Fledgling filmmakers, Maine poets sought as candidates for two fellowships

ELLSWORTH – Filmmakers in the early stages of their careers and promising Maine poets are encouraged to apply for funding through two fellowships available through the Maine Community Foundation.

The deadline for applying for both fellowships is May 15; recipients will be notified in late June.

Through the Jane Morrison Film Fellowship, up to two $1,000-$2,000 grants will be awarded to filmmakers interested in obtaining further instruction in filmmaking by attending a workshop, conference or film festivals. Maine residents will receive preference, but the award is not restricted to residents of Maine. The fellowship is not open to filmmakers enrolled in post-secondary school.

Jane Morrison, the creator of the films “The White Heron,” “Master Smart Women,” and “The two Worlds of Angelita,” died suddenly while on location shooting a film in Africa. An Augusta native, Morrison’s career in filmmaking began when she was an English teacher at Cony High School and participated in the first artists-in-residence program sponsored by the Maine Arts Commission.

While developing the film program at Cony High School, Morrison received special training in filmmaking. She then went on to pursue a full-time career in filmmaking.

Through the Martin Dibner Memorial Fellowship for the Maine Writer’s Fund, one or two grants between $500 and $1,000 will be awarded to poets who best meet the fund’s guidelines.

Dibner was an author of numerous books, including novels and thrillers, on subjects ranging from the Maine coast to World War II. He served on the Maine and California arts commissions, and was the first director of the Joan Whitney Payson Gallery at Westbrook College. Upon his death in 1991, several of Dibner’s friends created this memorial fund to continue the spirit of his interests.

In order to receive a fellowship, applicants must be seeking to further their writing skills and experience. The fund’s main intent is to support enrollment in writer’s workshops and, secondarily, to help writers cover living expenses while finishing a writing project.

Recipients will be selected in order of the following priorities: quality of prior work, stage of development as a writer and financial need.

For information call 761-2440 or visit the Web site at: www.mainecf.org.