This year, we invite stories exploring the tension between collective goals and individual freedom. What happens when the interests of the many collide with the freedom of the individual?
Efforts to create a safer, fairer, or more prosperous society can sometimes require individuals to surrender choices of their own. We invite filmmakers to explore that tension. When does cooperation become coercion? When does protection become control? And how much individual freedom should society be willing to sacrifice in pursuit of a collective goal?
The conflict could unfold within a family, workplace, school, neighborhood, political movement, government, or an imagined society through a film exploring the central question: When, if ever, should the freedom of one be sacrificed for the benefit of many?
The possibilities are endless, and you’re free to pitch a story in any genre, but this theme is your jumping-off point.
Priority will be given to projects that:
- feature a limited cast (fewer than five principal actors), with limited or no extras;
- have limited locations (ideally one);
- tell stories about characters within the US.
