Dear community, we’re grateful for each and every one of you—filmmakers, friends, doc fanatics, feminists, philanthropists, and beyond. Throughout this challenging year, we’ve remained steady and followed through on the critical work of our mission. And it’s because of you. Thank you for your encouragement and your support, your spirit and your imagination. Your belief in women and gender-expansive artists, and in the power their filmmaking holds.
We’re raising a glass to you, and to the new stories emerging every day to propel us into the future we seek.
Read on for details about our upcoming R&D open call, reflections on our WIP Showcase at DOC NYC, community highlights (including buzz to kick off awards season!), and more.
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R&D applications open Dec 3!
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Applications for our R&D Grant will open Wednesday, December 3! Now in its fourth year, this grant supports filmmakers who are in the research or development phase of their feature documentary.
Supported filmmakers will receive:
✦ $10,000 USD grants for Research
✦ $20,000 USD grants for Development
The 2026 Chicken & Egg Films Research & Development Grant is generously supported by Netflix.
Note: This year's open call includes several changes to the application and process. Visit our website to learn more about the program, eligibility, and beyond. Plus, join our team for an informational webinar and Q&A on Monday, December 15, at 12pm ET.
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Celebrating our WIP Showcase at DOC NYC
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Pictured: Emma Francis Snyder, Maris Salumets, Kiyoko McCrae, Seth Gadsen, Amar Lohana, Tobi Phang-Lyn, Ashley O'Shay, Cherrelle Swain, Habiba Nosheen
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Last week, we spotlighted six C&E projects at our 20th Anniversary WIP Showcase at DOC NYC. Our filmmakers spoke with heart and clarity about their films and the impact they seek to make in the world. We’re excited to see all the connections forged in this room blossom to support these extraordinary projects! Learn more about the films in the showcase here.
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November community highlights
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Film spotlight: Hold Me Close |
“Hold Me Close is a meditation on the delicate balance of connection… the audience is invited to ask: How does safety look and feel in a love this exposed? How do we hold space for those we love when we are overwhelmed by our own pain?”—Alexander King, GLAAD
Aurora Brachman and Latajh Weaver’s Hold Me Close offers an intimate glimpse into the love shared between Tiana and Corinne, two Queer Black women. Utilizing audio the couple self-recorded every day, and beautifully shot on super 16mm, the film portraits these lovers as they experience cycles of life’s joys and pains together in the home they share.
Hold Me Close is a recipient of the Chicken & Egg Films | POV Shorts Co-Production Fund, premiered at Sundance this year, and has screened at True/False, MoMA, Xposed, Full Frame, and beyond. Plus, it's available for streaming at DOC NYC 2025 through November 30!
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Welcome to the team, Veronica!
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Join us in welcoming Veronica Cook as C&E’s Program Intern! With experience across film exhibition, festivals, and artist support, as well as a degree in English from Ohio State, Veronica brings a thoughtful new perspective to our work. We’re excited to see her love of narrative, film, and community-driven programming enrich the team.
Learn more about Veronica here.
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Pictured: Program Intern Veronica Cook
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✦ A pair of articles in The New York Times and Variety explore how AI is impacting documentary, with Alissa Wilkinson writing in NYT, “what’s at stake is history itself,” while Rafa Sales Ross shares a recap of emergent conversations out of IDFA around AI best practices, learnings, and warnings.
✦ Sundance Institute Workers are unionizing, sharing: “We invest our most authentic and fearless selves so that the Institute can prosper, endure, and serve our community. In order for any organization to thrive, working conditions and the workplace environment must improve for everyone.”
✦ In Deadline, IDFA’s new Artistic Director Isabel Arrate Fernandez confirmed the fest’s decision to officially exclude Israeli state-backed orgs and films. IDFA’s ‘Principles and Guidelines’ states that films and filmmakers can come from any country, but if they have ties to governments that contribute to serious human rights violations, they are not welcome.
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Please consider supporting our work to champion the storytellers and stories our world needs, now and forever.
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