KSFEF AT DOC NYC 2024

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It’s DOC NYC’s fifteenth year and there’s a truly impressive slate of films at this year’s festival featuring work from our current fellows, alumni and mentors past and present. The festival runs in NYC until Thursday, November 21st and online until Sunday, December 1st. We encourage you to see this amazing films in any way you can and support of the work of these talented editors.

Between Goodbyes
Jota Mun, Director

Conbody vs Everybody
Amy Chih-Hsin Lee, Assistant Editor

Death & Taxes
 Purcell Carson, Editor / Brian Redondo, Editor

Everything You Have Is Yours
Colin Nussbaum, Editor, Additional Cinematographer & Executive Producer

Facing the Wind
Flávia de Souza, Editor

Frida
Carla Gutiérrez, Director & Editor / David Teague, Supervising Editor / Paula Ospina, Assistant Editor

Gaucho Gaucho
Gabriel Rhodes, Editor

Gioncarlo Valentine: Exposures
Colin Nussbaum, Editor

Homegrown
Kristen Nutile, Editor / Shilpa Kunnappillil, Editor

House of Aama: Threads of Legacy
Susannah Smith, Editor

In Waves and War
Don Bernier, Editor

The Last of the Sea Women
Erin Casper, Editor

Patrice: The Movie
Ephraim Kirkwood, Editor / Jenna A. Bush, Associate Editor / Ally Southwood-Smith, Associate Editor

The People’s Way
Ephraim Kirkwood, Consulting Editor

The Quilters
Toby Shimin, Editor

Roleplay
Kristen Nutile, Editor

The Sing Sing Chronicles
Rosie Walunas, Editor / Dave Monteagudo, Assistant, Associate & Additional Editor

Slumlord Millionaire
Steph Ching, Director & Editor / Sarah Garrahan, Editor / Francesca Kustra, Editor

Standing Above the Clouds
Diana Diroy, Editor

Where the Wind Blows
Mahdokht Mahmoudabadi, Editor & Writer

The White House Effect
Pedro Kos, Editor / Sara Newens, Editor

OPEN CALL FOR THE 2024-2025 KAREN SCHMEER FELLOWSHIP STARTS TODAY!

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The open call for applications for the 2024-2025 Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship begins today, April 1, 2024. The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship is a year-long professional development program for documentary assistant, associate and emerging editors from historically underrepresented backgrounds and experiences - including those facing discrimination or barriers due to race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomics, immigration, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. The fellowship will run from September 2024 to September 2025 and will consist of monthly small group meetings with seasoned documentary editor mentors.  The program will be hybrid, both online and in-person. We will have in-person group meetings in New York and Los Angeles and virtual group meetings for those in other areas of the United States. 

Applications will be accepted during our open call period from April 1 to May 12, 2024. Ideal applicants are currently working as documentary assistant, associate or early career editors who are looking to grow and work towards building a sustainable career. Applicants should be curious, open-minded, collaborative, and self-motivated people who are eager to get together with other documentary creatives to talk about the art, craft, ethics and business of editing documentaries.

Our mission is to cultivate the careers of an inclusive group of emerging documentary editors through mentorship to help them grow as artists and build their community. We recognize that each editor brings their own unique set of skills and perspectives to every project they work on. By investing in editors, we affirm and strengthen the critical role editors play in documentary storytelling. This year marks the thirteenth year of our programs and we have supported 139 emerging, associate and assistant editors since the fellowship’s inception. 

The organization honors the memory of gifted editor Karen Schmeer, ACE (The Fog of War, Fast, Cheap & Out of Control, Bobby Fischer Against the World), who was killed in a hit and run accident at the age of 39, on January 29, 2010. 

To learn more about the fellowship program:  www.karenschmeer.com/fellowship. For information about this year’s eligibility requirements and application process view our 2024-2025 Application Guidelines and 2024-2025 FAQ documents. To apply visit: www.karenschmeer.com/apply.  

Visit www.karenschmeer.com to meet our current fellows and mentors, as well as past program alumni and mentors. Visit our Hire page for detailed information about our alumni and current fellows, including availability.

KSFEF AT SUNDANCE 2024

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There are so many great projects premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. We're always excited to see new work from our current fellows, alumni and mentors and this year is no different!

