Announcing The Louies: A fund for documentaries sponsored by the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation

Miami Film Festival and Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation Announce New Opportunity for Local Documentary Filmmakers

The Louies to bring South Florida’s rich history and diverse stories to the big screen

The Miami Film Festival has announced the launch of The Louies, an initiative sponsored by the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation to fund new projects that celebrate South Florida’s vibrant history, heritage and culture through film. The initiative will award six Miami-based filmmakers a total of $100,000 and their films will be screened at the 2025 Miami Film Festival. Applications are being accepted now through Nov. 3, 2024. 

The Louies will be awarded to Miami-based filmmakers in one of three categories:

• Feature-length documentary: One filmmaker will receive $50,000 to create a documentary of 50 minutes or more.
• Short documentaries: Three filmmakers will receive $10,000 each to create a short film of eight to 12 minutes.
• Finishing funds: Two filmmakers will receive $10,000 each to complete a feature-length documentary in the post-production phase.

Applicants must be permanent residents of Miami-Dade County, 18 years of age or older and either U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents. Feature documentary applicants must have previously completed a short documentary, while short documentary applicants may be first-time directors, but must have prior experience working on a short film and received film credit. 

The Louies are being launched by the Miami Film Festival and the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation, founded by the Wolfson family, who also established Miami’s first TV station, WTVJ, as well as the Florida Moving Image Archives at Miami Dade College, which includes 35,000 hours of South Florida history from 1900 to today. 

Selected filmmakers will have access to the  Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at no cost, and the jury will consider the archive’s use as a factor in the selection process.

To apply and for more information, please visit www.miamifilmfestival.com/thelouies. The Miami Film Festival will host a special information session for The Louies at 6 p.m. on October 1. Register online. Winners will be announced in January 2025.