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Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant
Due to the global pandemic, Full Frame will present an online showcase of films for its 2021 edition, to take place June 2 through June 6. In light of the virtual format, the Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant will be postponed until the festival returns to an in-person event.
The Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2022. The Grant has recognized a prestigious collection of first-time filmmakers over these years. More information about past recipients and the background of the Grant are included below.
Details about next year’s call for applications will be posted in the fall of 2021. If you have questions in the meantime, please contact Sadie Tillery.
Previous Grant Recipients
2020
Cusp
Isabel Bethencourt, Parker Hill
martha
Anne Alvergue, Debra McClutchy
2019
After Sherman
Jon-Sesrie Goff
Million Dollar Block
Diane Hodson and Jasmine Luoma
2018
Shadow of His Wings
Lucas Habte
Black Mothers
Débora Souza Silva
2017
Minding the Gap
Bing Liu
Stalin, Lenin, and Other Tales from South India
Kavita Pillay
2016
Quest: The Fury and the Sound
Jonathan Olshefski
Whirlybird
Matt Yoka
2015
Sweetheart Deal
Elisa Haradon and Gabriel Miller
The Trial of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Ted Passon
2014
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
RaMell Ross
The Peacemaker
James Demo
2013
(T)error
Lyric R. Cabral
In Country
Mike Attie and Meghan O’Hara
2012
Barge
Ben Powell
Let the Fire Burn
Jason Osder
2011
Call Me Kuchu
Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall
12 O’Clock Boys
Lotfy Nathan
1971
Johanna Hamilton
2010
25 To Life
Mike Brown
Jessica Gonzales vs. The United States of America
April Hayes and Katia Maguire
2009
Anatomy of Poverty
Elinyisia Mosha
The Canal Street Madam
Cameron Yates
2008
War Don Don
Rebecca Richman Cohen
Garbage Dreams
Mai Iskander
The Unreturned
Nathan Fisher
2007
My Perestroika
Robin Hessman
The Last Buffalo Hunt
Lee Lynch
About the Grant
The Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant funds first-time documentary directors for travel and accommodations to attend the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Grant recipients are given access to films, discussions, and mentorship by experienced filmmakers and also present short excerpts from their works-in-progress at the festival.
The grant’s namesake, Garrett Scott, made a distinctive mark in documentary during his short career. Without any formal training in film, he directed Cul De Sac: A Suburban War Story, examining the case of a methamphetamine addict who stole a tank from an armory and went on a rampage through the San Diego suburbs. The film prompted Filmmaker Magazine to cite Garrett as one of 2002’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. Garrett went on to make Occupation: Dreamland, co-directed with Ian Olds, about U.S. soldiers in Falluja, Iraq. It won prizes at Full Frame and the Independent Spirit Awards. Both films were broadcast by the Sundance Channel. In 2006, Garrett died of a heart attack at age 37.
Garrett’s work examined how the forces of state power and economics impact individuals. Stylistically, his films broke convention, giving audiences new perspectives on familiar milieus like suburbia or war-torn Iraq. He was a beloved member of film communities in San Francisco and New York City and several points in between.
His friends, family, and colleagues established this development grant to help other emerging filmmakers reach their potential. The grant’s selection committee looks especially for filmmakers who somehow fulfill Garrett’s example by bringing a unique vision to the content and style of contemporary documentary making.