Chicken & Egg Pictures (C&E) supports women and gender nonconforming documentary filmmakers through six programs that provide grants, retreats, mentorship, and build community. Our project, the AlumNest Relief Fund (ARF) is C&E’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, providing additional support to our community of 350+ previously supported filmmakers.

In April, we surveyed our AlumNest of former grantees to determine how the spread of COVID-19 has impacted their lives. 73% of filmmaker respondents indicated that COVID-19 has already had a “heavy to significant impact” on their lives; 64% have experienced loss of jobs such as permanent employment, gigs, work for hire; and 60% indicated the crisis has had an impact on their emotional and mental health. Many of our filmmakers have lost all or nearly all their sources of income and indicated that the issues they are facing are interrelated, with one issue triggering or exacerbating another.

The AlumNest is C&E’s way of holding space for current and former Nest grantees, from first-time filmmakers to industry veterans, to communicate, connect, collaborate, and build a strong, vibrant community. In this time of unprecedented need, ARF will disburse unrestricted grants of $1,000 to previously supported women and gender nonconforming filmmakers facing a financial emergency. This project supports the community we have spent years growing and investing in, providing them with critical support when they need us most. While everyone is going through different issues in different ways, one thing remains clear: this is not a time to lose our storytellers. We need their voices to help us build the new world we want to live in once we are on the other side of this crisis.