We are excited to announce the return of The Louies, its annual documentary grant program that awards $100,000 to six Miami-based filmmakers.
Created in partnership with the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation, The Louies enter their third year with the foundation’s continued leadership and support. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation joins the program as a new partner this year. Applications will be accepted from Sept. 28 through Nov. 6, 2026.
“The Louies were created to champion Miami documentary filmmakers and help local stories reach the big screen,” said James Woolley, executive director of MDC’s Miami Film Festival. “With the Knight Foundation joining the Wolfson Family Foundation, we can continue giving filmmakers the funding, resources, and visibility they need to bring these stories to audiences.”
The $100,000 annual grant will be distributed across three categories.
- Feature Documentary ($50,000): One filmmaker will receive major funding to create a professional-quality documentary of 50 minutes or longer.
- Short Documentary ($10,000 each): Three filmmakers will receive $10,000 each to create a short film of eight to 12 minutes.
- Finishing Fund ($10,000 each): Two filmmakers will receive funding to complete feature-length documentaries in post-production.
Each recipient will also receive unlimited access to the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at MDC and the opportunity to premiere their completed film at a future Miami Film Festival.
To learn more about The Louies, attend our info session this coming Tuesday, October 13 at 5:30 PM.
Can’t make it on the 13th? We’re hosting office hours on October 14, 23, and 30 from 3 to 5 PM.
Three recipients from the program’s first year premiered their documentaries at the 43rd Miami Film Festival in April 2026:
- Rachelle Salnave’s “Dual Citizen,” a feature documentary following the filmmaker’s quest to obtain Haitian citizenship and the emotional legacy the journey carries for her father.
- Jayme Kaye Gershen’s “The Floor Remembers,” a short documentary about a beloved Miami roller rink. The film was named first runner-up for the Festival’s Short Film Audience Award.
- Symone Titania Major’s “Under the Mango Tree,” a short documentary tracing one family’s connection to a mango tree in Goulds and the history of the area’s once-thriving Black agricultural community.
“My grandmother Lynn believed Miami’s stories should be preserved and shared,” said Randi Wolfson Adamo, trustee of the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation. “This spring, we saw that vision come full circle when three Louies-funded films premiered at Miami Film Festival. We are proud to continue this work and welcome Knight Foundation as a partner in supporting the next generation of local documentary filmmakers.”
The second class of recipients, announced in January 2026, are developing projects including Kareem Tabsch’s Save Our Children, which revisits Anita Bryant’s 1977 campaign in Miami, and Monica Sorelle’s Untitled Everglades Triptych, an examination of Black and Indigenous histories in and around the Everglades.
“Miami is full of powerful stories and talented filmmakers who bring a distinct perspective to the communities they call home,” said Kristina Newman-Scott, VP/Arts at Knight Foundation. “Knight Foundation supported The Louies because it creates meaningful opportunities for local filmmakers to develop their work, reach audiences, and ensure that more of Miami’s stories are told by the people who know them best.”
