The 2019 Nest Knight Fellows receive a $15,000 grant for the production of their feature-length film and benefit from the mentorship of Chicken & Egg Pictures’ senior creative team. The Fellowship kicked off in early April 2019, when Nest Knight Fellows had an in-person meeting with Chicken & Egg Pictures’ team members and attended the NEXT GEN EGG event in New York City where they observed experienced filmmakers pitch to potential supporters, media funders, and other industry professionals.

“As a New York and San Francisco based organization that has supported many projects across the US and internationally, our team knows the importance of supporting geographically diverse filmmakers and film projects,” said Lucila Moctezuma, Program Director at Chicken & Egg Pictures. “With the Nest Knight Fellowship, we are putting an emphasis on learning from the perspectives of filmmakers not based in major film hubs, so we can better understand how to support them in their filmmaking goals and increase career sustainability in the documentary industry.”

These Philadelphia-based, first-time filmmakers are telling the powerful, character-driven stories of a family who successfully reduced the amount of gang-related violence on the streets of Philadelphia (Falaka Fattah and The House of Umoja, directed by Jos Duncan and Jason Pollard); an aging blues singer returning to the stage after seventeen years (Frank Bey: When You Ask Me, directed by Marie Hinson); and parents facing tragedy and injustice after their son suffered a severe traumatic brain injury (Storming, directed by Katrina Sorrentino).

In 1969, when gangs were forming throughout the United States as an act of resistance and protection from police brutality, Queen Mother Falaka Fattah and her husband David Fattah opened up their home to warring gangs in the Philadelphia area out of concern for the safety of her son. In the ensuing years the Fattahs worked with over 105 gangs convincing them to a sign a pledge of peace eradicating almost all of the gang violence in Philadelphia. As gun violence spurs in Philadelphia, Queen Mother Falakah Fattah urges today’s leaders to uphold the House of Umoja movement.

Jos Duncan is a multimedia producer, filmmaker, and social entrepreneur. She is the founder of Love Now Media, a social enterprise with a mission to build empathy through impact strategy, participatory design, and storytelling.

Jason Pollard’s introduction to film began at an early age through his parents. His mother, Glenda’s love for film exposed Jason to a variety of genres such as American and French classics, blaxploitation, and independent cinema. Jason would often accompany his father, acclaimed film producer/editor Sam Pollard, to the editing room and watch as his father magically turned strips of celluloid into complex and wonderful stories.

Frank Bey: When You Ask Me, directed by Marie Hinson

Frank Bey: When You Ask Me is a feature documentary about an aging blues singer’s return to the stage seventeen years after music broke his heart. Frank Bey’s incredible journey reaches a climactic year as he overcomes the loss of his backing band to record his dream album in Nashville.

Marie Hinson is a cinematographer and artist originally from the mountains of Appalachia. She moved to Philadelphia for an MFA in Temple University’s film program. In addition to freelance work for film, commercial and corporate clients, she is an instructor at Scribe Video Center and a member of the Vox Populi artist collective. Her solo and collaborative work has shown at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Crane Arts, RAIR, Pilot Projects, as well as Frameline, Montreal Underground, BlackStar, Athens International, and Hollyshorts film festivals.

Storming, directed by Katrina Sorrentino

An intimate portrait of resolute parenthood pushed toward the brink in the face of tragedy and injustice, Storming follows the daily lives and challenges of Ken and Sue Diviney, nine years following a violent attack which left their son Ryan in a vegetative state with a severe traumatic brain injury. Dictated by their decision to continue full-time care for Ryan, Ken struggles emotionally with the idea of legacy and fatherhood lost on his son as he navigates life as a primary caretaker while Sue battles insurance and finances, holding out hope for Ryan's unlikely recovery.

Katrina Sorrentino is a commercial editor, producer and director, making her directorial debut in documentary filmmaking with Storming. Katrina is seasoned in crafting stories in thirty seconds in the commercial space, and has shifted her life's work to capturing human stories with the potential to enlighten our perception of the world and human connections around us through documentary film.