Daughters (U.S. Documentary Competition) - Drigan Lee, Additional Editor

Frida (U.S. Documentary Competition) - Carla Gutiérrez, Director & Editor / David Teague, Supervising Editor / Carlos Rojas Felice, Additional Editor

Gaucho Gaucho  (U.S. Documentary Competition) - Gabriel Rhodes, Editor

Girls State (Premieres) - Amy Foote, Editor

Lolla: The Story Of Lollapalooza (Episodic) - Stacy Goldate, Editor

Sue Bird: In the Clutch  (Premieres) - María Gabriela Torres, Associate Editor

Tendaberry (Next) - Jasmine Cannon, Assistant Editor

Union  (U.S. Documentary Competition) - Blair McClendon, Editor / Katyann Gonzalez & Ally Southwood-Smith, Associate Editors

War Game (Special Screening) - Jeff Gilbert, Editor

And a huge congratulations to our current San Francisco mentor, Kristina Motwani, for being the recipient of this year’s Art of Editing Mentorship Award, and to alumn Beth Kearsley for being selected as a Sundance Contributing Editor fellow!

KSFEF AT DOC NYC 2023

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DOC NYC 2023 has begun! We hope you will catch some of the amazing work of our fellows, alumni and mentors. You can attend the festival either in person or online.

If you are attending this year’s DOC NYC PRO conference be sure to check out panels on Editing day (Sunday, November 12) and Sound & Music day (Tuesday, November 14) featuring some of our past program mentors.

And congrats to our alumni who were selected to be a part of this year’s DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40!

Three Promises
Editor: Mahdokht Mahmoudabadi

Time Bomb Y2K
Assistant Editor: Katyann Gonzalez

Unseen
Editor: Daniel Chávez-Ontiveros

Films by our mentors past and present:

Ayenda
Editor: Kristina Motwani

Caterpillar
Editor: Alex O'Flinn

How We Get Free
Editor: Rabab Haj Yahya

Little Richard: I Am Everything
Editor: Nyneve Minnear

Obsessed With the Light
Editor:  Sabine Krayenbühl

One With the Whale
Editor: M. Watanabe Milmore

Time Bomb Y2K
Editor: Maya Mumma

Yours In Freedom, Bill Baird
Editing Consultant: Anne Alvergue 

Films by our current fellows and alumni:

Addresses
Editor: María Luisa Santos

American Symphony
Editor: Jim Hession

Ashima
Editors: Samuel J. Rong & Victoria Chalk

Ayenda
Editors: Mitra Bonshahi

Bad Press
Editor: Jean Rheem

The Cost of Inheritance 
Editor: Jessica Lee Salas

Deciding Vote
Editor: Kristin Bye

The Disappearance of Shere Hite 
Editor: Eileen Meyer

Eat Bitter
Editor: Hannah Choe

Flipside
Editor: Claire Ave'Lallemant

MnM
Editor: Mimi Wilcox

Shaken
Editor: Leigh Johnson

Be sure to catch some panels with our talented mentors at this year’s DOC NYC PRO Fall Conference during the festival. Day passes are still available!

Editing Day - Sunday, November 12

10:00AM - 11:15AM - DOCUMENTARY EDITORS AND MENTAL HEALTH with Jason Pollard.
The craft of editing can bring unique challenges, pressures, and emotional toll.  Discover how to navigate the delicate balance between creating powerful stories and safeguarding your mental health and well-being.

11:30AM - 12:45PM - EDITING SECRETS OF ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED AND FOOD, INC. 2 with Amy Foote.
Uncover the editing secrets behind All The Beauty and The Bloodshed and Food, Inc. 2. Gain insights into their distinctive storytelling techniques, from navigating extensive footage to crafting compelling narratives. 


Music and Sound Day - Tuesday, November 14

11:30AM - 12:45PM - CASE STUDY: LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING with Nyneve Laura Minnear.
Experience a captivating panel celebrating music icon Little Richard’s legacy and its synergy with documentary filmmaking. Discover the craft that turned this documentary into a storytelling symphony, guided by panelist insights on remote collaboration.

And congratulations to Schmeer alumni Alma Herrera-Pazmiño, Ephraim Kirkwood, and Jean Rheem who were selected as part of DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40 2023 cohort, which celebrates emerging talent in the documentary world, including directors, producers, cinematographers, and editors.

ANNOUNCING THE 2023-2024 KAREN SCHMEER FELLOWS!

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We have launched our 2023-2024 group fellowship program and are happy to welcome 27 new fellows!

