For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities is a multicultural film screening and discussion series highlighting documentary films made by a diverse group of local filmmakers who are telling personal stories of Bay Area community heroes.
Wed, June 5, 2024, 5:30–7:30 PM Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Join us for the film screening of Harbor, a film that follows the life of Liza Star, a local Monterey Bay fisherwoman. Get a chance to learn a bit of Liza’s daily life in the fishing and water-based industries in the Monterey Bay along with her journey to how she got here, starting from her childhood and upbringing in Rhode Island. Experience the film beside the ocean at the Seymour Discovery Center, and get a chance to eat locally caught Monterey Bay seafood with the appetizers served at the beginning of the event. There will also be a discussion panel of various Stewards of the Sea: people who are dedicated to the ocean through their jobs and lives.
This project is made possible with support from the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, Hobson Lucas Family Foundation, and California Humanities, a partner of the NEH. Visit www.calhum.org.
For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities is a multicultural film screening and discussion series highlighting documentary films made by a diverse group of local filmmakers who are telling personal stories of Bay Area community heroes.
Wednesday, May 29, 2024, 6:30–8:30 PM CAST, 447 Minna Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Have you ever had to sacrifice a dream to make way for something else? At some point in our lives we all experience giving up something meaningful to make room for something else also important to us.
Join us for this event as we explore that moment in Sammy’s Final Arrangement, a profound and introspective film by Chad Santo Tomas profiling a florist at the peak of his game who comes to terms with his career as he decides to retire. In the process, he reflects on the unexpected grief that comes with pursuing your dreams, and the consequences of loss and making difficult life decisions. Following the film will be a discussion about the themes it explores with the filmmaker and the subject, Sammy, moderated by Melanie Elvena from the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center. Be ready and open to share some of your buried dreams to be released into the ether.
This project is made possible with support from the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, Hobson Lucas Family Foundation, and California Humanities, a partner of the NEH. Visit www.calhum.org.
For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities is a multicultural film screening and discussion series highlighting documentary films made by a diverse group of local filmmakers who are telling personal stories of Bay Area community heroes.
Saturday, May 12, 2024, 4:00–6:00PM Gyuto Foundation 6401 Bernhard Ave, Richmond, CA 94805
Join us for the film screening of Saranam Gacchâmi, an inspiring story about Ven Thupten Donyo, a visionary Buddhist monk from the Himalayan foothills of Nepal. Witness his extraordinary journey to California, where he defied all odds to establish one of the Bay Area’s largest Tibetan Monasteries—a sanctuary preserving endangered Tibetan culture, traditions, and language. Experience the Monastery and glimpse the beautiful Tibetan culture and vibrant community in the Bay Area. Enjoy a guided Monastery Tour and chai before the film with us!
This project is made possible with support from the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, Hobson Lucas Family Foundation, and California Humanities, a partner of the NEH. Visit www.calhum.org.
For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities is a multicultural film screening and discussion series highlighting documentary films made by a diverse group of local filmmakers who are telling personal stories of Bay Area community heroes.
Saturday, May 11, 2024, 6:00–8:00PM Raíces y Cariño 1205 Freedom Boulevard #Unit 3B Watsonville, CA 95076
Join us to honor our Abuelita’s, whether biological or chosen, with food, films and ceremony. We will gather to share stories of our beloved elders, build a collective altar to honor them, and watch films by local filmmakers who share stories of their Abuelos.
This will be a bilingual event in Spanish and English, families of all ages are encouraged to attend.
This project is made possible with support from the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, Hobson Lucas Family Foundation, and California Humanities, a partner of the NEH. Visit www.calhum.org.
For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities is a multicultural film screening and discussion series highlighting documentary films made by a diverse group of local filmmakers who are telling personal stories of Bay Area community heroes.
Saturday, April 27, 2024, 2:15–4:45PM The New Parkway Theater 474 24th Street Oakland, CA 94612
Screening of new footage from We Just Want to Be, panel discussion with community mental health advocates, and audience Q&A with the filmmakers.
