SFFILM Cedar Road’s Iyagi Grant is dedicated to discovering and nurturing stories that capture the depth, nuance, and complexity of Asian and Asian American characters and experiences. In Korean, iyagi means “story”—a word that embodies the heart of this grant’s mission: to champion storytelling as a powerful bridge connecting people across cultures and perspectives.
Awards are made to 1-2 projects one a year in the fall, for all stages of production. In addition to a cash grant between $10,000-$30,000, recipients receive access to the FilmHouse (located in SOMA in San Francisco) and benefit from SFFILM’s comprehensive and dynamic development programs.
Timeline
Grant opens Tue, March 4, 2025
Regular Deadline Fri, May 16, 2025 (Application Fee $30)
Final Deadline Fri, May 30, 2025 (Application Fee $50)
Finalists Notified in September 2025
Recipients Announced in October 2025
Who Can Apply
Applicants must be actively engaged in one of the following phases: screenwriting, development, pre-production, production or post-production and should apply for the phase of production they expect to be in six months after the final submission deadline.
Primary applicants must be in a key creative role for the film: screenwriter, director or producer.
Film must capture the depth, nuance, and complexity of Asian and Asian American characters and experiences.
Film must be a feature-length fiction film. Short films or documentaries are not accepted. Project may not be work for hire.
Project budgets shall be $3,000,000 or under including all phases of production.