Ed Halter passes on to me an announcement that the deadline for the 2007 Sarah Jacobson Film Grant, which provides money to young female filmmakers, is fast approaching: May 25.

I’ve never seen Sarah’s breakthrough feature Mary Jane’s Not a Virgin, but it was a real cornerstone in the DIY film movement back in the ’90s. Sarah wrote, directed and distributed the film herself (with some help from her mom) and also wrote for several film magazines about her and her peers’ experiences. Sadly, Sarah died in 2004 after a long bout with cancer.

This year, the grant will give 2 female filmmakers $1,500 in any stage of film production, from pre-production to finishing funds. Applying filmmakers should exhibit the type of filmmaking that Sarah championed: fiercely independent, DIY in nature and socially conscious. Winners of the grant last year were:

Gretchen Hogue; See Photo
Kara Herold; Bachelorette , 34
Vanessa Renwick; Portrait #2: Trojan

If you want to apply, visit the Free History Project‘s website for their submission address and what materials you need to send them. (Their site says no deadline has been set yet, but the email I got says it’s May 25, so hurry.)