Short Film Production Grant

Stowe Story Labs will award a grant of $50,000 to support the development, production, and distribution of a narrative short film with a total run time of approximately 10 minutes.

This is a $50,000 curated grant to support the production of a narrative short film with a total run time of approximately 10 minutes. Mentoring will be available to support the winning project through all aspects of its development and production. Also included in the grant: Development, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, and Festival Submission mentoring by Stowe alum and mentor Liz Cardenas (bio below), who will serve as lead mentor and as a producer on the project. Liz will also manage the grant with the filmmakers. Festival submission support, advice, and post-festival run distribution on groundbreaking short film distribution platform WeShort. Consult with Seed&Spark on crowdfunding, pitching, and distribution. Discounted ARRI camera package. A meeting with Joe Jeffreys, Acquisitions Manager for HanWay Films for the finalists and winner. Festival benefits, including Pittsburgh Shorts and Script Competition (2026 submission fee waiver for finalists and free entry for Pittsburgh Shorts and Script Film Competition for the produced film resulting from the winning script), and Seattle International Film Festival (submission fee waiver for the winning project in the 2026 or 2027 festival). Invitation to join the Portrait community, a networking platform connecting filmmakers, department heads, funders, distributors, and more. A complimentary Film Fatales membership for qualifying filmmakers.