Origins is a Cascade PBS docuseries project that allows us to collaborate with PNW and Canadian filmmaking communities. We are looking for stories that reflect the makeup of our region told from an insider’s perspective: stories grounded in ancestry, connection, culture, influence and rootedness. Stories that reflect our place, values and people.
Every year in February, submissions will open, and documentary filmmakers can apply for $40,000 in funding for a five-part docuseries. The key requirement is that the filmmaker needs to be part of the community they are documenting (i.e., Indigenous stories told by Indigenous filmmakers, Latinx stories told by Latinx filmmakers, etc.).
Submissions will be open from February 14 to April 17. At that point, a five-person panel will review the applications and select the winner. The committee will consist of representatives from Cascade PBS, the Seattle International Film Festival, and leaders from Pacific Northwest film communities. We will announce the winning project publicly at SIFF’s opening-night ceremony in early May 2024. The funds will be released at that point, and production can begin.
The Cascade PBS Original Productions team will meet regularly with the filmmaker to ensure the project is on track. We will offer feedback and support, but ultimately we are backing the filmmaker’s vision. The filmmaker is responsible for how the grant money is spent, but they will update the Cascade PBS team on their budget. They will assemble the team needed to tell the story from production through post-production. Costs for shooters, producers, editors, etc., will all come out of the awarded $40K. Cascade PBS will be there every step of the way, ensuring the filmmaker remains on target to deliver a compelling, well-packaged, five-part docuseries by the end of the year.
The series has the opportunity to air on broadcast in March 2025, with a public event in the days leading up to the premiere. This event will mimic a film festival-style screening: The first two to three episodes will play, followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and key characters. This will be a celebration of the project and a chance for us to share it with the community in an intimate way that gives the audience a look behind the curtain at how the project came together. At that time, the application process will open for the following year’s project, and the cycle will begin again.
Photos from the Crosscut Origins: Refuge After War screening at SIFF Uptown Theatre on February 28, 2023. (Photos by Michael McClinton/Crosscut)
Photos from the Crosscut Origins: Refuge After War screening at SIFF Uptown Theatre on February 28, 2023. (Photos by Michael McClinton/Crosscut)
Photos from the Crosscut Origins: Refuge After War screening at SIFF Uptown Theatre on February 28, 2023. (Photos by Michael McClinton/Crosscut)
Photos from the Crosscut Origins: Refuge After War screening at SIFF Uptown Theatre on February 28, 2023. (Photos by Michael McClinton/Crosscut)
Photos from the Crosscut Origins: Refuge After War screening at SIFF Uptown Theatre on February 28, 2023. (Photos by Michael McClinton/Crosscut)
Photos from the Crosscut Origins: Refuge After War screening at SIFF Uptown Theatre on February 28, 2023. (Photos by Michael McClinton/Crosscut)
Origins: Lost at SEA Screening
Frequently Asked Questions
We encourage filmmakers of all experience levels to apply. That said, we are requiring applicants to provide two documentaries (short- or long-form) that they have been involved in for us to review.
We are looking for filmmakers who are culturally part of the community they are documenting in their proposed series. If it’s an Indigenous story, the filmmaker needs to be Indigenous. If it’s a Latinx story, then the filmmaker would need to be Latinx.
The requirement is for the selected filmmaker to complete the five-part film series in its entirety by December 31, 2024. This includes picture lock, final sound design and color correction, as well as promos that can be used as teasers and social media content.
- Five 6 to 8.5-minute episodes
- One 60-second promo to be used for social and broadcast
- One 30-second promo to be used for social and broadcast
- Duplicate hard drive and project files for Cascade PBS to archive
A five-person panel of representatives from Cascade PBS, SIFF, and local leaders in the independent filmmaking community.
We want to know that the filmmaker already has access to the participants they plan to film, and we want to be able to see and understand their vision for the series. We are requiring a synopsis of the film; a one-page treatment that describes both the story they are telling as well as their creative approach; bios of the crew; a breakdown of how they’ll spend the $40K; a minimum of two samples of previous documentary work; descriptions of the participants they’ll follow; and a one-minute sizzle reel and/or sample scene from the series that can be used for its early promotion.
Cascade PBS and the filmmaker will co-own the rights to the series.
We are here to support the vision of the filmmaker, in addition to mentorship and helping them make the strongest five-part series they can. To ensure the series is at the quality level we require for broadcast, Cascade PBS will have final sign-off on the project. With regular meetings and check-ins throughout production and feedback on every round of edits, we hope to avoid any editorial surprises.
We hope to avoid this situation by having regular check-ins that keep the filmmaker and overall production on track. If we get to the point where the project won’t be completed in time, the filmmaker will need to return 50% of the funds and hand over all project files to Cascade PBS.
The winning filmmaker will be awarded $40K toward production costs for the five-part series.
Once we have seen the filmmaker’s projected budget and allocation of the funds, we will begin releasing the funds. Between June and December, the filmmaker will receive funds in three separate allotments to cover costs for themselves and crew for the duration of production.
The funding is meant to go toward any and all costs associated with creating the series, including the necessary crew. The filmmaker is welcome to raise additional funds outside of this grant; however, those additional funders will not have shared ownership of the final project. We will be asking for a breakdown of the budget so we know how the funds will be allocated. It should cover the filmmaker’s time as the director of the project, as well as (but not limited to) any camera ops, producers, editors, etc., whom they bring on for the project.
The filmmaker will have support from Cascade PBS, and direct mentorship from the Original Productions video team. We will work with the filmmaker on their budget management and allocation, creative decisions going into production, feedback on story structure, pacing, etc. These regular check-ins are to ensure completion of the project. Beyond that support, distribution is the other notable benefit. If the final product meets our production standards, this series has the opportunity to be shown on broadcast (KCTS9) and Cascade PBS on-demand platforms.
We will announce the winner in May and begin distributing funds in June. The filmmaker will have until December 31, 2024 to complete and deliver their five-part docuseries and supporting assets. In February 2025 we will produce a special event to premiere the series, where we’ll show at least one full episode or more and include a Q&A with the director before the series could go to broadcast in March 2025.
Cascade PBS will make the final decision about whether or not the series goes to broadcast and on-demand on our platforms.
Of course! As co-owner of the rights to the series, Cascade PBS needs to sign off on any additional distribution opportunities outside our platforms, but we are eager to get this seen in many different ways. We just need to be consulted.
The series will land under the brand of “Origins” and will need to follow those brand guidelines, which includes an opening title sequence with the “Origins” logo. We also require the Cascade PBS graphics template to be used for the credits, which we will provide to the filmmaker and editor of the project. The Cascade PBS logo is included in that. The Cascade PBS staff that supports the series will also need to be included in the credits with titles that reflect the role they played on the series.