The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship is designed to cultivate the careers of talented documentary editors, associate editors and assistant editors from historically underrepresented backgrounds, identities, and experiences through mentorship to help them grow as artists and build their community. By investing in editors, we affirm and strengthen the critical role editors play in documentary storytelling. Since 2010 we have supported one hundred and twelve people through our programs. From an open call for applications, twenty seven fellows from around the country have been selected for this year’s program. 

The fellows and their seasoned editor mentors will meet in small groups each month over the course of one year to discuss a range of self-selected topics centered around life and work experiences, the craft of editing, and the business of it. This year there are eleven fellows in New York, six in Los Angeles, four in the San Francisco Bay Area and six living outside these major metropolitan areas who will be meeting virtually.

This year’s fellows are:  

Read more about this year’s fellows:  https://www.karenschmeer.com/fellows2023

This year’s mentors are:

Read more about this year’s mentors: https://www.karenschmeer.com/mentors2023

“We are thrilled to be able to continue to support a large and talented group of assistant, associate and emerging documentary editors in our fellowship program this year. We strive to be an organization that serves the needs of the documentary editing community by providing space for mentorship and by amplifying the ever persistent challenges of equity and inclusivity in the documentary industry. We look forward to not only seeing our new fellows grow throughout their fellowship year but throughout their careers,” says KSFEF President Maya Mumma.

ABOUT THE KAREN SCHMEER FELLOWSHIP

The organization was created in memory of Karen Schmeer, ACE, the accomplished film editor of “The Fog of War,” “Fast, Cheap and Out of Control,” and “Bobby Fischer Against the World,” among other films, who was tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident in New York City in 2010. Its mission is to foster the development of emerging documentary film editors by creating opportunities for creative growth and professional community building. Since 2010 we have supported 112 assistant, associate and emerging editors in our programs and have 27 fellows in our current fellowship program.

KSFEF is supported by generous donations from institutions and individuals who have been touched by Karen and her films, and who believe in our mission to support editors nationwide. Its organizational partners are American Cinema Editors (ACE), Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, Adobe Systems, Netflix, SXSW, Manhattan Edit Workshop, A&E IndieFilms, DCTV, Sound Lounge, East Coast Digital, IFFBoston, LEF, International Documentary Association, Rooftop Films, FInal Frame, Pure Nonfiction, DOC NYC and the Camden International Film Festival.

 For additional information, including bios of all fellows, alumni, mentors, and board, how to join our mailing list, and how to make a donation, please visit www.karenschmeer.com.

If you are looking to hire for your next production or know someone who is, we have a sortable and searchable database of all of program alumni and current fellows: www.karenschmeer.com/hire

THE 2023-2024 KAREN SCHMEER FILM EDITING FELLOWSHIP OPEN CALL HAS BEGUN!

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The 2023-2024 Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship open call has begun!

The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship is a year-long group mentorship program for documentary assistant, associate and emerging editors from historically underrepresented backgrounds and experiences. The fellowship will run from September 2023 to September 2024 and will consist of monthly small group meetings with seasoned documentary editor mentors. Applications will be accepted during our open call period from April 4 to May 21, 2023.

To be eligible to apply for this year’s fellowship program:

  • Applicants must be people who consider themselves committed to pursuing careers as documentary film editors (as opposed to fiction film editors or directors/producers who edit).

  • Applicants must come from historically underrepresented backgrounds and experiences - including those facing discrimination or barriers due to race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomics, immigration, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. 

  • Applicants must have at least two credits as an assistant, associate, additional, co-editor or editor on completed documentary films, but no more than three credits as a co-editor or editor. Each of these films must have running times of 55 minutes or more. Your editing credits may not be on films that you directed. 

  • Applicants must be based in the United States and reside here during the Fellowship year from September 2023 to September 2024.
    Applicants must be able to attend monthly meetings in-person if they reside in NYC or Los Angeles and monthly virtual meetings if they reside in other areas of the United States.

  • Applicants cannot be enrolled as students in undergraduate or graduate programs during the fellowship year. 

To learn more about the fellowship visit: www.karenschmeer.com/fellowship. For more information about the fellowship program’s eligibility requirements and application process view our 2023-2024 Application Guidelines and 2023-2024 Application FAQ documents. To apply visit: www.karenschmeer.com/apply. As always, there is no fee to apply.

