JustFilms
Overview
The goal of this new initiative is to advance social justice worldwide through the talent of emerging and established filmmakers.
Visit our Film Collection »American Promise 
- Title:
- American Promise
- Credits:
- Directors: Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson
- Released:
- 2012
- Description:
- Follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons.
- Source:
- 55952664
Endgame: AIDS in Black America 
- Title:
- Endgame: AIDS in Black America
- Credits:
- Director: Renata Simone
- Released:
- 2012
- Description:
- Through intimate interviews, this groundbreaking film explores how prejudice, silence and stigma allowed HIV to spread deep into the black community.
- Source:
- 63580428
JustFilms: Stories That Engage and Inspire 
- Title:
- JustFilms: Stories That Engage and Inspire
- Description:
- A look at some of the documentaries supported by Ford Foundation JustFilms, which funds works that engage with urgent issues and have the potential to change the world.
- Source:
- 57605107
Gideon's Army 
- Title:
- Gideon's Army
- Credits:
- Director: Dawn Porter
- Released:
- 2012
- Description:
- Three young public defenders in the Deep South face long hours, heavy caseloads and minimal resources in their efforts to ensure that justice is served.
- Source:
- 55968047
God Loves Uganda 
- Title:
- God Loves Uganda
- Credits:
- Director: Roger Ross Williams
- Released:
- 2012
- Description:
- With values imported from America’s Christian Right, missionaries in Uganda attempt to eliminate “sexual sin” and advance anti-gay legislation.
- Source:
- 55956497
American Promise
- Title:
- American Promise
- Credits:
- Directors: Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson
- Released:
- 2012
- Description:
- Follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons.
- Source:
- 55952664
Endgame: AIDS in Black America
- Title:
- Endgame: AIDS in Black America
- Credits:
- Director: Renata Simone
- Released:
- 2012
- Description:
- Through intimate interviews, this groundbreaking film explores how prejudice, silence and stigma allowed HIV to spread deep into the black community.
- Source:
- 63580428
The Challenge
With the explosion of digital media production over the past decade, there is far more film and video content available from which audiences can choose. But it remains a challenge for most documentary filmmakers to find support—and audiences—for works that address social issues in meaningful and compelling ways. JustFilms seeks to support courageous filmmakers to complete their important works and to help them reach a growing audience of engaged and socially conscious viewers.
What We’re Doing
We believe that visual narratives play an indispensable role in the search for justice in society. They inspire imagination and new understanding, encourage civic dialogue and engagement, and showcase the rich diversity of the human experience. JustFilms supports works that educate, motivate and create positive change in people’s lives by conveying stories that have the power to transform how we think and act.
We seek to:
- Enlarge the conversation on issues of importance by investing in documentary films that capture people’s imaginations and engage them in shaping their futures.
- Expand the community of independent documentary filmmakers and lift the voices of new and innovative filmmakers from around the world.
- Help filmmakers craft important stories, and also develop strategies for finding and building audiences across a variety of platforms.
JustFilms will deepen the Ford Foundation’s support for hallmark documentary films. Building on 75 years of support for the visual arts, JustFilms will follow three distinct avenues for finding and supporting film projects that explore important social justice issues around the world.
Visit our Film Collection to see the films the Ford Foundation has supported.
Learn more about our Strategy and Partners, and how our approaches shape our Grant Making.
Visit For Grant Seekers for more information on what we fund and what we do not fund.
From the Newsroom
- Ford Foundation Appoints Cara Mertes to Lead JustFilms Documentary film program’s new director comes to Ford from the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Fund
- A Courageous Film “God Loves Uganda” shows how homophobia is being exported from the U.S. to African nations
-
Events:
Good Pitch New York 2013
For the third year, the foundation hosts the unique gathering of people who share a commitment to social justice documentary filmmaking
- Educating and Empowering Girls The new film “Girl Rising” tells the stories of nine girls from nine countries
Partners
Sundance Institute
Since 1981, Sundance Institute has evolved to become an internationally recognized nonprofit organization that actively advances the work of risk-taking storytellers.
Tribeca Film Institute
The Tribeca Film Institute is a nonprofit arts organization founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001.
ITVS
The Independent Television Service, ITVS, funds, presents and promotes award-winning documentaries and dramas on public television and cable, and innovative new media projects on the Web.
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