EXCLUSIVE: The Doris Duke Foundation is pleased to announce its continued commitment to spreading Muslim stories through a $1 million grant to the Sundance Institute. Through a three-year commitment, the scholarship will establish the Building Bridges Fellowship and Completion Fund. The goal of the fellowship is to provide financial and creative resources, mentorship and support to filmmakers, producers and other creatives focused on telling Muslim stories, while providing community and networking support with other creatives in the industry.
The Feature Films, Short Films and Episodic Content Completion Fund provides non-repayable grants to support the launch of Muslim-focused films and episodic content. The scholarship and fund not only encourage creativity, but also equip fellows with the necessary skills and financial resources to navigate the entertainment landscape.
Delivered in collaboration with the Islamic Scholarship Fund, the Building Bridges Fellowship offers emerging voices the opportunity to develop their artistic skills and gain exposure in an industry that often overlooks their collective power and talent. In addition to an unrestricted artist stipend of $10,000, fellows will benefit from a tailored range of services tailored to their creative, professional and project goals. a Sundance Collab Community Pack; and access to the Sundance Institute’s ELEVATE program for year-round professional and project development.
The Building Bridges Completion Fund will provide critical funding each January for the next three years to fund post-production, marketing, public relations or attendance costs associated with the premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Eligible directors, writers or producers with feature films or episodic content will be able to apply for up to $25,000 in support.
Selected by a jury including representatives from the Sundance Institute, the Islamic Scholarship Fund and the Doris Duke Foundation, this year’s Building Bridges Outstanding Fellows are filmmakers from diverse backgrounds whose projects tell stories of complex family dynamics, ancestral exploration, redemption and healing . and much more. In addition to financial support, Building Bridges fellows receive a Sundance Collab Community package, curated in-person experiences at the Sundance Film Festival including targeted panels, industry meetings and screenings, and the opportunity to work in a larger community with their peers and alumni mentors.
The 2024 fellows and their selected projects are:
Fatimah Asghar, When we were sisters — Fatimah Asghar is the author of When we were sisters And If they come for us. Asghar’s upcoming project When we were sisters, based on the award-winning novel, follows the intense bond between three orphaned American Muslim siblings who must raise each other. It explores the fractures of sisterhood, love and belonging, ultimately showing how those who have lost everything can still forge their own path.
Asghar is a poet, filmmaker, educator, and performer whose works include an Emmy-nominated web series, a National Book Award longlisted fiction book, and a critically acclaimed book of poetry, and she served as co-producer and author of Again and again for the Emmy nominee Ms. Marvel on Disney+.
Colette Ghunim, Traces of home — Traces of home is her first feature film that documents her inner search for home by bringing to light her parents’ forced migration from Mexico and Palestine.
As a documentary filmmaker and co-founder of a non-profit organization, Colette Ghunim’s sole purpose is to use the power of film and storytelling to help oppressed people around the world be seen, heard and healed. She is co-founder of Mezcla Media Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a thriving landscape for over 700 women and non-binary filmmakers of color in Chicago.
Sherif Ibrahim, Wormholes in Cairo — Wormholes in Cairo follows a 16-year-old ancestor from 2024, Nabeel, and his 29-year-old descendant from 2179, Samir, where they embark on a journey through time together to stop the apocalypse. However, they encounter new family members they have lost and centuries past – and struggle to move on.
Ibrahim is an Egyptian-American writer, director, poet and curator based in New York City. He completed his MA in African Studies from Stanford University and his MS in Education from St. John’s University. His work focuses on marginalized peoples and their historicity, diaspora, birth and social change. His upcoming project.
Samia Khan Bambrah, The banker’s daughter — Your upcoming project The banker’s daughter is an intimate examination and memoir of Khan-Bambrah’s journey growing up alongside the global success and subsequent scandal of the Bank of Credit and Commercial International (BCCI), the first international bank from the Muslim world.
Samia Khan-Bambrah is a storyteller, filmmaker and organizer who combines her experiences as a global citizen to tell stories that bring people together in the pursuit of justice. Her films have screened at festivals and streamed on platforms around the world including Amazon Prime Video, CNN, MSN and Apple TV+.
Samina Saifee, AmeriGirl — In her upcoming project Ameri Girl, Aaliyah Khan, a homeschooled 12-year-old, comes to Camp AmeriGirl for the first time with one goal: to find a girlfriend. When the cooler Brown girl arrives, she finally sees her chance.
Saifee is a filmmaker and New York University Tisch graduate based in Brooklyn. Her most recent short film, SENTENCEwith Laith Nakli (Frame, Problemista), is currently on the festival circuit. Her work has been supported by the Sundance Institute and Film Independent and she is currently developing her first feature film.
Akram Shibly, The gift of flight — The gift of flight, A British-Palestinian postal worker’s belief in his ability to fly is tested on a trip around the world to save his childhood home.
Born to Syrian immigrants in Buffalo, New York, Shably developed a lifelong passion for storytelling, filmmaking and songwriting. He founded True Intent Productions with a mission to serve humanity through insightful entertainment. He directs documentaries around the world and his script revolves around stories of family, resilience and the reluctant heroes who charm our world. In his upcoming project
“Great stories change hearts and minds—but only the hearts and minds they can reach,” said Sam Gill, president and CEO of the Doris Duke Foundation. “The Building Bridges Fellowship and Completion Fund will bring forward the fresh voices and stories we so desperately need in our fractured society.”
“For nearly 20 years, the Doris Duke Foundation has worked to create inclusive spaces for artists and creators to tell authentic Muslim stories,” said Zeyba Rahman, director of the Building Bridges Program at the Doris Duke Foundation. “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with the Sundance Institute and the Islamic Scholarship Fund to create the Building Bridges Fellowship program and ensure these emerging talents have access to the best the industry has to offer and greater Opportunities to bring their stories to life.” The Building Bridges Completion Fund aims to reduce the barriers for filmmakers to connect with their audiences to ensure their stories reach and resonate with them.”
“We are thrilled to enter into this transformative three-year partnership with the Doris Duke Foundation, dedicated to advancing Muslim stories and voices through the Building Bridges Fellowship and Completion Fund. This visionary program not only provides support from project inception to audience engagement, but also fosters a vibrant pipeline of artists and the diverse narratives that enrich our world,” said Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs, Director of Artist Accelerator and Women at Sundance.
Funding for the Building Bridges Fellowship is one of several initiatives of the Doris Duke Foundation’s Building Bridges Program, which was launched in 2007 to counter anti-U.S. Muslim community hatred in the post-9/11 United States and promote mutual understanding to promote. Through this program, which is the largest U.S. grantmaking program of its kind, the foundation has provided approximately $48 million in grants aimed at building understanding and connections with U.S. Muslim communities.
The Building Bridges Fellowship and Completion Fund is part of the Sundance Institute’s Artist Accelerator Program, which works with artists and the industry to create a more transparent, equitable and sustainable independent film and television ecosystem. For more information about the Sundance Institute and its artist programs, visit www.sundance.org.