The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship was created in 2010 to honor the memory of gifted editor Karen Schmeer. Our mission is to support an inclusive group of documentary film editors through programs that help them grow as artists and build their community. By investing in editors, we affirm and strengthen the critical role editors play in documentary storytelling. This year marks the twelfth year of our programs and we have supported over 110 emerging, associate and assistant editors since the fellowship’s inception. Meet our current Fellows and Mentors, as well as past program Alumni and Mentors. Visit our Hire page for detailed information about our alumni and current fellows, including availability.

KSFEF AT SPRING FESTIVALS

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Springtime is a great time for film festivals. Here’s a roundup of all the incredible new films that premiered at True/False, SXSW and will have their premieres at the upcoming Hot Docs Film Festival that feature the work of our current fellows, our alumni and our mentors.

Premiered at this year's True/False Film Fest:

Time Bomb Y2K
Editor: Maya Mumma

Premiered at this year's SXSW Film & TV Festival:

Another Body
Editor: Rabab Haj Yahya

Art for Everybody
Director & Editor: Miranda Yousef
Associate Editor: Christina Sun Kim
Assistant Editor: Elizabeth Barrett 

Citizen Sleuth
Editor: Jeff Gilbert

Join or Die
Assistant Editor: Cheryl Beadling

Late Bloomers
Editor: Anisha Acharya

Love to Love You, Donna Summer
Editors: Enat Sidi, Jon Stray, Jean Tsien

No Ordinary Campaign 
Editor: Miranda Yousef

Pay or Die
Supervising Editor: Toby Shimin

This World is Not My Own
Editor: Princess Hairston

Premiering at the upcoming Hot Docs Festival:

Eat Bitter
Editor: Hannah Choe

How We Get Free
Director: Geeta Gandbhir
Editor: Rabab Haj Yahya

Razing Liberty Square
Editors: Flavia de Souza & Leigh Johnson

Rowdy Girl
Editor: Pilar Rico

unseen
Editor: Daniel Chávez-Ontiveros

We Are Guardians
Editor: Carla Roda

KSFEF AT SUNDANCE 2023

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Sundance 2023 is underway and there are so many great films playing this year with work from our amazing fellows, alumni and mentors! Be sure to catch them if you’re at the festival or watch them online.

Bad Press (US Documentary Competition)
Jean Rheem, Editor 

The Disappearance of Shere Hite (US Documentary Competition)
Eileen Meyer, Editor
Victoria Guillem, Assistant Editor

Fair Play (US Dramatic Competition)
Elizabeth Barrett, Assistant Editor 

Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (US Documentary Competition)
Victoria Guillem, Assistant editor

Going Varsity In Mariachi  (US Documentary Competition)
Daniela Quiroz, Editor

Invisible Beauty (Premieres)
Chris McNabb, Editor

Little Richard - I Am Everything (US Documentary Competition)
Nyneve Laura Minnear, Lead Editor 

PLAN C (Premieres),
Beth Kearsley, Additional Editor, Assistant Editor & Associate Producer

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (Premieres)
Anne Yao, Editor

Shayda (World Cinema Dramatic Competition)
Elika Rezaee, Editor'

The Stroll (US Documentary Competition)
Stacy Goldate, Consulting Editor

Under G-d (Shorts)
Inés Vogelfang, Editor
Sunita Prasad, Supervising Editor

Victim/Suspect (US Documentary Competition)
Inbal Lessner, Editor

KSFEF AT DOC NYC 2022

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We’re excited to see so many films at this year’s DOC NYC festival featuring the work of so many Karen Schmeer fellows, alumni and mentors! The festival this year is both in person and online so there are many opportunities to see these great films! Find out more about how to attend HERE.

AFTER SHERMAN (Winner’s Circle)
Editor: Blair Seab McClendon
Assistant Editor: Anne Yao

AFTERSHOCK (Winner’s Circle)
Editor: Flávia de Souza, Sunita Prasad
Associate Editor: Sam Kahrar

ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED (Short List: Features)
Editor: Amy Foote

ANGOLA DO YOU HEAR US? VOICES FROM A PLANTATION PRISON (Short List: Shorts)
Assistant Editor: Sydney Friedman

BAD AXE (Winner’s Circle)
Editor: Rosie Walunas

BEBA (Short List: Features)
Additional Editor: Andrea Cruz
Consulting Editor: Karen Sim

DUSTY & STONES (U.S. Competition)
Editor: Loulwa Khoury

FIRE OF LOVE (Short List: Features)
Editor: Erin Casper

THE GRAB (Investigations)
Assistant Editor: Tessa Malsam

I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE (Winner’s Circle)
Assistant Editor: Anne Yao

