Annual Fellowship Provides Extensive Opportunities for Film Editors. Open Call for Submissions Begins, Matching Grant Challenge of $25,000

LOS ANGELES / NEW YORK – The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship has been created to assist editors in developing their talent and furthering their career aspirations. In conjunction with American Cinema Editors (ACE) and other partners, the Fellowship offers a wide array of opportunities for promising film editors, in both documentary and fiction.

THE FELLOWSHIP – The Karen Schmeer Editing Fellowship is a year-long experience that encourages and champions the talent of an emerging editor. The Fellowship creates opportunities to help cultivate an editor’s artistry and craft, and expand his or her professional and creative community. Awarded once a year, the Fellowship honors the memory of gifted editor Karen Schmeer (Fog of War; Fast, Cheap & Out of Control), who was killed in a hit-and-run car accident at age 39, on January 29, 2010.

Recognizing that editors are seldom given sufficient assistance in their freelance career paths, this Fellowship has been specifically designed by Karen’s friends and colleagues togive broad support to both an editor’s creative development and career goals.

The Fellowship is a package intended to broaden an editor’s horizons, including:

MENTORSHIP WITH AN ACE EDITOR – with guidance from ACE, the Fellow will be given a mentorship with an established ACE editor who fits their particular interests.
FULL PASSES TO ACE EDITFEST IN NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES – the Fellow will be provided with full passes to both EditFest NY (June) and EditFest LA (August), weekend seminars with working experts in the field of editing. www.ace-filmeditors.org
SXSW FESTIVAL FILM BADGE – full access to films, panels, mentor sessions and more at the South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin, Texas, held in March. www.sxsw.com/film
IFFBoston FESTIVAL CHROME PASS – full access to films, panels and more at the International Film Festival of Boston (IFFBoston), held in April/May. www.iffboston.org
MANHATTAN EDIT WORKSHOP CLASS – free class at New York’s premier Apple, Adobe & Avid Authorized editing and training facility. www.mewshop.com
TRAVEL EXPENSES / ACCOMMODATIONS – the fellow will be provided with travel and accommodations to one of the events above, based on the fellow’s preference (4 nights hotel, airfare, per diem).
$500 ONLINE GIFT CERTIFICATE TO POWELL’S BOOKS – an online gift certificate to Powell’s Books (Karen’s favorite), based in Portland, Oregon. www.powells.com

Additional opportunities for the Fellowship continue to be actively explored and will be incorporated in the future.

OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS – the Fellowship will accept applications through December 15, 2010, with the first Fellowship to be awarded in February 2011. More details about the Fellowship and application requirements/forms can be found online at www.karenschmeer.com

$25,000 MATCHING GRANT CHALLENGE – an anonymous donor has volunteered a generous $25,000 matching grant for the remainder of 2010. Any donations to the Fellowship received from August 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010 will be matched dollar for dollar, up to a maximum total amount of $25,000. All donations are tax deductible, through the ACE Educational Center, a 501(c)(3) corporation. To make a donation, either online or by mail, please visit www.karenschmeer.com

KAREN SCHMEER, ACE, was an award-winning film editor whose work included Errol Morris’ The Fog of War (Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary), Mr. Death, and Fast, Cheap and Out of Control. She edited Sketches of Frank Gehry, directed by Sydney Pollack, The Same River Twice, My Father the Genius, and the American Experience: A Brilliant Madness. Her fiction film American Son premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. For the HBO film Sergio, Karen won the Best Editing Award at Sundance in 2009. Karen was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and attended Boston University. On her way home from editing Liz Garbus’ documentary about chess phenomenon Bobby Fischer, Karen was struck and killed by a car fleeing a robbery in New York City on January 29, 2010.

AMERICAN CINEMA EDITORS (ACE) is an honorary association of professional film editors that celebrates and promotes the art of editing. Editors are included on the basis of professional achievement, dedication to educating others, and commitment to the craft of editing. www.ace-filmeditors.org

For more information about the Fellowship, applications, or the $25,000 matching grant, please visit www.karenschmeer.com or email info@karenschmeer.com Find the Fellowship on Facebook and Twitter (@KarenSchmeerFEF)