary Executive

Jonathan King, Chief Executive Officer, Concordia Studio

Elise Pearlstein, Executive Vice President, This Machine Filmworks

Courtney Sexton, Documentary Executive

Andrea Weyermann, Ph.D., Georgia State University

Donate to the Weyermann Fund

ALUMNI

The Production of the World – Brett Story

Untitled Project – Shirley Abraham, Amit Madheshiya 

The Last Nomads – Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazic´