$125,000 for a Short Documentary Film Project about TED Prize Winner Sugata Mitra

Sundance Institute and TED today announced the first collaboration between the two organizations, which will jointly award $125,000 for a short documentary film project about the work of Sugata Mitra, winner of the annual TED Prize. The Institute’s Documentary Film Program and Fund will accept proposals March 1 through April 15, 2013 at www.sundance.org/ted and will design and oversee the selection process in collaboration with TED.

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Through the Sundance Institute | TED Prize Filmmaker Award, documentary film will bring to life the extraordinary vision of Sugata Mitra’s large-scale collaborative project, providing a record of his work and an inspiring way for audiences to engage with the ideas behind it.”

“The TED Prize is awarded to remarkable individuals who have a great vision and a world changing wish, and will use the prize to build on their bodies of work,” said Lara Stein, Director of the TED Prize. “The Sundance Institute | TED Prize Filmmaker Award not only provides a vehicle for telling the TED Prize winner’s story, but will engage a wider global audience to participate in the recipient’s wish.”

The winning project must: highlight the work of the TED Prize winner over the course of their first 12-18 months after receiving the award; be suitable for creating appreciation and deeper understanding of the TED Prize winner’s work; be independently produced, with creative control held by the producing/directing team; display directorial vision/aesthetic; and have the potential for theatrical release.

Deliverables for the award include a short cinematic film of 25-50 minutes in length, a multi-platform release strategy, a trailer of under 90 seconds, and a 3-5-minute version of the film. Film projects must be completed within 18 months of the announcement of the award. Clips will be screened at the next year’s TED Conference. The $125,000 award will cover all expenses associated with producing, delivering and qualifying the short film for Academy Award consideration.

Cara Mertes, Director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Fund stated, “We see this collaboration as a tremendous opportunity for independent documentarians worldwide to offer a creative and original vision for telling the story of the TED Prize winner. We look forward to the proposals.”

The winning proposal will be announced at TED Global in Edinburgh, Scotland, in June 2013. For more information about Sugata Mitra, winner of the annual TED Prize, visit www.ted/com/prize.

The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Fund is made possible by generous support from Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, The Skoll Foundation, The Charles Engelhard Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Hilton Worldwide, Cinereach, Wallace Global Fund, the Joan and Lewis Platt Foundation, The J.A. & H.G. Woodruff, Jr. Charitable Trust, Time Warner Foundation, and Candescent Films.

Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Fund

The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Fund provides year-round support to nonfiction filmmakers worldwide. The program advances innovative nonfiction storytelling about a broad range of contemporary social issues, and promotes the exhibition of documentary films to audiences. Through the Sundance Documentary Fund, the Documentary Edit and Story Labs, Composers + Documentary Lab, Creative Producing Lab, as well as the Sundance Film Festival, the Sundance Creative Producing Summit and a variety of international partnerships and initiatives, the program provides a unique, global resource for contemporary independent documentary film. www.sundance.org/documentary

Sundance Institute

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, editors, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

TED Prize

The first TED Prize was awarded in 2005, born out of the TED Conference and a vision by the world’s leading entrepreneurs, innovators, and entertainers to change the world – one wish at a time.

The original prize: $100,000 and the TED community’s range of talent and expertise. What began as an unparalleled experiment to leverage the resources of the TED community has evolved into an ambitious effort to spur global-scale change. From Bono’s the ONE Campaign (’05 recipient) to Jamie Oliver ‘s Food Revolution (’10 recipient) and JR’s Inside Out Project (’11 recipient), the TED Prize has helped to combat poverty, take on religious intolerance, improve global health, tackle child obesity, advance education, and inspire art around the world.