The 2011 Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant has been awarded to Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall for Call Me Kuchu, Lofty Nathan for The Twelve O’Clock Boyz, and Johanna Hamilton for Untitled: 1971. Ian Olds, Thom Powers, and Rachael Rakes will join the grant recipients for a presentation of short excerpts from their works-in-progress.

Call Me Kuchu

Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall

In Kampala, Uganda, homosexuality is a serious and shameful crime, enforced by newspapers and the legal system. A new “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” in Uganda’s Parliament proposes life sentences for those who fail to disclose homosexual family members. This film follows the experiences, both hopeful and tragic, of a group of LGBT men and women, or “kuchus,” who courageously work to reverse these policies and mindsets.

The Twelve O’Clock Boyz

Lofty Nathan

An illegal dirt-bike group in Baltimore that calls itself the Twelve O’Clock Boyz provides a sense of refuge for Pug, a 12-year-old boy who suffers a family tragedy. Through the viewpoint of Pug, the film exposes misconceptions about the group, who are rumored to be murderous drug dealers, by revealing the genuine motivations and aspirations of this 100-strong team of riders.

Untitled: 1971

Johanna Hamilton

How far would you go, how much would you sacrifice, for your political beliefs? Because of the sensitive nature of this project and the risks involved, we do not include a detailed description here. The confidentiality of the project needs to be protected until the film is complete.