IN SEARCH OF BENGALI HARLEM (Metropolis Competition)
Editor: Beyza Boyacioglu

JANUARY 6TH (Investigations)
Co-Editor: Gustavo Curi

JEANETTE LEE VS. (Game Face Cinema)
Additional Editor: Eugene Yi
Assistant Editor: Sediqua Francis

LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK & BLUES (Short List: Features)
Editors: Jason Pollard, Alma Herrera-Pazmiño

THE MARTHA MITCHELL EFFECT (Short List: Shorts)
Director, Editor: Anne Alvergue
Additional Editor: Toby Shimin
Online Editor, Post-Production Supervisor: Luz Marina Zamora

MASTER OF LIGHT (American Lives)
Editor: Ephraim Kirkwood

THE RECALL (Shorts Program)
Editor: Francisco Bello

RETROGRADE (Short List: Features)
Editor: Grace Zahrah
Associate Editor: Rulla Rouf

THE RETURN OF TANYA TUCKER – FEATURING BRANDI CARLILE (Short List: Features)
Supervising Editor: Toby Shimin

RIOTSVILLE, USA (Winner’s Circle)
Assistant Editor, Additional Ediitor: Anne Yao
Additional Editor: Blair Seab McClendon

THE TERRITORY (Short List: Features)
Editor: Carlos Rojas Felice

If you are attending the DOC NYC PRO Editing Day during the festival, be sure to catch mentors Nyneve Laura Minnear and David Teague at the 10am panel EDITORS AS STORYTELLERS co-hosted by the Alliance of Documentary Editors and Carla Gutierrez and Jason Pollard at the 3:15pm panel BEYOND RESILIENCE: EDITING WHILE BIPOC co-presented by BIPOC Doc Editors.

And congratulations to current fellows and alumni Daniel Chávez-Ontiveros, Janah Elise Cox, Ashley Moradipour, Sunita Prasad and Grace Zahrah for being selected for DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40 honor this year! 40 Under 40 celebrates emerging talent in the documentary world.

ANNOUNCING THE 2022-2023 KAREN SCHMEER FELLOWS!

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We have launched our 2022-2023 group fellowship program and are happy to welcome 30 new fellows!

The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship is designed to cultivate the careers of talented documentary editors, associate editors and assistant editors from historically underrepresented backgrounds, identities, and experiences through mentorship to help them grow as artists and build their community. By investing in editors, we affirm and strengthen the critical role editors play in documentary storytelling. Since 2010 we have supported 82 people through our programs. From our open call for applications, thirty fellows from around the country were selected for this year’s program. 

The fellows and their seasoned editor mentors will meet in small groups each month over the course of one year to discuss a range of self-selected topics centered around life and work experiences, the craft of editing, and the business of it. This year there are fifteen fellows in New York, five in Los Angeles, five in the San Francisco Bay Area and five living outside these major metropolitan areas who will be meeting virtually.

This year’s fellows are:

Read more about this year’s fellows:  www.karenschmeer.com/fellows2022

This year’s mentors are:  

 
 

Read more about this year’s mentors: www.karenschmeer.com/mentors2022

The 2022-2023 fellowship year is dedicated to the memory of Lewis Erskine: editor, colleague, teacher, mentor, and friend of the fellowship who was instrumental in the growth of our programs. His legacy includes not only a wealth of films, but a generosity of spirit and a vital and enduring call to make the documentary industry a more equitable space. 

Read Lewis’ keynote speech at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Art of Editing event: www.sundance.org/blogs/editor-lewis-erskine-examine-your-privilege-question-it-constantly

KSFEF AT TRIBECA 2022

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The 2022 Tribeca Film Festival is underway and there are a bunch of really amazing films featuring the work Schmeer fellowship alumni and mentors. Congrats to all the editors and the films. If you’re at the fest this year be sure to check them out and keep your eye out for these projects in the coming months!

