JustFilms, the Ford Foundation’s social justice film fund, is providing major support to eight independent films selected for competition and premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, the world’s leading showcase for independent filmmaking.

Launched in 2011, JustFilms fosters film and media makers who are creating passionate and purposeful narratives. Film is an ideal medium to present a wide range of complex issues in a way that engages and inspires. Over the course of two years, JustFilms has given grants totaling $20 million to hundreds of exceptionally talented individuals and has partnered with numerous organizations such as the Sundance Institute, ITVS, HBO, Tribeca Film Institute, the Princess Grace Foundation and many others.

One of the five JustFilms-funded projects that premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, “How to Survive a Plague,” has been nominated for a 2013 Academy Award in the category of Best Documentary Feature. This powerful, inspiring movie exemplifies film’s ability to educate and motivate.

“We are constantly thinking of ways to inspire and bring attention to the intractable issues of our time,” said Darren Walker, vice president of Ford’s Education, Creativity and Free Expression program. “Our JustFilms initiative seeks inventive ways to creatively, financially and programmatically support underrepresented and deserving filmmakers who highlight courageous people confronting difficult issues and actively pursuing a more just, secure and sustainable world.”

The Ford Foundation works with many partners in an effort to lift up worthy films during the long cycle of production. In addition to the films that received major support from the Ford Foundation, twelve films premiering at this year’s festival were produced by the foundation in collaboration with the Sundance Documentary Film Program. A partnership with ITVS yielded “Fallen City” by Qi Zhao, furthering the international perspective of JustFilms. And the film “When I Walk,” a moving chronicle of filmmaker Jason DaSilva’s experience of learning to live with multiple sclerosis, received a finishing grant from the Princess Grace Foundation in support of South East Asian American filmmakers, funded by the Ford Foundation for this very purpose.

“Through collaboration with our valued partners we endeavor to find support for under-represented and deserving filmmakers,” said Orlando Bagwell, director of Ford’s JustFilms initiative. “The fruits of those labors are on display at International Festivals like Sundance, in creative and dramatic films that bring social justice issues to the forefront.”

The Ford Foundation’s JustFilms initiative builds on the foundation’s longtime support for scores of documentaries, including such landmark productions as “Eyes on the Prize,” “State of Fear” and “Why Democracy.” It also leverages the foundation’s global network of 10 regional offices to identify and lift new talent from around the world and to strengthen emerging communities of documentary filmmakers.

About the Films

The eight films premiering at the Sundance Film Festival with major financial support from JustFilms are:

American Promise (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Directors: Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson
As two African-American boys journey from kindergarten through high school graduation at an elite prep school, they encounter hurdles both in and out of the classroom.

Citizen Koch (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Directors: Carl Deal and Tia Lessin
Following the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United, corporate money plays a political role during a contentious decision on organized labor in the state of Wisconsin.

Gideon’s Army (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Director: Dawn Porter
Three young public defenders in the Deep South face long hours, heavy caseloads and minimal resources in their efforts to ensure that justice is served.

God Loves Uganda (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Director: Roger Ross Williams
With values imported from America’s Christian Right, missionaries in Uganda attempt to eliminate “sexual sin” and advance anti-gay legislation.

Mother of George (U.S. Dramatic Competition)
Director: Andrew Dosunmu
One immigrant struggles to balance the expectations of her native Basotho culture and the opportunities of her new life in America.

Outlawed in Pakistan (Shorts Competition)
Directors: Habiba Nosheen and Hilke Schellmann
Pakistani teenager Kainat Soomro, accuses four men from her village of gang-raping her. She takes her case to the Pakistani courts and faces a deeply flawed criminal justice system.

Valentine Road (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Director: Marta Cunningham
In 2008 an 8th grader’s murder of his classmate shocked the nation. But both the murderer and the victim had troubled lives that complicate our very notion of justice.

Who is Dayani Cristal? (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Director: Marc Silver
After one migrant finds himself in a deadly stretch of Arizona desert known as “the corridor of death,” his life becomes testimony to the tragic results of the U.S. war on immigration.

Other Events

JustFilms will also host two panel discussions at the Sundance Festival, at which filmmakers and others will focus on the medium’s ability to foment change.
Turning the Tide (Friday, January 18, 1-2:30 pm)

Changing the direction of national discourse can seem an impossible task, but sometimes film can inspire a sea change. From immigration to health to the economy, this year’s films suggest that political dialogue is inextricably bound to cultural expression.

Artists and activists Pablo Larraín (No), Gael García Bernal (Who Is Dayani Cristal?, No), Jehane Noujaim (The Square) and Robert Reich (Inequality for All) join moderator Orlando Bagwell (Ford Foundation JustFilms) to explore the ways film can activate grassroots campaigns that alter the course of history.
Op-Docs (Tuesday, January 22, 4-6 pm)

Op-Docs is The New York Times editorial department’s forum for short, opinionated documentaries, created by both renowned and emerging filmmakers, and produced with wide creative latitude and a range of artistic styles, covering current affairs, contemporary life and historical subjects.

Filmmakers Heidi Ewing (Detropia), Laura Poitras (The Oath), Dawn Porter (Gideon’s Army) and Roger Ross Williams (God Loves Uganda ) join Orlando Bagwell (Ford Foundation JustFilms) and Jason Spingarn-Koff (The New York Times) to discuss the new frontiers of online documentaries and the intersection of filmmaking and opinion journalism.