{"id":1761,"date":"2026-04-22T14:47:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/internship\/?p=1761"},"modified":"2026-04-22T14:47:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:47:09","slug":"firelight-media-documentary-lab-12-month-fellowship-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/internship\/2026\/04\/22\/firelight-media-documentary-lab-12-month-fellowship-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Firelight Media Documentary Lab | 12-month Fellowship\u00a0Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Documentary Lab<\/a> is Firelight Media\u2019s longest-running artist program. This 12-month fellowship<\/strong> is designed to nurture filmmakers of color working on their first or second non-fiction feature film. The Documentary Lab provides holistic support for fellows\u2019 projects and careers through professional development, customized mentorship, and a $25,000 project grant.<\/strong> Throughout the fellowship, filmmakers build a network within the documentary ecosystem, connecting with Firelight alumni and forging industry relationships across the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Program Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Firelight Media Documentary Lab is a 12-month fellowship<\/strong> program that supports filmmakers of color in the United States in directing their first or second feature-length documentary film. The Documentary Lab provides filmmakers with a $25,000 grant<\/strong> toward their projects as well as customized mentorship from prominent leaders in the documentary industry, professional development, and networking opportunities.

In 2026, the Documentary Lab will only accept projects in post-production.<\/strong> In an effort to be responsive to the changing landscape in the documentary field, all the projects in the fellowship will be aligned at a similar stage, allowing the 12-month program to focus on story development and project feedback to help move films significantly closer to completion.

Filmmakers should be prepared to have intentional conversations<\/strong> about how to reach their ideal audiences and be strategic about moving their films out into the world. Competitive applicants will be making artful and innovative documentary films that focus on stories about communities of color, offering new narratives about the most pressing issues of our time. All types of long-form documentary projects \u2013 historical, investigative, personal, v\u00e9rit\u00e9, hybrid, and experimental \u2013 are eligible for the Documentary Lab program.

Over the last decade, the Documentary Lab has grown from a mentorship program into a robust talent incubator that has supported approximately 150<\/strong> emerging filmmakers of color and granted over $2.3 million<\/strong> toward productions. The fellowship brings together a cohesive cohort and connects them to an extraordinary community of Firelight Media alumni, while also building relationships across the independent documentary field.

The timeline and eligibility guidelines for the upcoming Fellowship are below.PLY HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eligibility Guidelines<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n