EXCLUSIVE: The Gotham Film and Media Institute and HBO Documentary Films have set the cohort and mentors for the second edition of their Documentary Development Initiative. Launched in 2022, the initiative was designed for storytellers who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or storytellers with disabilities, the goal being to provide resources to develop thought-provoking, character-driven, contemporary ideas for documentary films and limited series.
This year’s participants are Rolake Bamgbose, Dan Chen, Elizabeth Lo, Andy Sarjahani, Krystal Tingle, and Monica Villamizar. Distinguished creatives serving as mentors will include Anthony Caronna, Zackary Drucker, David France, Dawn Porter, Fernando Villena, and Nanfu Wang.
Taking place throughout the fall of 2024, the second annual program will see selected filmmakers receive grants of $50,000 for research and creative development at an early stage. HBO and The Gotham will provide resources and mentorship to support the development of documentary projects and select grantees will have the opportunity to receive additional funding. Initial funding may be used for creative development and ideation, research, treatment development, securing access, initial shooting and the production of work samples, trailers, and more. Ideas generated through the Initiative will be offered to HBO on a “first-look” basis, giving the network the first opportunity to make an offer for further development.
“It’s our privilege and joy to collaborate with a new group of fellows for the second year of this important initiative,” said Sara Rodriguez, Senior Vice President, HBO Documentary Films. “We are indebted to our talented mentors for their generosity in providing expertise and guidance which are crucial to the program’s continued success.”
The Gotham’s Deputy Director, Kia Brooks, added that “after an incredible launch year filled with bold stories and practical learning, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome a new cohort and new mentors to this Documentary Development Initiative. This new cohort stands out due to their talent, perspectives, and desire to break storytelling boundaries. We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with HBO Documentary Films on this program and to find new ways to create pathways for historically excluded storytellers in a changing media landscape.”
For more information on this year’s program participants, read on.
Rolake Bamgbose is a two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker and former journalist with over a decade of experience producing and directing compelling documentaries and short films. She is a Los Angeles born, first generation Nigerian-American passionate about shining light on circumstances that drive cultural shifts, and illuminating varying experiences throughout the African diaspora, and other marginalized communities around the world. She is a member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), Producers Guild of America (PGA) and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS).
Dan Chen is an Emmy-nominated director from small town Manhattan, Kansas, where he developed his love of horizon lines and do-it-yourself filmmaking. The son of Chinese immigrants, his work explores outsiders fighting human nature, flawed systems, and the passage of time. He has screened work at Tribeca and Slamdance, appeared on Vimeo Staff Picks and Short of the Week, and his documentary feature film debut Accepted received an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary as a part of PBS’ POV series.
Elizabeth Lo is a filmmaker whose work includes Stray (New York Times Critics’ Pick, Independent Spirit Award nominee 2021) and Hotel 22 (Sundance 2015). She’s been featured in Filmmaker Magazine‘s “25 New Faces of Independent Film,” DOC NYC’s “40 Under 40” List, and Cannes Lions’ “New Directors Showcase,” and is a recipient of the Locarno, NYFF, Yaddo, and MacDowell artist fellowships. Currently she is directing her next film, Untitled Mistress Dispeller Project, co-financed by Anonymous Content and Impact Partners, and supported by the Concordia Studio Fellowship and Rooftop Filmmaker Fund.
Andy Sarjahani is an Iranian-American documentary filmmaker and cinematographer raised outside the Arkansas Ozarks. He is interested in people, our relationship to place, and how that shapes our worldview. His work has been supported by The Pulitzer Center, ITVS, The New Yorker, Center for Asian American Media, DOC NYC, New Orleans Film Society, Southern Doc Fund, and PBS.
Krystal Tingle is a Jamaican-American, award-winning director, writer, and producer living between Los Angeles and her hometown of Miami, Florida. Her films explore themes of faith, joy, womanhood, and the rich complexities of Blackness across the diaspora. Her film Over The Wall, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Short at the BlackStar Film Festival. She is known for her work on the Emmy-nominated, Critics Choice Award-winning The 1619 Project.
Monica Villamizar is a three time Emmy-winning Colombian-American filmmaker and foreign correspondent. She directed and produced the documentary Transition, which premiered at Tribeca 2023 and won the Audience Award at the Berlin Human Rights Film Festival. She was a producer on Showtime’s series The Trade and National Geographic’s documentary The First Wave, which was awarded the Best Documentary Emmy in 2022.’s documentary The First Wave, which was awarded the Best Documentary Emmy in 2022.