NEH to fund UB faculty member's environmental film project

University of Buffalo News

UB faculty member John Fiege has received a $75,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support “The Valley of Ashes,” a new feature documentary project in development that focuses on the disposal of solid waste in New York City and aligns with Fiege’s established portfolio of films about environmental justice and sustainability. 

“I am ecstatic that the National Endowment for the Humanities believes in my film and is supporting it,” says Fiege, assistant professor in the Department of Media Study. “NEH is one of the few granting organizations in this country that provides enough resources to make films at a high production level.” 

The grant will support a yearlong development process during which Fiege will continue researching, filming, editing and experimenting with various approaches to the story. By the end of the process, he hopes to have a strong work sample to apply for an NEH production grant, which awards up to $700,000. “That’s enough money to make a film the way I’ve always wanted — without most of the usual financial limitations,” Fiege says. 

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