Firelight Media is the premier destination for non-fiction cinema by and about communities of color. Firelight Media produces documentary films, supports filmmakers of color, and cultivates audiences for their work.

Firelight Media’s programs include the flagship Documentary Lab, an 18-month fellowship that supports emerging filmmakers of color; Groundwork Regional Lab, which supports filmmakers in the American South, Midwest, and U.S. Territories; and the William Greaves Fund for mid-career nonfiction filmmakers, among others. Firelight Media also produces digital short film series, including In the Making with PBS American Masters and Homegrown, a regional short films initiative.

Our Programs

The following programs offer periodic open calls for applications via Submittable. For a complete list of Firelight Media’s programs, visit firelightmedia.tv.

Documentary Lab

Firelight Media’s flagship Documentary Lab seeks out and develops emerging filmmakers of color who make artful and innovative nonfiction films. The 18-month Documentary Lab provides filmmakers with customized mentorship from prominent leaders in the documentary world, as well as funding, professional development workshops, and networking opportunities. The Open Call for the 2023 Documentary Lab will open later this year.

William Greaves Research & Development Fund

The William Greaves Research and Development Fund resources talented, mid-career nonfiction storytellers from racially and ethnically underrepresented communities in the United States, as well as filmmakers from Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Colombia – with a particular interest in those who identify as being of Indigenous and/or of African descent. The Open Call dates for the 2023 William Greaves Research & Development Fund are May 2, 2023 through June 6, 2023, with an anticipated announcement in October of 2023.

PBS/Firelight William Greaves Production Fund

The PBS/Firelight William Greaves Production Fund will resource documentary productions by mid-career filmmakers from diverse communities in the United States that are intended for distribution on PBS through finishing funds or co-production funding. The Open Call for the 2022 PBS/Firelight Production Fund is closed.