Short Film News (SFN)- The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program has unveiled the 15 projects that will receive grants and creative support from the Sundance Documentary Fund.

A record number of proposal submissions were received and considered for this round, totaling close to 900 applicants working in 61 countries. 15 feature documentary films in either development or in production/post-production will receive awards.

The Sundance Documentary Fund is a central element of Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, which provides year-round creative support to nonfiction filmmakers through Creative Labs, work-in-progress screenings, innovative partnerships and international activities in support of contemporary issue independent documentary.

Grants are announced twice a year and submissions are judged on their excellence in storytelling, artistic treatment and innovation, global relevance and potential for social engagement.

The film selection is juried by a panel of creative film professionals and human rights experts.

In development are:
Regarding Susan Sontag by Nancy Kates (US); and Strong Island by Yance Ford (US)

In production or post-production are:
All That Glitters by Tomas Kudrna (Czech Republic / Kyrgyzstan); An American Promise by Michele Stephenson and Joe Brewster (US); As Nutayunean – We Still Live Here (working title) by Anne Makepeace (US); Budrus Has A Hammer by Julia Bacha (US / Israel / Palestinian Territories); Cesar’s Last Fast by Richard Ray Perez (US); and Cinema Jenin by Marcus Vetter and Alex Bakri (Palestinian Territories / Israel/ Germany).

Cooked by Judith Helfand (US); Crime After Crime by Yoav Potash (US); Enemies Of The People by Rob Lemkin and S Thet (UK / Cambodia); High Tech, Low Life (working title) by Stephen Maing (US / China); In A Town Called Oil City by Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer (US); Russia’s Pepsi Generation (working title) by Robin Hessman (US / Russia); and The Georgian Year by Nino Kirtadze (France / Georgia).