Don’t Forget to Submit Your Application for the Filmmaker in Chief Creative Residency!

If you’re a filmmaker interested in a paid opportunity to live and make a short film in Lower Manhattan this summer, your time to apply is running out. The last day to submit your application for our Filmmaker in Chief creative residency is February 16; applications close at 11:59 p.m.

As a reminder, one filmmaker will win a creative residency to produce, direct and edit a short film in New York City’s Lower Manhattan neighborhood. The chosen filmmaker will win up to $50,000, plus two months in a paid luxury Mint House apartment and two months’ stipend to create their masterpiece. 

There’s no catch, just one main requirement: the short film you create must feature Lower Manhattan, whether as a backdrop for a dramatic short, the subject of a documentary or simply a (visible) source of inspiration. You’ll show us how you plan to feature Lower Manhattan in a submitted film treatment, plus make a one-minute video explaining why you are the best pick for our Filmmaker in Chief. Otherwise, you have full creative license to create a film that falls within a PG-13 rating, and any genre and style is welcome. 

Your 3-5 page film treatment will clarify how you plan to feature our iconic neighborhood renowned for its dramatic skyline, storied history and landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Fearless Girl, Charging Bull and New York Stock Exchange, as well as countless other treasures waiting to be represented through film. 

After submissions close on February 16, five finalists will be selected to have their treatments and videos evaluated by a jury of Lower Manhattan culture and film titans. One winner will be selected, and be notified by the Alliance around March 5, 2024.

You can find more on the Filmmaker in Chief creative residency — including fine print, FAQs, submission requirements and more — here.