On September 10, Puma announced a new, long-term partnership between Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and its Puma.Creative program, part of PUMA’s CSR division PUMAVision. The initiative, which includes Catalyst Awards and Impact Award, is designed to provide financial support, creative counsel and industry recognition to international documentary filmmakers whose creative storytelling highlights social justice, peace or environmental issues.
The partnership between the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and PUMA.Creative was announced at the annual UK Good Pitch event, opened by PUMA’s Jochen Zeitz and Channel 4 CEO David Abraham. Abraham voiced his support for the partnership and pledged an additional £50,000 of funding to the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation, to be split between two grants and awarded to two of this year’s 40 PUMA.Creative Catalyst Award recipients.
The grants are offered in four categories:
—The Catalyst Awards: 40 grants of €5,000 ($6,300) to be awarded annually to fund trailer production, which will help collect money for further production in the early stages of documentary projects. The fund is open to filmmakers of any nationality and grants will be awarded on a quarterly basis.
—The Impact Award: €50,000 ($63,600) a year to the docu that is the most encouraging with the most large-scale social impact.
—Catalyst Program: arranging workshops and education programs for emerging filmmakers.
—Mobility Awards: to provide money to cover travel and transportation spendings.
On the launching event, PUMA.Creative and Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation named the first ten Catalyst Awards recipients, who received grants to help them produce their docus on themes, ranging from the global amphibian crisis to xenophobia in South Africa. The initiative also includes PUMA.Creative Ambassador Award to be handed to those “who became globally recognized for their contributions in their fields and are passionate about independent filmmaking and the power of media to create change” and PUMA.Creative Film Programme for taking documentary films to broader auditory all around the world.
It’s not the first time that Puma backs social-issue documentary. The sport apparel brand has supported the “Home” film about ecology (directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and produced by Luc Besson), which premièred on World Environmental Day 2009; arranged exclusive screenings of “Desert Flower” video shot for International Women’s Day 2010; and also supported Peace One Day’s documentary “The Day After Peace”.
View the full list of awards, recipients and criteria for submission here.