Announcing the 2014 CrossCurrents Doc Fund Recipient

Today Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and the R & M Lang Foundation announced that the Quipu Project is the winner of the $10,000 Production Grant!

What is The Quipu Project?

The Quipu Project (led by Maria Court and Rosemarie Lerner in England and Peru) is the recipient of the first CrossCurrents Doc Fund grant, which was recently established in November of 2013 as an international production fund that supports emerging filmmakers working within communities whose perspectives have been historically underrepresented.

Hot Docs industry programs director Elizabeth Radshaw said “We received applications from over 20 countries and are thrilled by the diversity of their subject matter.” Kensington’s president Robert Lang who chairs the R & M Lang Foundation said he was delighted with the quality and variety of documentaries that were submitted into the inaugural grant contest. “In the end, Quipu Project’s scope, the filmmakers’ close collaboration with the women in Peru, and the innovative approach to its subject and the film’s release won us over” he said.

In addition to the production grant, Quipu Project co-director Rosemarie Lerner will receive a Hot Docs Fellowship, which includes travel, accommodation, and accreditation to the annual Hot Docs Festival and enrolment in the Doc Accelerator program and mentorship initiatives.

CrossCurrents Doc Fund Selection Committee includes: Robert Lang, President and Executive Producer, Kensington Communications; Nimisha Mukerji, Producer and Director, Shot Glass Productions; Elizabeth Radshaw, Industry Programs Director, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival; and Chloe Sosa-Sims, Industry Programmer, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

Quipu Project Details:

Inspired by the Quipu, the knotted thread communication system of the Inca Empire, this interactive documentary shares first-hand accounts of people affected by Peru’s forced sterilization policy, which targeted over 300,000 indigenous women and men in the 1990s. The Project is produced by Chaka Studio in London, England with Directors/Producers, Maria Court and Rosemarie Lerner; Executive Producer, Sebastian Melo and Creative Technologist, Ewan Cass-Kavanagh.

For further information on the CrossCurrents application process, eligibility requirements and deadlines, please visit hotdocs.com.