AFTER SHERMAN
Blair Seab McClendon, Editor

AN ACT OF WORSHIP
Loulwa Khoury, Assistant Editor

ANGOLA DO YOU HEAR US? VOICES FROM A PLANTATION PRISON
Sydney Friedman, Assistant Editor

CIVIL
Lindsay Utz, Editor

FOUR SAMOSAS
Anisha Acharya, Editor

HAZING
Jessica Lee Salas, Editor

LET NOOR RUN
Loulwa Khoury, Editor

LIQUOR STORE DREAMS
Christina Sun Kim, Editor
Jean Rheem, Consulting Editor

LOWNDES COUNTY AND THE ROAD TO BLACK POWER
Geeta Gandbhir, Director
Grace Mendenhall, Post-Production Supervisor

MENUDO: FOREVER YOUNG
Andreina Velazquez, Associate Editor, Additional Editor
Carla Roda, Editor
Carla Gutierrez, Editor

OF MEDICINE AND MIRACLES
Hypatia Porter, Editor

VALENTINE
Chris McNabb, Director, Screenwriter, Editor

KSFEF AT SXSW 2022

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It’s exciting to see so many great films cut by KSFEF alumni and mentors at this year’s SXSW Film Festival! Be sure to check them out if you’re in Austin or joining in online:

Aftershock
Flávia de Souza and Sunita Prasad, Editors / Samantha C. Kahrar, Additional Editor

The Art of Making It
Nyneve Laura Minnear, Editor / Inés Vogelfang, Co-Editor / Jasmine Cannon, Assistant Editor

Bad Axe
Rosie Walunas, Editor

Boycott
Flavia de Souza, Editor / Mary Kerr, Associate Editor

Descendant
Geoffrey Richman, Editor / Sydney Friedman, Assistant Editor

Fire of Love
Erin Casper, Editor

Look At Me: XXXTENTACION
Chris McNabb, Editor

Master of Light
Ephraim Kirkwood, Editor

ANNOUNCING THE 2022-2023 KAREN SCHMEER FILM EDITING FELLOWSHIP OPEN CALL

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Newly Redesigned Fellowship Program Provides Mentorship for Assistant, Associate and Emerging Documentary Film Editors from Underrepresented Backgrounds and Experiences.

The open call for applications for our 2022-2023 group Fellowship program has begun!

The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship is a year-long group mentorship program for documentary assistant, associate and emerging editors from historically underrepresented backgrounds and experiences - including those facing discrimination or barriers due to race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomics, immigration, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. The program will consist of monthly small group meetings with seasoned documentary editor mentors. This year we are excited to announce a hybrid program, both in-person and online, allowing for applicants from across the country. We will have in-person group meetings in New York and Los Angeles (pursuant to local health guidelines) and virtual group meetings for those in other areas of the US.

Applications will be accepted during our open call period from February 1 to March 20, 2022. To apply visit: www.karenschmeer.com/apply. To learn more about the Fellowship program’s eligibility requirements, and application process view our 2022-2023 Application Guidelines and 2022-2023 Application FAQ documents. As always, there is no fee to apply.

Karen Schmeer alumni 2011-2021

The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship was created in 2010 to honor the memory of gifted editor Karen Schmeer. Our mission is to support an inclusive group of documentary film editors through programs that help them grow as artists and build their community. By investing in editors, we affirm and strengthen the critical role editors play in documentary storytelling.

2021 marked the 10th year of our programs. From 2011 to 2020 the Emerging Editor Fellowship went to one emerging documentary film editor annually. Our Diversity in the Edit Room Program was created in 2018, first in New York and then Los Angles, and in its three years brought seventy-two assistant and early-career editors together with mentors. We now have an incredible group of 82 alumni, from AEs to editors, doing incredible work in our industry. You can learn more about them on our HIRE page, including availability, credits and skill sets.

KSFEF AT SUNDANCE 2022

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The 2022 Sundance Film Festival starts tomorrow and among the films being screened are several featuring the work of our alumni and mentors. The festival is virtual this year and single tickets are still available. See and support all of this amazing work.

Also, this year’s virtual Art of Editing Celebration on Thursday, January 27 is open to all! Learn more and RSVP for the event HERE.

Aftershock (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Flávia de Souza and Sunita Prasad, Editors & Samantha C. Kahrar, Associate Editor

Descendant (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Sydney Friedman, Assistant Editor

Fire of Love (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Erin Casper, Editor

Free Chol Soo Lee (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Eugene Yi, Director & Jean Tsien, Editor & Anita H.M. Yu, Co-Editor

I Didn’t See You There (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Anne Yao, Assistant Editor

Neptune Frost (Spotlight)
Anisha Acharya, Editor

Riotsville, USA (NEXT)
Anne Yao, Additional and Assistant Editor

The Territory (World Cinema Documentary Competition)
Carlos Rojas, Editor

We Need To Talk About Cosby (Premieres)
Dominique Ulloa, Editor

KSFEF AT DOC NYC 2021

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DOC NYC begins TODAY! And this year it’s IN PERSON! We're excited that there are so many films at this year's festival that showcase the work of our program alumni and mentors.

