Black Film Project Fellowship — Fellowship

The Black Film Project Fellowship supports established and emerging filmmakers developing fiction or documentary work about Black experience, history, and culture in the United States or globally. The Hutchins Center runs the fellowship with Harvard’s Film Study Center and Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies.

Three fellows are selected annually and join the W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute fellowship cohort. Fellows work in the Cambridge–Boston area, take part in the Center’s intellectual community, and present work in progress.

Benefits & funding

An $80,000 stipend.
An additional $5,000 for project development expenses.
Office space at the Hutchins Center with 24-hour access, a Harvard ID and email account, and access to University libraries and online resources.
Access to Film Study Center equipment, editing and post-production facilities, workshops, screenings, and community events.
Opportunities to present work at Harvard venues; a Carpenter Center Theater screening may be possible during the fellowship year.
An optional joint fellowship with the Film Study Center includes twice-monthly nonfiction work-in-progress workshops.

Eligibility

Established and emerging filmmakers may apply with a fiction or documentary project focused on any aspect of Black experience in the United States or globally.
Applicants must show independent work demonstrating exceptional achievement and formal innovation.
The official materials state no nationality, degree, age, gender, or pre-appointment residency restriction. Selected fellows are expected to reside in the Cambridge–Boston area during the appointment and participate substantially in Center activities.
The application, recommendation letters, project materials, and film samples must be in English. Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate proficiency through TOEFL or IELTS scores or a Zoom conversation with Hutchins Center staff.

Can you apply?

Open to all applicants

No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.

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Application process

1
Create or use a Submittable account when the next call opens; there is no application fee.
2
Complete the general-information and project sections, including a project title, a logline of up to 50 words, a summary of up to 200 words, and responses about fellowship fit and the intended Harvard year.
3
Enter three recommenders early enough for all letters to arrive by the deadline.
4
Upload a curriculum vitae, a short biography of no more than one page, and a written proposal of no more than 1,400 words for one project.
5
Submit up to 15 minutes of film or video work, identify the portions to review, and explain the applicant’s role in the work.
6
Submit through Submittable by the published deadline.

Program timeline

Application and recommendation-letter deadline for the 2026–2027 cycle.
Feb 26, 2026
End of May 2026
Acceptance notices for the 2026–2027 cycle.
Fellowship term.
2026–2027 academic year