Katja Esson’s filmography is perfect for public television: it profiles ordinary people who, faced with hardships and inequitable systems, strive to live their best lives. Some of her films have aired on WNET in New York City, including her 2001 documentary Vertical Traveller about a Cuban exile and Searching for Sense (2002), which covered artists creating a mural to honor 9/11 victims. Internationally, Esson’s films have aired on Arte, a European public broadcasting channel.
Despite her credentials, Esson’s current film about the "renovation" of a public housing project in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood has not been easy to fund. The process has become more cumbersome, even with her experience. “I know films that have taken 10 years because of the fundraising,” Esson said. She self-financed Razing Liberty Square for two years before securing support from major backers.
Raising money to produce a documentary is the greatest challenge for public television filmmakers, surpassing creative struggles and deadline pressures. Financial problems are ubiquitous. Many filmmakers resort to self-financing or accepting loans from family and friends. Awards from festivals, grants from foundations, and donations from wealthy individuals help, but these funds often come through only after someone else has backed the project. Securing the first two grants is particularly challenging, as they signal the film's worthiness for additional funding.
The federal government, through the National Endowment for the Humanities or the National Endowment for the Arts, sometimes contributes, but these grants can take years to secure. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) supports filmmakers through multiple channels, but its funding has remained flat for a decade, making it difficult to provide sufficient support.
Early funding is crucial for getting a film project through the development stage, but the hunt for these funds is intensely competitive. Increased funding is needed for independent filmmakers and the organizations that support them, according to a report by the Center for Media & Social Impact. The economic fallout from the pandemic has further strained independent filmmakers.
Esson’s journey with Razing Liberty Square exemplifies the difficulties filmmakers face. Set in a majority-Black neighborhood in Miami, the film documents how redevelopment brings gentrification, threatening to price out longtime residents. Esson had to borrow money and use her savings to continue filming. She secured $20,000 from Catapult Film Fund in 2018, which helped jumpstart the project and attract other funders like JustFilms and the Knight Foundation.
Every filmmaker’s journey from research to fundraising and completion is different. With intensifying competition for funding and increased scrutiny of how public media represents communities of color, LGBTQ audiences, and people with disabilities, filmmakers have criticized PBS for funding and marketing inequities. The early-fundraising stage is particularly challenging, as securing initial support is crucial.
Organizations like Catapult Film Fund and the International Documentary Association (IDA) provide essential support, but more is needed. Catapult, for example, offers momentum grants and consulting grants to previous grantees, providing critical support for unexpected needs. Last year, they also began offering research grants to help diversify the filmmaking community.
Frontline has also stepped up to fund research and development, recognizing the importance of supporting the early stages of investigative journalism. The IDA offers grants up to $100,000 for major projects and smaller development grants, though these are on hold through 2022.
Filmmakers aiming for national distribution on PBS must navigate a laborious funding process. For example, Flannery, an American Masters biography of author Flannery O’Connor, took years to fund and produce, requiring multiple grants and support from various organizations.
PBS has made some efforts to support diverse filmmakers, such as an open call for BIPOC filmmakers and increased investment in general-audience programming from diverse creators. However, filmmakers want more transparency and equitable support. The CPB has boosted funding to its National Multicultural Alliance partners, but more systemic changes are needed.
Vision Maker Media, for example, supports films about Native American cultures and experiences, but public TV grantmakers could benefit from blind reviews of applications to eliminate bias. Sharing information about grant cycles and funding decisions would also help filmmakers understand how to secure support.
To address these issues, filmmakers suggest more public media grantmakers become first and second funders of research and development, creating grant programs for mid-level filmmakers and increasing federal funding for public television. These changes could make the financing of public television documentaries less burdensome and more equitable, ensuring diverse voices and stories are represented in media.
By Sal Framondi,
CEO/Founder, OPPRIME.tv
Producer, Black Filmmakers Matter
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