$120,000 Co-Production Fund Backs Three New Documentary Shorts Write Me a Letter, Hard Labor and Dad Hair

Brooklyn, N.Y. — August 31, 2026 — American Documentary/POV Shorts and Chicken & Egg Films announced three projects selected for the next cycle of their Co-Production Fund, with TIME Studios joining as distribution partner, and Bird Street Productions as executive producers. The initiative builds upon the successful launch of the POV Shorts and Chicken & Egg Pictures Co-Production Fund, in 2023 to support original documentary shorts.

Each selected project, will receive a non-recoupable $40,000 grant, along with creative and strategic mentorship, distribution support, and industry access. At a time when resources for short-form nonfiction remain limited, the new cycle expands the partners’ shared commitment to independent filmmakers at all career stages, helping them advance their work from production through audience engagement. 

TIME Studios and POV Shorts previously worked together on Sol in the Garden, directed and produced by Débora Souza Silva and Emily Cohen Ibañez, with the support of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and the Kendeda Fund. The film premiered as part of the sixth season of POV Shorts and follows a formerly incarcerated woman who cultivates a community garden while rebuilding her life and strengthening connections with those around her. 

Bird Street Productions joins the initiative as executive producers, bringing additional creative and strategic support to the fund. Founded by James Costa and Trevor Burgess, Bird Street has become an influential presence in the documentary community, backing acclaimed filmmakers and award-winning nonfiction projects. Most recently, the company won the 2026 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short for All the Empty Rooms. 

The collaboration marks another milestone for American Documentary as it continues to build inventive, mission-aligned partnerships that help women, gender-expansive filmmakers and other storytellers reshape who tells stories and how they are told.

The team leading the co-production initiative includes Opal H. Bennett, Executive Producer, POV Shorts and Senior Producer, POV; Kiyoko McCrae, Program Director, Chicken & Egg Films; Justine Simons, Executive Producer, Video, TIME and Loren Hammonds, Consulting Producer; and James Costa, Founder and Co-President, and Trevor Burgess, Co-President, Bird Street Productions. 

“Our first cycle exceeded what we hoped for, and the three films found successful festival releases,” said Opal H. Bennett, Executive Producer, POV Shorts and Senior Producer, POV. “The addition of TIME Studios and Bird Street Productions gives this cohort access and expertise we couldn't offer on our own — and I’m so glad to be partnering again with Chicken & Egg Films. We are mission-aligned, which is an important component of this fellowship we’ve been keen to maintain.”

“These are challenging times that call for new collaborations to bring resonant stories to audiences in meaningful ways,” said Kiyoko McCrae, Program Director, Chicken & Egg Films. “We’re excited to continue our partnership with AmDoc—now joined by TIME Studios and Bird Street Productions—for the next cycle of the Co-Production Fund. We’re immensely proud of the powerful short films supported in the first round and look forward to the new stories that will emerge from our shared commitment to uplifting diverse perspectives from women and gender-expansive filmmakers.” 

“We are pleased to be able to provide a platform for emerging filmmakers as well as to inspire TIME’s audience with a wonderful series of short films," said Justine Simons, Executive Producer, Video, TIME. “Enabling wide access to short documentaries is core to our mission, which for more than a century has been to tell stories that move the world.”

“At a time when financial support for public broadcasting continues to decline, it is more important than ever for funders to step forward and invest in the filmmakers and stories that public media brings to audiences,” said James Costa, Founder and Co-President, and Trevor Burgess, Co-President, Bird Street Productions. “We’re proud to sponsor this series in partnership with AmDoc, Chicken & Egg Films and TIME Studios. Together, we’re creating opportunities for filmmakers to produce meaningful work, reach new audiences and make animpact.”

‍‍

The 2026 Co-Production Fund Projects:

• Write Me a Letter, directed by Alyse Shorland
  When post offices begin disappearing from communities, the people fighting to save them discover they're protecting far more than mail. Through intimate vérité and sweeping landscapes, Write Me a Letter reveals how our last shared public institution quietly binds us together through everyday rituals, shared obligations, and chance encounters.
  
  Alyse Shorland is a documentary director, producer, and professor whose films explore the invisible architecture of democratic life. With a background in journalism and investigative reporting, her work has appeared on HBO, Netflix, FX, Hulu, VICE, CBS, CNN, and in The New York Times. Her projects have received support from the Sundance Institute, Impact Partners, Chicken & Egg Films, the Ford Foundation, and others. Her work has been honored with two Emmys, a Peabody, and a Gracie, and she was named to DOC NYC's 40 Under 40 in 2023. Shorland is an assistant professor of journalism and documentary film at Rutgers University.
  
  
• Hard Labor, directed by Kristine Stolakis and produced by Lauren DeFilippo
  A fusion of art and advocacy, Hard Labor illuminates the hidden epidemic of birth-related PTSD. Raw, intimate interviews and psychologically evocative visuals shatter the silence surrounding a paradox of birth: for up to 45% of birth parents, one of the best days of their lives is also their worst.
  
  Kristine Stolakis is an Emmy-nominated director whose films examine how mental health and prejudice shape people's lives. Her debut feature documentary, Pray Away (Netflix), exploring the history and legacy of the "pray the gay away" movement, was nominated for an Emmy, Critics Choice Award, and GLAAD Media Award. Executive produced by Blumhouse and Ryan Murphy, the film received support from the Tribeca Film Institute, Catapult Film Fund, Sundance Institute, Chicken & Egg Pictures, SFFILM, and Cinereach. Stolakis was named to DOC NYC's 40 Under 40 in 2021.

• Dad Hair directed by Sierra Urich and produced by Brian Shevrin — A collection of new dads gather at an intimate workshop. Huddled around a table of uncanny mannequin heads, they learn to brush, braid, and make bitchin' ponytails for their children's hair while quietly building something rarer: a space for male vulnerability and connection in a world that otherwise conspires to keep them isolated from one another.
  
  Sierra Urich is an award-winning filmmaker, interdisciplinary visual artist, and Iranian-American filmmaker based in Vermont. Her debut feature, Joonam, premiered in competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and went on to receive jury awards for Best Documentary at the Cleveland International Film Festival, Bentonville Film Festival, and Sharjah Film Platform. An Independent Spirit Award nominee and DOC NYC 40 Under 40 honoree, Urich has participated in programs and residencies with Sundance, Points North Institute, Firelight Media, Chicken & Egg Films, Yaddo, and the Banff Centre.

The inaugural fund quickly established a track record for distinctive new work, beginning with The People Could Fly. Directed by Imani N. Dennison and produced by Bryn Silverman, it was the first project from the fund to be released by POV Shorts, premiering as part of the series’ eighth season. The fund also supported Hold Me Close, co-directed and produced by Aurora Brachman and LaTaj Weaver, and Tessitura, directed by Lydia Cornett and Brit Fryer, which made their world premieres at Sundance and Big Sky film festivals, respectively, and were both Academy qualified by the end of their festival runs. The People Could Fly, Hold Me Close and Tessitura hold the distinction of being the first original productions from American Documentary/POV Shorts.

Curated with an “arthouse-accessible” sensibility, POV Shorts champions short-form documentary as a vital storytelling form for our time. The series showcases inventive films that illuminate contemporary issues through unexpected perspectives and voices too often overlooked in mainstream media.