Frequently Asked Questions
Research: The research stage is a period of sowing and ideation. Core activities include:
- Identifying secondary sources such as literature, art and cultural materials
- Familiarizing with other (film) projects
- Identifying primary sources and collaborators
- Locating visual assets and archives
- Identifying and tracking potential or multiple storylines
- Finding a narrative framework that can support the film
- Building foundational relationships with the community and collaborators at the center of the story
- Research activities could also be for specific needs in a film that is further in the development (but not production) process
Development: The development stage is a nuanced period of exploration and discovery. Core activities include:
- Gaining access to core participants and collaborators, and starting shooting
- Developing the story or form of the film
- Plotting the film’s multiple and intersecting timelines
- Fine-tuning the development budget and creating a fundraising strategy
- Creating fundraising materials such as a pitch deck, trailer, teaser, etc.
- Testing pitch materials for resonance at pitch venues with potential funders
- Engaging possible partners
Production: The production stage is a dynamic period of immersion and active documentation. Core activities include:
- Filming with primary participants and relevant environments
- Capturing verité, interviews, landscapes, and other key visuals that define the tone and substance of the film
- Deepening relationships with subjects and communities to support more intimate storytelling
- Managing on-the-ground logistics, including crew, equipment, and scheduling
- Tracking story arcs as they evolve and refining the shooting plan accordingly
Post-Production: The post-production stage is a rigorous period of shaping, refining, and making meaning. Core activities include:
- Logging, organizing and transcribing footage
- Crafting and revising the narrative structure in collaboration with editors
- Creating a rough cut, fine cut, and ultimately a picture-locked version of the film
- Composing of licensing music, sound design and mixing
- Designing graphics, animation or visual treatments
- Color grading and finalizing image quality
- Gathering feedback through test screenings and refining the cut based on input
- Preparing deliverables for distribution, festival submission, or broadcast
Only films that are undergraduate intermediate level or capstone films, or graduate school intermediate level or thesis films are eligible for entry.
For associate degree and certificate programs, only final film projects are eligible.
Intermediate level means films completed in your second-to-final year (i.e., a junior-level class) for undergraduate students and second year or later for graduate school students.
We will not assign stories and cannot consult on proposals or story pitches before they are submitted. Proposals are not accepted via email.
No. Please don't pitch us stories that involve first person accounts of taking illegal substances. For obvious legal reasons, we can't support those stories.
No. Read more about what is and is not considered a psychedelic substance here.
We do not support fiction films or films commissioned by NGOs or brands.
Please have one primary applicant apply. Funds will be distributed to the primary applicant, and they can distribute funds to other team members as they see fit.
At this time we are focusing on documentary films. Please see the Ferriss-UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship for print and audio stories.
The Research & Development Grant and Production & Post-Production Grant is open to all filmmakers worldwide, regardless of nationality or citizenship status.
To be eligible for the Student Grant, international applicants must be enrolled at a U.S. based undergraduate or graduate level film program. We cannot assist with visas.
Yes, as long as it will have English subtitles. Please write the application in English as our selection committee does not have the capacity to evaluate applications in other languages.
Yes. Please convert foreign currencies to U.S. dollars.
Yes. You are welcome to reapply if your project has significant new developments since you first applied. Please be sure to indicate clearly on the second application how it differs from the initial application.
No. Please submit only one story pitch per applicant.
You cannot apply with the same project for both the Research & Development Grant and the Production & Post-Production Grant in the same year.
No. We cannot offer extensions of any kind due to staff capacity and in fairness to other applicants.
You are not expected to track expenses or submit them to us. The money is meant to cover costs and keep you whole while you do this work.
Research & Development Grant and Production & Post-Production Grant awardees will receive half of the funds up front, and the second half six months later upon completing a memo with project updates.
Student Grant awardees will receive the full amount of funds up front.
Possibly. Foreign nationals in the U.S. receiving payments for fellowships are subject to tax withholding and reporting. You may be asked to provide documentation for UC Berkeley’s tax compliance system, which is followed by a withholding review. This is regardless of if you have a work authorization or a SSN.
The length of the Research & Development Grant and Production & Post-Production Grant term is one year. We will have quarterly progress check-ins with the full cohort over Zoom.
Deliverables will be dependent on the stage of production the project is in when submitted.
For the Student Grant, we expect to see a finished film by the end of the school year.
No.
No.
No.
No. At this time, you must be enrolled in a U.S. based undergraduate or graduate level film or journalism program to apply.
Yes.
No. It is free to apply.
No. UC Berkeley will not issue any tax documentation to award recipients. Your Fellowship award is reported to the IRS. You receive the full amount and will be responsible for recording it as fellowship money on your tax forms. To understand more about your award and taxes review - IRS Notice: Scholarships, Fellowship Grants, and Other Grants
No. You are not eligible to apply if you are submitting a project/documentary previously distributed in a public forum, including theatrical, festivals, educational, and community screenings.
Only individual filmmakers can apply. We do not accept applications from organizations including universities, foundations, and nonprofit businesses.
Check out this link.
Applicants will be notified of award decisions by December 15, 2025.
Grants are not recoupable, and none of your exploitable rights are encumbered. Our grant agreement requires acknowledgment in the end credits of the film.