This World is Not My Own

Directors Petter Ringbom and Marquise Stillwell, Producer Ruchi Mital
This World is Not My Own

Logline

Chewing gum sculptures, a Jewish gallerist, a firebrand wrestler, a notorious murder case, and the segregated south – it’s all part of Nellie Mae Rowe’s fantastical universe. This World is Not My Own reimagines this self-taught artist’s world and her life spanning the 20th century.

Phase of Support: Post-Production

Petter Ringbom & Marquise Stillwell (Opendox)

Petter Ringbom & Marquise Stillwell (Opendox) - Directors

In 2012, Petter Ringbom and Marquise Stillwell set out to the Texas high desert plains to make their first film together, a short about Marfa. Since then, they’ve made three feature-length documentaries, as well as a number of short films and commissions. Their primary focus has been stories about “creative underdogs”—artists, musicians, and designers who create in order to reflect on, escape from, or change society. Their films have screened at festivals like Tribeca, IDFA, Hot Docs, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Moscow Intl. Film Fest, Gothenburg Intl. Film Fest, and Chicago Intl. Film Fest. They have presented their work at institutions like LACMA, the Hammer Museum, Film at Lincoln Center, BAM, and Art Basel.

Ruchi Mital

Ruchi Mital - Producer

In 2014, Ruchi produced the feature documentary, We Could Be King, which won the Emmy for Outstanding Sports Documentary. Her next two features, Sky Ladder: The Art Of Cai Guo-Qiang (2016) and This is Personal (2019), premiered at Sundance Film Festival. Most recently, she produced two documentary series, The Case Against Adnan Syed for HBO (2019), and The Me You Can’t See for Apple TV+ (2021).

Project logline and bios courtesy of the grantees.