Lucky 13: Jessica Oreck, Jason Kohn and Margaret Brown Receive Cinereach Support

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo‘s Jessica Oreck, Manda Bala (Send a Bullet)‘s Jason Kohn and The Order of Myths/Be Here to Love Me‘s Margaret Brown are among the filmmakers of thirteen projects in all to receive some serious coin from the Cinereach folks — indie and doc filmmaker staples such as Matt Wolf, Liza Johnson, Dee Rees, Ramin Bahrani, Alistair Banks Griffin and Maryam Keshavarz have all benefitted from this organization’s help. Here are the Winter 2011 grant recipients include two fiction, ten nonfiction and one hybrid works-in-progress of which we’ll be keeping a close eye out for at this year’s TIFF, Doc Fests and next year’s Sundance:

The Angola Project
Dir. Jeremy Xido | Angola | Nonfiction | In Research & Development
A post-colonial western-meets-road film about the fevered reconstruction of the Benguela Transcontinental Railway and the African and Chinese lives that are intertwined because of it.

Diamond, Silver & Gold
Dir. Jason Kohn | USA | Nonfiction | In Production
A look into the origins of life, synthetic diamonds and other nagging problems.

The Great Invisible
Dir. Margaret Brown | USA | Nonfiction | In Production
An observational documentary about the Gulf oil spill and the resulting moratorium on drilling in the Gulf.

In the Last Days of the City
Dir. Tamer El Said | Egypt | Fiction | In Post-Production
A filmmaker comes of age in a city on the brink of revolution.

Just Do It: A Tale of Modern Day Outlaws
Dir. Emily James | UK | Nonfiction | In Post-Production
An observational documentary providing unprecedented access to the environmental direct action movement in the UK.

Montana Medical Marijuana Film
Dir. Rebecca Richman Cohen | USA | Nonfiction | In Production
Reflecting the controversies enveloping the marijuana industry throughout the United States, Montana braces itself to become the first state to repeal a medical marijuana law.

Narco Cultura
Dir. Shaul Schwarz | Mexico/USA | Nonfiction | In Production
An in-depth and vivid exploration of a new, powerful culture fueled by the cartels responsible for Mexico’s deadly drug wars.

The Patron Saints
Dir. Melanie Shatzky & Brian Cassidy | USA | Hybrid | In Post-Production
A disquieting and hyperrealistic glimpse into life at a nursing home.

The Scribe of Uraba 
Dir. Jeff & Michael Zimbalist | USA/Colombia | Fiction | In Development
When her father is murdered in rural Colombia, Alcira Gil embarks on a quest for justice that is larger than her family, her village, or even her country.

States
Dir. David Soll | USA/Southern Sudan/Western Sahara | Nonfiction | In Research & Development
The world’s only freelance diplomats guide non-states in their struggle for recognition, through the pageantry of international affairs.

Strong Island
Dir. Yance Ford | USA | Nonfiction | In Production
A documentary about the violent death of the filmmaker’s brother nearly 20 years ago, and how the collision of silence, fear and the judiciary allowed his killer to go free.

Ushio + Noriko 
Dir. Zachary Heinzerling | USA | Nonfiction | In Post-Production
A meditation on companionship, sacrifice, and the creative spirit, this love story explores the chaotic forty-year marriage of two New York-based, Japanese artists.

The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga
Dir. Jessica Oreck | Russia/Poland/Ukraine | Nonfiction | In Post-Production
A descent into the woodlands of Eastern Europe that uncovers the secrets of the mysterious mushroom and the mythic qualities of the forest it inhabits.