Category: Filmmaker Support
The For Us, By Us Filmmaker Incubator nurtures a diverse cohort of Bay Area documentary filmmakers who are telling personal stories from underrepresented communities in the Bay Area.
Filmmakers participate in workshops, receive mentoring, and use program stipends to strategically advance their films.
Applications are now open for the 2025 program.
Deadline: Feb 24, 2025.
Re-Take Oakland filmmaker Jenn Lee Smith, is a producer on the film Home Court, which premieres on Independent Lens on March 24, 2025.
Home Court is a feature documentary that traces the ascent of Ashley Chea, a basketball prodigy whose life intensifies amid recruitment, injury, and triumph throughout her high school years.
Learn more on Home Court’s website.
ALIVE IN BRONZE: Huey P. Newton, directed by Re-Take Oakland filmmaker A.K. Sandhu, won the Realscreen Award for Short-Form Content and was nominated for the Dialog Award.
In ALIVE IN BRONZE: Huey P. Newton, sculptor Dana King’s hands and activist Fredrika Newton’s memories come together to build a new monument that honors the Black Panther Party’s vital place in American history.
Congratulations to Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Jessica Jones, for being selected for the Wexner Center for the Arts Studio Film Residency at the University of Ohio. The residencies support projects in the post-production process and offer artists time and space to focus on their work without distraction.
Jessica Jones is currently in post-production on her film, Women Who Ride, an intimate portrait of D’Vious Wayz Motorcycle Club, Oakland’s first Black all-women motorcycle club. Led by Tish Edwards, this group has been together for 20 years, but as membership dwindles during COVID and family responsibilities mount, multiple challenges will need to be addressed on the journey ahead.
Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Jay Gash, was the Director of Photography and Editor on the short film, Equity at Work: ReWork the Bay’s Journey to Reimagining an Equitable Economy, in collaboration with Producer, Niema Jordan.
ReWork the Bay is a powerful initiative committed to transforming the Bay Area’s workforce ecosystem by empowering workers, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and driving systemic change. The short film explores how this effort brings together leaders from diverse sectors who share a vision of an equitable future, working collaboratively to address the complex challenges faced by the region’s workers.
Watch the film on YouTube.
Learn more about the project on the ReWork the Bay website and LinkedIn.
Sammy’s Final Arrangement, directed by For Us, By Us fellow, Chad Santo Tomas, screened at the 2024 Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest as part of the Bay Area Shorts program on October 19.
In Sammy’s Final Arrangement, Samuel Go must come to terms with the stresses and the dwindling creative freedom that have resulted in his decision to end his practice and begin a new life. As Sammy directs his own cycle of self preservation, he must navigate the final stages of packing the remnants of his studio, a 2nd child with his wife, and the stresses of a final large scale wedding.
A-Doc has announced its new Co-Directors, Cindy Choung and Pallavi Somusetty.
Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Pallavi Somusetty, previously worked as a series producer for A-Doc and in nonprofit youth media.
Read Cindy and Pallavi’s interview with each other in IDA’s Documentary Magazine.
The Long Rescue, directed by Re-Take Oakland filmmaker Jennifer Huang, has been selected for Producers Connection at IDFA Forum 2024. Producers Connection presentations focus on supporting projects looking to finance their films through international co-production. The presentation will be on November 17, 2024.
The Long Rescue follows Filipina teen sex trafficking survivors for nine years in an intimate journey of recovery.
For Us, By Us fellow, Priyanka Suryaneni, is screening her film, Saranam Gacchâmi, with the Richmond Public Library.
Sat, October 5, 3:30pm
Richmond City Council Chambers
440 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA 94804
This special screening will include a musical performance by renowned Tibetan artists, a panel discussion, and Tibetan tea and food.
Saranam Gacchâmi is a documentary film about an enterprising Buddhist Monk who defies all odds to set up one of the largest Tibetan Monasteries in the Bay Area to preserve the endangered Tibetan culture and traditions.
PARAMITA, directed by Re-Take Oakland filmmaker Kirthi Nath, is currently screening at festivals.
Part poetry, part memoir-style reflection and part prayer, PARAMITA bears witness to Prajna Choudhury’s 25-year coming out process with her traditional Bangladeshi mother. Told with intimacy, tenderness and a quiet power, PARAMITA invites us into a meditative spiritual experience as Prajna connects with Buddhist practices and nature as gateways for intergenerational healing.
EAST COAST PREMIERE
Shorts Block 2: We Fight Back
Saturday, September 28 @ 5 pm EST
LGBT Center in NYC – 208 W 13th St, NY, NY 10011
TICKETS
WEST COAST PREMIERE
FREEDOM shorts program
Saturday, October 5 @ 3 pm AND Wednesday, October 9 @ 3:30 pm PST
Smith Rafael Center – 1118 4th St, San Rafael, CA 94901
Post-Screening Q&A with filmmaker and subjects.
TICKETS
Learn more on PARAMITA’s website.