If you have a feature documentary in production that follows a story or character that's never been seen before, you could be in for a $20,000 treat. 

Project Greenlight Digital Studios and Seed&Spark are partnering for today’s launch of a 60-day crowdfunding rally—the first of its kind—in search of the next great as-yet-untold story. During the rally, filmmakers will crowdfund simultaneously to raise funds and awareness about their projects. The top ten campaigns to receive the most audience support (in the form of followers to their Seed&Spark campaign) will move on to the finals, where a panel of esteemed documentarians will select a winner. 


The five judges are Charlotte Cook (film curator, Field of Vision); Lisa Kleiner Chanoff (Co-founder, Catapult Film Fund), Charlie Phillips (Head of Documentary, The Guardian); Perrin Chiles (CEO of Adaptive Studios; Emmy-award winning documentary producer, Autism: The Musical); and Dawn Porter (Trapped, Sundance 2016). The official winner will be announced at the Bright Ideas Launch Party during the Sundance NEXT FEST in early August.

In addition to providing $20,000 in finishing funds, PGLDS and Seed&Spark will also help power the marketing engine for the release of the film.

"What's thrilling about a crowdfunding rally is that the worst that can happen to a project is they raise money and audience for the next phase of their project's growth," says Seed&Spark’s Emily Best.  "In conjunction with Project Greenlight Digital Studios, we're able to offer a chance for these films to gather steam together—hopefully bringing many more projects to the screen beyond just this rally's winner."

Specifications:

  • Campaigns launch May 1 - June 1 and must run for 30 days, ending by June 30
  • You must raise at least $10,000
  • You must gather at least 500 followers (not all of whom have to donate money)

If this sounds like a lot of work, do not despair: Seed&Spark will provide you with the necessary tools and expertise to run a successful crowdfunding campaign, such as online video tutorials and personalized feedback for each participating project.

Submit here starting today.