How your Reel Hope Film supports youth filmmakers

We created REEL HOPE with two questions in mind:

1) How can we help independent filmmakers like ourselves?

2) How can we give back?

This blog post answers in detail our second question.

The admin fees that Reel Hope receives from your fiscally sponsored film goes directly to support our Hope Film Challenge for youth.

Under our main nonprofit HOPE GIVERS, the Hope Film Challenge supports student filmmakers in producing short film content (30-90 seconds) to practice their craft and further develop their storytelling capabilities in telling stories featuring hope and resilience.

To qualify, you must be enrolled in high school or middle school, work with a mentor at your school, and submit a video.

The mentor can be a teacher, counselor, administrator, or coach.

Our winning prizes (cash!) are not earmarked so the student can use the funds to help support grandma, mom/dad, caregiver, purchase film gear, shoot a short film… whatever they want to do to create hope.

In the two years since the inception of the Hope Film Challenge, over 200 students from 10 states across the country have submitted stories of hope and resilience. All of the film finalists receive an opportunity to have their films featured in the Emmy Award winning PBS series, HOPE GIVERS.

As social impact filmmakers ourselves, we wanted to find a way to allow independent filmmakers, who often don’t have the funds to donate to a cause or contribute financially to a nonprofit, to be able to let their donors and fans know that they are in fact paying it forward. This pay-it-forward initiative is just another reason why we feel REEL HOPE is unique and authentic in its mission to provide hope through cinema.

Take a look at two of these winning films, TAZ’S STORY and BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.

If you are considering a fiscal sponsor for your independent film, we would love to talk with you. Contact Babacar at babacar@hopegiversga.org.