Capital cash

Thursday, Dec. 4 — The Capital City Film Festival landed some capital cash Tuesday. A $10,000 grant from National Endowment for the Arts was given to the Lansing-based media showcase under the Challenge America category. The money will go toward the nonprofit organization’s fifth annual festival, which will be held in April.

“I’m pleased to be able to share the news of our support … to the Capital City Film Festival in Michigan,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu in a press release. “The arts foster value, connection, creativity and innovation for the American people, and these recommended grants demonstrate those attributes and affirm that the arts are part of our everyday lives."

The Capital City Festival promotes independent filmmakers from around the world. Cochran said last year they received entries from over 50 different countries. Last year’s event featured 70 films, nine being Michigan made and three being world premieres. There were also performances by 24 national and international touring bands.

“The grant serves as recognition for our volunteers because it validates what they have done and shows their efforts are rewarded,” said festival co-founder Dominic Cochran.   “We are operated by volunteers, so it can be a challenge to get people to dedicate their time. This is tremendous recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts for years of hard work by everyone who crafts and produces the Capital City Film Festival.”

Challenge America supports small- and mid-sized organizations that extend the reach in communities. Challenge America recipients are encouraged to engage the public with diverse and excellent art as well as strengthen the community through the arts through the grant money. Cochran said his group already has plans underway for how the grant money will be used.

“Expanding our partnership with Directing Workshop for Women is important,” Cochran said. “According to Director’s Guild of America, there is a low percent of women who are filmmakers, and that’s just sad.”  

Cochran said the funds will also be used to provide free programming for children.  

“Last year we featured a Japanese film for children and it was great for them to watch a film they wouldn’t normally see on TV,” Cochran said. “We want to expose kids not to just something new, but something foreign.”