The Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, in collaboration with Points North Institute, is proud to announce the launch of the Ellis-Beauregard Documentary Film Award, an annual initiative supporting visionary nonfiction filmmakers. EBF will provide one $50,000 award to a documentary project currently in post-production, and Points North will welcome the project to Maine for a creative editing retreat, to be timed with the 2026 Camden International Film Festival.
Rooted in the Foundation’s mission to support bold artistic practice, this Award is designed to advance ambitious, creative nonfiction storytelling. We are committed to supporting filmmakers whose work challenges convention, expands the language of documentary, and engages deeply with contemporary culture and the world around us.
What We Support
We are seeking artist-driven, independent documentary films that reflect:
Bold, risk-taking cinematic vision
Experimentation of form and unconventional approaches to nonfiction
A clear point of view and an engaged, critical relationship to the subject matter
Collaborative, process-driven filmmaking, particularly director–editor partnerships
Projects that will benefit meaningfully from support at the post-production stage
The Award welcomes projects from both emerging and established filmmakers. Priority will be given to films that demonstrate strong artistic potential and a clear path toward completion. The project must be on pace to have an assembly or early rough cut at the time of the retreat in September.
Award
The selected filmmaker will receive:
- $50,000 in unrestricted funding to support post-production from Ellis-Beauregard Foundation
- An invitation for the director and editor to attend a dedicated Points North editing retreat, timed to coincide with the 2026 Camden International Film Festival (CIFF)
- Transportation from a location in the US and lodging provided for the retreat for Director and Editor.
During the retreat, the director and editor will share a work-in-progress in Ellis-Beauregard Foundation’s FLEX space on their new state-of-the-art campus. Points North will convene leading documentary editors, producers, and creative advisers in an intimate, supportive environment. The goal is to provide tailored feedback and rigorous conversation, to be metabolized and used to fuel editing progress for the project during the retreat.
Projects that are anticipated to be completed by Summer 2027 are preferred. Finished work will be considered for inclusion in the program at the Camden International Film Festival 2027.
Application & Review Process
Applicants submit an application introducing their project and creative approach through the following materials:
- Project Logline (2-3 sentences)
- Project Synopsis (max 300 words)
- Filmmaker Statement (max 250 words)
- Project Stage (max 150 words)
- Work Sample 1 (a trailer or fundraising sample of less than 10 minutes )
- Work Sample 2 (20 minutes of edited material reflective of the tone and content of the finished project)
- Short Bio(s) for Director and Editor
The 20 minutes of edited material will only be reviewed if the project advances to the final stage of consideration.
Applicants will be reviewed by a panel of invited industry leaders, with selection based on artistic excellence, originality, clarity of vision, and creative potential.
Applications open March 1 and close March 31, 2026.
Eligibility
Eligible projects must:
- Be nonfiction, feature-length documentaries.
- Be in post-production at the time of application.
- Be led by applicants at any stage of their career.
- Be submitted by an individual artist (funds will be disbursed directly to an individual, not an entity). The applicant must be the individual award recipient.
- Be submitted by a Director who is a U.S. permanent resident age 18 or older.
Award funds may be considered taxable income, and awardees are responsible for any applicable taxes. At the awardee’s request, funds may be disbursed in installments across two fiscal years.
Projects previously supported by other artist development labs or funds are welcome.
Applicants who are currently enrolled or will be enrolling in degree-granting programs are ineligible.