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The Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund has invested $1.43 million to enable more African documentary filmmakers to tell their stories and contribute to the next generation of African documentary talent. 

Please check back later for information about applying to this fund.

About the Fund

The Fund provides development grants of up to 10,000 CAD and production grants of up to $40,000 CAD to four to ten projects annually. Each year, up to five funded projects are invited to participate in a year-long mentorship program, which includes private filmmaker labs at Hot Docs and the Durban FilmMart/Durban International Film Festival or other festivals and markets in Africa.

The Fund also collaborates with The New York Times—Op-Docs to commission shorts from African filmmakers to showcased on The Times’s Emmy® Award–winning online forum.

To date, the Fund has awarded 100 projects from 26 countries.

Recipient Highlights

An elderly woman wearing a black head scarf

The Mother of All Lies (D: Asmae El Moudir) received Best Director Award for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard prize and was co-recipient of the festival’s Best Documentary Prize 2023. The film is also in the official selection at TIFF 2023.

Milisuthando (D: Milisuthando Bongela) premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2023, and was selected for Hot Docs 2023 and Sheffield Doc Fest 2023.

A person sits at the bow of a canoe overlooking calm waters

Eat Bitter (D: Pascale Appora-Gnekindy, Ningyi Sun) premiered at CPH:DOX 2023, and was selected for Visions du Réel 2023 and Hot Docs 2023.

Man and woman in barrister robes

African Moot (D: Shameela Seedat) premiered at Hot Docs 2022 Festival.

Silhouette of man lifting child

Softie (D: Sam Soko) won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing at Sundance 2020, was shortlisted for the IDA Best Documentary Feature, and premiered at Hot Docs 2020.

river at sunset

Downstream to Kinshasa (D: Dieudo Hamadi) was an official selection at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, won the Amplify Voices Award at TIFF 2020 and a golden dove at DOK Leipzig 2020.

old woman and young man in a field

The Letter (D: Maia Lekow, Chris King) was Kenya's official submission for the Oscars 2021.

woman weight lifting

Lift Like a Girl (D: Mayye Zayed) premiered at TIFF 2020 and won a golden dove at DOK Leipzig 2020.

kid with soccer ball

Amal (D: Mohamed Siam) premiered at IDFA and Hot Docs.

man on horse back

Days of Cannibalism (D: Teboho Edkins) premiered at Berlinale 2020.

passport

The Colonel's Stray Dogs (D: Khalid Shamis) was an official selection at Hot Docs 2021, Encounters Film Festival and Durban International Film Festival.

woman in shelter

The Last Shelter (D: Ousmane Zoromé Samassékou) was an official selection at Hot Docs 2020, Encounters Film Festival and Durban International Film Festival.

young men praying

Buddha in Africa (D: Nicole Schafer) was an official selection at Hot Docs 2019 and Durban International Film Festival.

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