Documentary budgets rarely match the ambition of the stories behind them, and that gap is what The Louies are meant to narrow for Miami filmmakers. The program is a documentary fund presented by Miami Film Festival and sponsored by the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation. It is accepting applications from Sept. 28 through Nov. 6, 2026, and it will divide $100,000 among six Miami-based filmmakers.
This is the third year for the fund, and it has a new partner: the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation joins the Wolfson foundation, which the program says continues its leadership and support. For owners and creators who run small production companies, edit suites and post houses in Miami-Dade, the details matter. The money is tied to three kinds of film, the rules turn on where you live, and the first date to circle is a virtual information session on Tuesday, Oct. 13. This guide covers who qualifies, what each award is for, how to use the weeks to Nov. 6, and what the published materials leave unanswered.
A Miami Fund With a Long Memory
The Louies honor Louis Wolfson II, whose family founded Wometco Enterprises and Miami’s first television station, WTVJ. Miami Dade College’s announcement says the program launched in 1989 to support Florida filmmakers who use archival footage, and that Miami Film Festival and the foundation reimagined it in 2024.
The track record is short but visible. Three recipients from the first class premiered documentaries at the 43rd Miami Film Festival in April 2026: Rachelle Salnave’s feature “Dual Citizen,” Jayme Kaye Gershen’s short “The Floor Remembers,” about a beloved Miami roller rink, and Symone Titania Major’s short “Under the Mango Tree,” about one family’s connection to a mango tree in Goulds. The second class, announced in January 2026, includes Kareem Tabsch’s feature “Save Our Children,” which revisits Anita Bryant’s 1977 campaign in Miami. The subjects share a pattern: specific people, places and local history told at a human scale.
Three Doors, Six Awards
The $100,000 is split across three categories, each meant for a different stage of a film’s life. One feature documentary receives $50,000, three short documentaries receive $10,000 each, and two finishing awards of $10,000 each go to feature-length documentaries already in post-production.
| Category | Awards | Amount | What it funds | Length or stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feature documentary | 1 | $50,000 | Creating a documentary | 50 minutes or longer; up to 18 months to complete |
| Short documentary | 3 | $10,000 each | Creating a short film | 8 to 12 minutes; six months to complete |
| Finishing fund | 2 | $10,000 each | Completing a feature-length documentary | In post-production with an assembled edit; six months to complete |
| Total | 6 | $100,000 | Three categories | Miami-based filmmakers |
Every recipient also receives unlimited access to the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at Miami Dade College, per the college’s announcement, along with the opportunity to premiere the finished film at a future Miami Film Festival. The festival’s FAQ is more direct and says the festival “will then screen them.” How far $10,000 goes depends on the project, and the published materials do not say whether the awards are meant to cover a full budget or to sit alongside other money.
Who Can Apply, in the Program’s Own Words
Eligibility starts with an address. The FAQ says applicants “must be full-time residents of Miami-Dade County, 18 years of age or older and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.” The college’s announcement words the rule as “permanent Miami-Dade County residents, age 18 or older, and U.S. citizens or permanent residents.” The two read alike for most people, but anyone who recently moved or keeps two addresses should ask which wording governs.
The Broward question gets a plain answer. The FAQ says: “Currently, this application is only open to residents of Miami-Dade County.” Proof of residence may be requested, and a utility bill, voter registration or vehicle registration will do.
Experience requirements differ by category. Feature applicants “will have previously completed, at minimum, a short documentary.” Short applicants “can be first time directors but must have previously crewed on a short film and received a credit on the film.” Hybrid documentaries that combine traditional and experimental elements are allowed, and a film may be in a language other than English, with English subtitles expected before its first screening. The story must also qualify: the FAQ says a South Florida story “should highlight the history and culture of South Florida,” and may include significant individuals, places, historical events or “stories that make South Florida unique.”
Who Should Apply, and Who Should Probably Skip
The best fit for the feature award is a Miami-Dade filmmaker with at least one finished short documentary and a larger subject that needs production money. The category funds creation, and feature winners have up to 18 months to finish, so a proposal has to be feasible in that window.
The short category suits a first-time director with a credited crew position on an earlier short and a story that can be shot and finished in about six months. An owner who runs a small production company and wants a calling-card documentary about a neighborhood business, landmark or family history has a plausible route here, provided the application names the filmmaker, since the materials do not say whether a company may apply.
The finishing fund is the narrowest door. Applicants “must have assembled an edit,” and the film must be feature-length and in post-production. The program does not itemize what the money may be spent on.
Some filmmakers should look elsewhere. Anyone who lives in Broward or Palm Beach County does not meet the residency rule as written, and Broward filmmakers have a separate program covered below. Narrative fiction and projects with no South Florida connection do not fit a fund for “documentaries about South Florida.” And a filmmaker who cannot finish within six months, or 18 for a feature, should weigh the timeline before spending weeks on an application.
The Archives Question
Access to the Wolfson Archives is the program’s distinctive feature. The collection, housed at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus, holds more than 35,000 hours of videotape and 23 million feet of film documenting Florida history. The festival’s page says selected filmmakers will be invited to use it at no cost.
The archive also touches selection. The festival’s page says the jury “will consider the archives’ use as a factor in the selection process.” The college’s announcement is a little stronger: the jury “will prioritize proposed creative and meaningful use of the Wolfson Archives, encouraging filmmakers to connect historical footage with contemporary stories.” Neither source says archival footage is required. What they describe is a preference for work that connects the past to the present.
