Presented by
Julie mordecai and Sarah Sellman
Supporting independent episodic creators whose work explores the intersection of rural lived experiences and historically underrepresented identities.
Eligible submission categories
Projects submitted to any SeriesFest festival competition or year-round program may be considered for the Rural Intersectionality Fund, provided they meet the funds eligibility criteria.
Review full eligibility criteria ↓
How to be considered
When applying to the annual festival, select the Rural Intersectionality Fund from the list of funds and awards in your submission.
For year-round programs, projects that meet the fund’s eligibility requirements may be considered upon reaching certain stages, including the Women Directing Mentorship semifinals and the Pitch-A-Thon! Roadshow pitching stage.
ABOUT THE FUND
Supporting stories at the intersection of identity and rural lived experience
Established by Julie Mordecai and Sarah Sellman, the Rural Intersectionality Fund supports independent episodic storytelling that reflects the experiences of people whose identities intersect with rural life. The fund provides financial support to selected creators developing projects that bring greater visibility to these communities.
$HARE, created by Katja Meier, received support from the Rural Intersectionality Fund in 2025. After meeting Meier at SeriesFest, actor, director, and producer Rhea Seehorn joined the project as an executive producer.
Read the coverage on Deadline
Eligibility Criteria
Creative team
At least one writer, director, or producer must have current or past experience living in a rural community and identify as two or more of the following:
- Black, Indigenous, or another person of color (BIPOC)
- LGBTQIA+
- Neurodivergent
- Disabled
- Woman or gender expansive person
Story and characters
The story must feature at least one recurring character who has rural lived experience and identifies with two or more of the communities listed.
Priority consideration
Priority consideration will be given to projects whose creative teams have firsthand rural lived experience and whose stories primarily explore the intersection of rural life and historically underrepresented identities.
The selection process
Projects are reviewed
SeriesFest reviews eligible projects from its festival competitions and year-round programs to identify candidates for the Rural Intersectionality Fund.
Selected projects meet with the fund’s presenters
Julie Mordecai and Sarah Sellman may meet with shortlisted creators to learn more about their projects, creative teams, and the experiences informing their work.
Funding decisions are made
Recipients may be selected and receive funding throughout the year. All recipients are officially announced at the SeriesFest Awards Ceremony, which also marks the beginning of the fund’s next annual cycle.
Frequently asked questions
Past recipients
The creators and projects supported by the Rural Intersectionality Fund reflect its mission to elevate independent episodic storytelling that explores the intersection between rural lived experiences and historically underrepresented identities.
$HARE
Katja Meier
Ronita Rambo
Michael Doshier
Poetic Justice
Amy Janes, Nicol Ragland
Zhizha
Desdemona Chiang
Bad Habits
Jill Bennett
I’m so grateful to this fund for championing untold stories, finding the narratives that are untold and under-sung, and deserve to be seen, and helping develop those stories, and those creators, to create episode two, and three, and four, of their series.
About Julie Mordecai & Sarah Sellman
Sarah Sellman is a queer and neurodiverse filmmaker and artist who grew up in rural Colorado. Julie Mordecai is a Colorado-based investor and supporter of SeriesFest. Together, they established the Rural Intersectionality Fund to support independent creators whose projects explore the intersections of identity and rural lived experience.
READY TO SUBMIT?
Apply to SeriesFest
Submit your project to any SeriesFest competition or program to be considered for the Rural Intersectionality Fund.
QUESTIONS?
For questions about the Rural Intersectionality Fund or the SeriesFest submission process, please contact info@seriesfest.com.
