Sioux City, Iowa – A group of students from a grant writing class offered during spring semester 2022 at Morningside University was notified that the Humanities Grant they applied for on behalf of the Sioux City International Film Festival (SCIFF) was funded for $9,750.

The class was taught by Jen Peterson, an associate professor in the humanities department at Morningside University.

“Grants require a strategic writing style based on the parameters of the grant application,” noted Peterson. “Going through the process of developing and submitting a proposal was a great experience for the students to really understand the grant writing process. The students did an excellent job of following the requirements and thinking through their request. I am incredibly proud their proposal was funded.”

The proposal that was developed will fund a project entitled “The Human Condition and Music in Film,” which will complement the film festival by providing an educational program. The grant will allow the Sioux City International Film Festival to offer workshops that focus on music in the film industry from past to present. The workshops will be led by experts who specialize in composing and editing film scores, and workshop participants will have the opportunity to understand the process of developing film scores to advance character development and themes, to make scenes more dynamic, and to drive a film’s plot forward.

“The grant will help SCIFF to underscore the essential connections between the humanities and arts through the study of music, “shared Dr. Leslie Werden, department head for the humanities and a president of the SCIFF Board of Directors. “Developing this proposal was a great way for our students to learn while helping expand what SCIFF is able to offer to our local filmmaking, art, and music community.”

Members of the student team who completed the grant were Miriam (Sinay) Diaz, Jonah Gleason, Zachary (Zack) Olson, and Eva Geiben.

The 17th Annual Sioux City International Film Festival will be held Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2022, in Sioux City, Iowa. More information on the workshops and film festival can be found here.