Film Society Gets $30K Grant From National Endowment For The Arts

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Film Society of Minneapolis-St. Paul is set to receive a portion of the $30 million in grant money the National Endowment for the Arts is giving to artists and nonprofits next year.

The film society said in a statement Wednesday that it's getting a $30,000 Art Works grant for its Cine Global series, a collection of events that bring powerful and important films from around the world to Twin Cities audiences.

Susan Smoluchwski, the film society's executive director, said the nonprofit is honored to receive the grant, which specifically is for promoting public engagement with diverse art and strengthening the community through art.

"This support will enable us to continue to deepen our programming reflecting the cultures and experiences of the growing international populations in Minnesota and to further engage our increasingly diverse audiences," Smoluchwski said in the statement.

The Cine Global series includes the nonprofit's Cine Latino, Images of Africa and Asian Frontiers programs. Some films featured in those this year were Musa Syeed's "A Stray," which was shot in Minneapolis, and the first film in the Kaqchikel language, Jayr Bustamente's "Ixcanul."

The film society also organizes the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, which brings dozens of prominent films and filmmakers to the Twin Cities every spring.