For an applicant, that suggests an hour with the archive’s own page before writing the proposal. The published materials do not describe how footage is cleared for a finished film or whether fees apply beyond access, which makes it a good question for the information session.
The Calendar to Nov. 6
The program keeps a tidy calendar, with one open date, one information session, three sets of office hours, one close and a winners announcement. Every date below comes from the festival’s page or the college’s announcement, and the weekdays come from the calendar.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Mon, Sept. 28, 2026 | Applications open |
| Tue, Oct. 13, 5:30 p.m. | Virtual information session (registration required) |
| Wed, Oct. 14, 3 to 5 p.m. | Virtual office hours |
| Fri, Oct. 23, 3 to 5 p.m. | Virtual office hours |
| Fri, Oct. 30, 3 to 5 p.m. | Virtual office hours |
| Fri, Nov. 6, 11:59 p.m. ET | Applications close |
| January 2027 | Winners announced |
| April 1 to 11, 2027 | 44th Miami Film Festival |
The festival’s page links to a webinar sign-up for the information session and lists the three afternoon windows for office hours. The FAQ adds that applicants can book a 15-minute one-on-one Zoom meeting during them. One small inconsistency: the FAQ calls the information session a Monday, but Oct. 13, 2026 is a Tuesday, and the festival’s page and the college’s announcement give the date and time without a weekday. Rely on the date and the 5:30 p.m. start, and confirm the weekday when you register.
Preparing Between Now and Nov. 6
The weeks sort into three stretches. The first, through Oct. 12, is for decisions that cost nothing: which category fits, whether the residency proof is in hand and whether the project can meet its timeline. Locate a utility bill, voter registration or vehicle registration now, gather the credit that proves a crewed short or a completed documentary, and register for the information session with a list of questions about the archive, budgets and what the application contains.
The second stretch runs from the information session through the last office hours on Oct. 30, and a draft should exist by then. A short or feature proposal needs a clear local story, a plan that fits six or 18 months and a sentence or two on how archival material might shape the film. A finishing applicant needs the assembled edit in a state that can be shown. Book a one-on-one slot early enough to leave time to revise, because a 15-minute conversation is only useful if there is time to act on it.
The third stretch is the final week. The Apply button on the festival’s page leads to the festival’s SlideRoom portal, which loads by script, so its fields, uploads and any fee were not readable when this guide was prepared. Open the form well before Nov. 6, so surprises arrive in October rather than at the 11:59 p.m. ET close. A film in a language other than English should have its English subtitles planned in the same stretch.
What the Published Materials Do Not Say
As read on Oct. 2, neither the festival’s page nor the college’s announcement says whether there is an application fee, what materials the application requires, or how the awards are paid, whether in one sum or in installments. They do not describe contract terms, reporting duties after an award or who holds the rights to a funded film. They do not say whether a production company may apply, or whether a funded film must still pass through the festival’s regular submission process. The January 2027 announcement has no day attached.
The page also carries some older text. One FAQ answer about the festival still lists last year’s GEMS dates and the 43rd festival’s April 2026 dates, while the page’s navigation and the college’s announcement give the current ones, including April 1 to 11, 2027 for the 44th festival. Questions can go to thelouies@miamifilmfestival.com, the address the page lists for the program.
Where The Louies Sit Among South Florida Film Money
The Louies are one door among several, and they open only to Miami-Dade residents. Broward filmmakers have the Emerging Filmmakers Grant, which carries its own residency and matching-funds requirements and is covered in our Film Lauderdale grant guide. Filmmakers planning festival runs can compare the Miami Film Festival’s submission calendar in our map of the 44th festival’s deadlines. The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival lists its 41st edition for Feb. 19 to 27, 2027, with a Regular deadline of Nov. 1, as covered in our FLIFF41 owner map. Other local programs are collected in the SoFla Business Grants and Incentives Guide.
A grant is not a business plan, but it can underwrite one. A Miami filmmaker who wins a feature award and premieres at the festival would have a film with local roots and a festival screening behind it, which are assets a small production company can build on.
Key Facts for Owners and Search
- Program: The Louies, a documentary fund presented by Miami Film Festival (Miami Dade College) and sponsored by the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation, with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as a new partner in its third year.
- Awards: $100,000 for six Miami-based filmmakers: one feature documentary at $50,000 (50 minutes or longer), three short documentaries at $10,000 each (8 to 12 minutes) and two finishing awards at $10,000 each (feature-length, in post-production).
- Applications: Open Sept. 28, 2026; close Nov. 6, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET (hour from the FAQ). Apply through the SlideRoom portal linked from the program page.
- Information session: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, 5:30 p.m., virtual, registration required. Office hours Oct. 14, 23 and 30, 3 to 5 p.m.
- Eligibility: Miami-Dade County residents (“full-time” per the FAQ, “permanent” per the college), 18 or older, U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Proof of residence may be requested. Not open to Broward residents.
- Experience: Feature applicants have completed at least a short documentary. Short applicants may be first-time directors with a credited crew role on a short. Finishing applicants need an assembled edit.
- Timelines: Short and finishing winners finish within six months of receiving support; feature winners have up to 18 months.
- Archive and premiere: Recipients get access to the Wolfson Archives and the opportunity to premiere at a future Miami Film Festival. Winners are announced in January 2027; the 44th festival runs April 1 to 11, 2027.
- Not published: Application fee, required materials, payment schedule, contract and reporting terms, rights, whether companies may apply, archive clearance terms.
- Contact: thelouies@miamifilmfestival.com
- Primary sources: The Louies program page and Miami Dade College announcement, Sept. 29, 2026.