The Fellowship is co-presenting the happy hour at the DOC NYC PRO: Editing Day on Sunday, November 14. The day starts with breakfast at 9 AM, includes four panels and ends with happy hour at 4:15 PM. If you’re attending, be sure to stick around and say hello.

Here's a rundown of all the KSFEF-related screenings at the festival. Get tickets before they're gone and come out to support all of this great work. If you can’t make it in person this year, all films are screening virtually as well. More info on tickets and festival passes HERE.

The Art of Making It
Editor: Nyneve Laura Minnear, Co-Editor: Inés Vogelfang, Assistant Editor: Jasmine Cannon
Saturday, November 13, 2021, 1:00 PM, SVA Theatre
Thursday, November 18, 2021, 9:15 PM, Cinépolis Chelsea

Be Our Guest
Editor: Sunita Prasad
Thursday, November 18, 2021, 7:00 PM, Cinépolis Chelsea

Boycott
Editor: Flavia de Souza
Sunday, November 14, 2021, 4:15 PM, SVA Theatre

A Decent Home
Editor: Victoria Chalk
Tuesday, November 16, 2021, 7:00 PM, Cinépolis Chelsea
Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 11:30 AM, IFC Center

Faya Dayi
Assistant Editor: Jasmine Cannon
Friday, November 12, 2021, 9:30 PM, IFC Center

The First Wave
Editors: Francisco Bello, Gabriel Rhodes
Thursday, November 18, 2021, 7:00 PM, Beacon Theatre

Krimes
Editor: Miranda Yousef
Sunday, November 14, 2021, 4:30 PM, IFC Center
Tuesday, November 16, 2021, 4:10 PM, Cinépolis Chelsea

Omara
Editor: Rachel Shuman, Additional Editor: Nyneve Laura Minnear
Saturday, November 13, 2021, 4:30 PM. IFC Center
Monday, November 15, 2021, 9:45 PM, Cinépolis Chelsea

Storm Lake
Editor: Rachel Shuman
Thursday, November 11, 2021, 6:45 PM, IFC Center
Friday, November 12, 2021, 4:45 PM, IFC Center

Try Harder!
Additional Editor: Victoria Chalk
Saturday, November 13, 2021, 2:00 PM, IFC Center

2020 FELLOWSHIP AWARDED TO CHRISTINA SUN KIM

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We’re thrilled to announce Christina Sun Kim as our tenth Schmeer Fellow!

 
photo credit: So Yun Um

photo credit: So Yun Um

 

She’s a skillful storyteller who wove together the personal and political with empathy and sensitivity in the feature documentary Land of My Father. Her intelligence, thoughtfulness and respect for the craft of documentary editing shines both in her work and in how she talks about it. As an emerging editor, she has a strong drive to grow her craft and engage with the documentary community and we are so pleased to support her as she grows throughout her fellowship year and beyond.

Her mentors for the year will be Kimberley Hassett (Shirkers, Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator), Karen K.H. Sim (Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper, Who Killed Garrett Phillips), and Miranda Yousef, ACE (Inequality For All, Daughters of the Sexual Revolution).

 
 

After learning that she had been chosen for this year’s fellowship, Christina said, “I am living my dream right now through the Karen Schmeer Emerging Editor Fellowship. The opportunity comes to me after a time of soul searching and recommitting to my dream of being a documentary editor. To be welcomed into such a uniquely supportive community comprised of amazingly talented yet generous filmmakers is a tremendous honor and encouragement to me. In the coming year, I look forward to furthering my craft as an artist as I learn from my mentors. Particularly in light of the challenges of 2020, I also feel compelled and inspired to do more in proactively building an inclusive community, both on a personal level and as a member of the film industry. As the fellowship was established ten years ago to honor Karen Schmeer’s giving spirit, I, too, hope to reflect her kindness and compassion for all people, in my work as well as in uplifting other editors who need the opportunity for access and exposure to achieve their dreams.”

Christina is a Los Angeles-based editor who grew up in South Korea and the Midwest of the United States. Her work has screened at SXSW, CAAMFest, the Jeonju International Film Festival, the Documentary Channel and PBS. She discovered her love of editing while studying documentary filmmaking at the University of Texas at Austin and soon after graduation, edited Tattooed Under Fire, an ITVS-funded film about Iraq veterans and their emotional scars.

