Waterwell and Nimruz Double Unseen Iran Grant Fund to $100,000 for Diaspora Artists
The nonprofit Waterwell, together with Nimruz, has increased its Unseen Iran Grants to $100,000, supporting ten Iranian-diaspora creators across film, TV, theater and other media.
Nonprofit production venture Waterwell, co-founded by Arian Moayed, and the arts-focused NGO Nimruz have doubled the budget for their Unseen Iran Grants, bringing total funding to $100,000 for the program's second cycle. The grant will support ten Iranian-diaspora artists working in television, film, theater and related disciplines, offering individual awards ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 and mentorship over a six- to twelve-month production period.
Applications are accepted through September 30 via Nimruz’s website, with the final projects slated for announcement in December. The initiative’s expansion reflects growing urgency after the U.S.-Israel war with Iran and intensified internal repression of women and minorities in Iran. Past recipients include filmmaker Pegah Ahangarani, whose documentary won Cannes’s top documentary prize and secured distribution through Sony Pictures Classics. Nimruz’s executive director Sepanta Mohseni said the increased fund aims to build lasting infrastructure for the community’s artists.
Why it matters
The larger grant pool strengthens cultural expression for Iranians abroad amid geopolitical tension and domestic repression.
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