The History of Father's Day dates back to 1910 in Spokane, Washington, where 27-year-old Sonora Dodd proposed it as a way to honor the man (a civil war veteran William Jackson Smart) who raised her and her five siblings alone after her mom died in childbirth. Dodd was at a church thinking about how grateful she was for her father when she had the idea for Father's Day, which would mirror Mother's Day but be celebrated in June, her dad's birthday month. 

In 1966 President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed the third Sunday of June to be Father's Day. Learn More

SAG-AFTRA Podcast: “Inside the NO FAKES Act: What’s at Stake for Artists?”

In this podcast episode, learn about the NO FAKES Act and the need for a regulatory framework that empowers artists while fostering responsible technological AI advancement. This is a must for all!  Listen Now 

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HOW RESIDUALS WORK!

What Are Residuals? How Do They Work? Who Gets Them? In this episode of Take 5, SAG-AFTRA Secretary-Treasurer Joely Fisher sits down with Executive Director of Contract Enforcement & Strategy Jen Gaudry to break down the fundamentals of TV and Theatrical residuals. Watch Now

Southern Circuit

Filmmakers and screening partners — want to be part of the Southern storytelling movement? We’re now accepting applications for the upcoming Southern Circuit season. Feature-length films only.

• Film Submission Requirements
• Screening Partner Requirements

OPEN ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES

2025 applications are now open for Sundance Institute’s artist programs! Our artist programs provide dynamic support at every step of the creative journey for individuals with distinct voices in film and episodic storytelling. Learn more about which programs may fit your work the best and apply on our website. Learn More

NEH Announces Grant Opportunity to Create Statues of Iconic Americans for the National Garden of American Heroes.

Washington, DC (April 24, 2025) 

In preparation for the nation’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is pleased to announce a special funding opportunity to support the design and creation of statues of important American historical figures for the planned National Garden of American Heroes. Learn More

Jackie Chan to Receive the Pardo alla Carriera @ Locarno78

The Locarno Film Festival’s prestigious career achievement award, presented by Ascona-Locarno Tourism, will be given to the iconic superstar on August 9, during the 78ᵗʰ edition of the Festival (August 6 – 16, 2025). Learn More

Docs Ireland launches its seventh festival programme

Docs Ireland returns to Belfast this June (23rd-29th) with its seventh programme, showcasing hard-hitting, eye-opening, and life-affirming documentaries from Ireland and around the world. Learn More

BAFTA Games Awards 2025 | Full Ceremony

BAFTA is the leading UK charity that supports, promotes and develops talent in film, games and television. Get ready to celebrate the very best of games from the last year at the BAFTA Games Awards 2025; from the smallest single digit teams to massive AAA juggernauts, and everything in-between.

Join Phil Wang as he and a host of famous faces reveal the ultimate winners across 17 amazing categories. All the winners, full speeches, an unbridled celebration of creativity; you won't want to miss out. Find out more.

Northern Ireland Screen seeks feature film scripts for New Writer Focus 2025–26

New Writer Focus is Northern Ireland Screen’s flagship script development scheme, dedicated to discovering and nurturing emerging screenwriting talent. The closing date for receipt of applications is noon, Monday 30th June 2025. LEARN MORE

WORLD FILM FEDERATION members, we just wanted to take a minute to have all members update their information on the site. The members section will host your picture and contact info, job category, etc., so if there is nothing there, then there is nothing there.

Pegasus Film Festival

The Pegasus Film Festival is open to youth filmmakers under the age of 19 from all across the world.

Their mission is to empower the next generation of filmmakers by providing resources, education, connections, and a platform for young artists to share their work. Join us from June 20-22 in Dallas for the LARGEST STUDENT-LED film festival in the country! Late Deadline: May 20, 2025 LEARN MORE

The Asian Film Festival of Dallas (AFFD) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and supporting emerging and established Asian and Asian-American filmmakers and sharing the rich diversity of Asian culture through the medium of cinema.

Since its creation in 2002, the annual film festival has grown to become the South’s largest showcase of Asian and Asian American cinema. LEARN MORE

The Media Projects program supports the development, production, and distribution of radio programs, podcasts, documentary films, and documentary film series  that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. Check out all the grants available now.

 Learn more

Applications Open for 2026 Local Park Grants Program

The Local Texas Parks Grant Program is now accepting applications to assist local communities with the acquisition and/or development of public recreation areas and facilities throughout the State of Texas. The Program provides 50% matching grants on a reimbursement basis to eligible applicants.

Applications are available now via the Recreation Grants Online system through 5:00:00 PM CST on August 1, 2025. Funding recommendations will be presented to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, who makes final decisions regarding awards of program funds, in January of 2025. 

The BFI National Lottery Creative Challenge Fund has reopened. UK screen organizations can now apply for up to £150,000 to create and deliver targeted project development programs for features or immersive projects. They’ll invest a further £1.7m before March 2026 and are now accepting applications on a rolling basis. Organizations can apply for short or long-term programes. 

Moving Picture Institute FILMMAKER GRANTS
The Moving Picture Institute's Rising Filmmaker Program supports filmmakers who are committed to developing and producing marketable projects about human freedom. LEARN MORE

Roy W. Dean Film Grants

There are three Roy W. Dean Film Grants available each year for documentaries, narrative features, web series, and short films.  

In 2021 a Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant which is exclusively for short films (does not include short non-fiction documentaries or web series).

Roy W. Dean Film Grant Submission Deadlines:

Roy W. Dean Film Grant – Summer – June 30th, 2025

Roy W. Dean Film Grant – Fall – October 31st, 2025

2025 Express Grants and Professional Development & Artistic Planning Grants Are Now Open!

These two grant programs are available to presenting arts organizations in in our nine-state region (AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, and TN). Learn more!

IDA Open Call 2025 Providing Over $500,000 in Grants for Documentary Filmmakers Worldwide

Enter the world's most distinguished event dedicated exclusively to the documentary genre, celebrating and honoring the year’s best nonfiction films, series, and programs.

The application final deadline is August 15, 2025 for non-IDA members and July 9 for IDA members. Learn more and apply at Learn More