OPEN CALL ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2017 KAREN SCHMEER FELLOWSHIP

The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship open call for its seventh annual award will run August 3, 2016 through September 30, 2016.

Applicants must have edited at least one feature documentary (60 minutes or longer) but no more than three and plan on living in the US between March 2017 and March 2018. 

The fellowship assists emerging documentary editors by developing their talent, expanding their creative community, and furthering their career aspirations. In conjunction with American Cinema Editors (ACE), Manhattan Edit Workshop, SXSW, the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and other partners, the fellowship offers a wide array of opportunities. 

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

The 2017 fellow will join an accomplished group of previous recipients. Anna Gustavi’s Seymour: An Introduction premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was distributed by IFC Films; Colin Nusbaum’s Tough Love, premiered at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and screened as part of PBS' POV series; and Eileen Meyer co-edited Best of Enemies, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. After receiving their fellowships, Jim Hession was hired to edit Rich Hill, which won the Sundance U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize; Lindsay Utz cut In Country, which premiered at the 2014 Full Frame Festival; and Erin Casper edited American Promise, which won the Sundance U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award.

Our application guide and FAQ can be found here.

The 2017-18 fellowship benefits include: Mentorship with veteran editors; pass, badge and/or admission to: ACE EditFest Los Angeles, SXSW Film Festival, IFFBoston, Manhattan Edit Workshop’s Sight, Sound & Story summit, the KSFEF/Sundance Institute’s Contemplating the Cut workshop, Rooftop Films, Stranger than Fiction, IDA’s Getting Real conference, and the Camden International Film Festival; travel, accommodations and per diem to two of the aforementioned events; a credential to the Sundance Film Festival; an IDA one-year membership; an ACE “special” membership; a $1000 cash award; a $250 gift certificate at Powell’s Books; a portrait session with a professional photographer; and a DVD collection of all 12 of Karen’s films.

KAREN SCHMEER, A.C.E., was an award-winning film editor whose work included Errol Morris’ The Fog of War (Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary), Mr. Death, and Fast, Cheap and Out of Control. She edited Sketches of Frank Gehry, directed by Sydney Pollack, The Same River Twice, My Father the Genius, and American Experience: A Brilliant Madness. Her fiction film American Son premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. For the HBO film Sergio, Karen won the Best Editing Award at Sundance in 2009. Karen was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and attended Boston University. On her way home from editing Liz Garbus’ Bobby Fischer Against the World, Karen was struck and killed by a car fleeing a robbery in New York City on January 29, 2010.

AMERICAN CINEMA EDITORS (ACE) is an honorary association of professional film editors that celebrates & promotes the art of editing. Editors are included on the basis of professional achievement, dedication to educating others, and commitment to the craft of editing.