After receiving an MFA from UCLA, she was named a Film Independent Project Involve fellow and spent time producing and editing short social justice documentaries, collaborating with Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmakers and a network of community organizers throughout California. Her short The Migration Continues, which chronicles a group of DREAMers fighting to defend DACA, was a finalist for the 2018 Shorty Awards. Land of My Father, a film about two lives that are intertwined with a remote disputed island, marks her return to long-form documentary editing. Matthew Koshmrl, the director of Land of My Father, raves about Christina, “She is the single most significant person I have collaborated with in film.”

As a storyteller, Christina has focused on bringing humanity to misunderstood populations in hidden sectors of our society and around the world. She is currently working on So Yun Um’s feature documentary, Liquor Store Dreams, the director’s personal journey of racial reconciliation in the face of a fading generation of Korean-owned liquor stores in Los Angeles.

Christina will be recognized as this year’s fellow on Thursday, October 1, 2020 during the opening events of the Camden International Film Festival.

2020 FELLOWSHIP OPEN CALL HAS BEGUN!

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The Open Call for submissions for our 2020-21 Emerging Editor Fellowship has begun! If you are an emerging documentary film editor who has cut between one and three films with at least one of those being a documentary, please take a look at our FAQ to see all of our eligibility rules. Please keep in mind that while our fellows have edited many successful and high profile films, most of them only had one feature credit when they applied.

The online application deadline is Friday, March 13, 2020. As always, there is no fee to apply.

Special Note: The timing of this year’s deadline is new for us and it means that we won’t be presenting the award at SXSW this year. We want to take a minute to thank SXSW for its unflagging support since the fellowship’s very inception. Janet Pierson’s desire, in particular, to honor Karen’s life and memory has meant so much to us and has helped spread the word about how remarkable she was. And all of our fellows have benefitted from being introduced and awarded at the SXSW Film Awards. We love being partners with SXSW and also want to thank them for continuing to generously support the fellowship with a film badge for the fellow.

This year, we will announce the recipient in September, ahead of the Camden International Film Festival, another one of our valued partners.

Our current fellow is Victoria Chalk (Call Her Ganda). Her mentors are Victor Livingston (The Queen of Versailles, Crumb), Azin Samari (The September Issue, Ethel), and Lindsay Utz (American Factory, Quest).

Past recipients of the fellowship are Lindsay Utz (2020 Academy Award Winner, Best Documentary American Factory, Quest) Kristin Bye (Obit), Leigh Johnson (Us Kids; It's a Hard Truth, Ain't It), Eileen Meyer (Crip Camp, Best of Enemies), Anna Gustavi (Seymour: An Introduction), Colin Nusbaum (The Unafraid, An Inconvenient Sequel), Jim Hession (Rich Hill, The Lovers and the Despot), and Erin Casper (Risk, American Promise). Read about all of them here.

Good luck to our applicants and thank you to all of our supporters and partners.

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KSFEF AT THE OSCARS

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Three members of our cohort have edited Oscar nominated films! Fellow Lindsay Utz edited American Factory, mentee Faisal Azam edited the short, St. Louis Superman, and mentor Mary Manhardt edited the short Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if You’re a Girl).

American Factory is streaming on Netflix. The shorts are now playing at the IFC Center in NYC and at theaters across the country as part of the "Oscar Nominated Shorts 2020" programs.

We'll cross our fingers for them on Feb. 9!

KSFEF AT SUNDANCE

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The 2020 Sundance Film Festival begins today and among the films being screened are several featuring the work of our fellows, diversity mentees, and mentors. If you’re at the festival be sure to catch their amazing work.

FILMS FROM OUR FELLOWS:

Us Kids (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Leigh Johnson, Editor

Crip Camp (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Eileen Meyer, Editor

Miss Americana (Documentary Premieres)
Lindsay Utz, Editor

FILMS FROM OUR MENTEES:

Siempre, Luis (Special Events)
Janah Cox, Assistant Editor

Some Kind of Heaven (NEXT)
Loulwa Khoury, Assistant Editor

The Assistant (Spotlight)
Blair McClendon, Editor

FILMS FROM OUR MENTORS:

The Fight (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Greg Finton & Kim Roberts, Editors

Wander Darkly (U.S. Dramatic Competition)
Alex O'Flinn, Editor

Time (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Gabriel Rhodes, Editor