We Just Want to Be is a documentary film in early production that tells the story of a survivor’s lifelong healing from trans conversion therapy, and the friendships across race and generation that helped facilitate that journey.
This project is made possible with support from the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, Hobson Lucas Family Foundation, and California Humanities, a partner of the NEH. Visit www.calhum.org.
A 3-Part Series to help filmmakers develop practical business strategies to move their project forward.
Filmmakers Collaborative SF and Re-Present Media are presenting a three-workshop webinar series dedicated to helping emerging and mid-career filmmakers develop strategies for the producing and business side of independent films to ensure they are effectively moving their project forward.
Structured around the filmmaking process of development, production, and post-production, the workshops will cover producing strategies related to financial, legal, marketing, and other business topics required throughout the filmmaking process.
This is not a “how to” workshop series, but rather addresses the “why and what” behind developing practical strategies for integrating the business side of film to match the creative approach and goals of your project. Along with our presentation, we will provide case studies, guest speaker insights, and other resources to help you develop your strategies.
This series is ideal for emerging and mid-career filmmakers with a current film project.
Workshop 1) Development: Building the Foundation – Wed, March 20, 1:00–2:30pm PT
We are excited to announce that Re-Present Media received a California Humanities grant for our event series, For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities. The series is planned to take place in Spring 2024.
In partnership with Filmmakers Collaborative SF, we are presenting a film screening and discussion event series highlighting six documentary films made by a multicultural group of local filmmakers who are telling personal stories of Bay Area community heroes. The featured filmmakers were fellows in our inaugural For Us, By Us Filmmaker Incubator program in 2023. We look forward to continuing to amplify their work and are grateful to California Humanities for their support!
Our Director Jennifer Crystal Chien is featured in DOK Leipzig’s new podcast episode “Keep on Keeping On” from What’s Up with Docs. In this episode, host Toni Bell discusses with Jennifer the vital question of who is determining what is of interest and to whom?! They dive into the challenges faces by BIPOC filmmakers working in a dominant white supremacy culture and the need to generate new and more authentic representations and portrayals of BIPOC communities. Jennifer also talks about her commitment to advocacy and the field-building work at Re-Present Media.
We are excited to announce our For Us, By Us Filmmaker Incubator cohort! Seven filmmakers telling personal stories from underrepresented Bay Area communities were selected to participate in our six month intensive. The cohort will participate in workshops, receive mentoring, and be given stipends to strategically use for their films.
Their six projects highlight intersections of race, class, and gender from across the Bay Area. We are thrilled to support these filmmakers’ stories for Bay Area communities by Bay Area filmmakers. With each film comes an opportunity to realistically represent those who have been underrepresented and provide insight into how we can better understand each other and ourselves.
Congratulations to Caroline Julia Cabading, Megan Martinez Goltz, Chad Santo Tomas, Mauro Sifuentes, Sé Sullivan, Erika Staud, and Priyanka Suryaneni. We look forward to supporting these filmmakers on their journeys!
Filmmakers Collaborative SF and Re-Present Media are collaborating to present the For Us, By Us Filmmaker Incubator, a six month intensive to support a diverse cohort of six local documentary filmmakers who are telling personal stories from underrepresented communities in the Bay Area.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 22, 2023 @ 11:59PM PST
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
For Us, By Us will support a diverse cohort of six local documentary filmmakers who are telling personal stories from underrepresented communities in the Bay Area. The filmmakers will participate in workshops, receive mentoring, and be given stipends to strategically use for their films. The mentoring will be focused on a group setting, with additional individual mentoring with program directors as needed. The six month program will run from March-August 2023.
Our goal is to nurture stories that expand our understanding of those who live in our Bay Area communities, especially those who are marginalized that will benefit from seeing their perspectives realistically represented, validating their lived experiences and providing insight into how we can better understand each other and ourselves.
Filmmakers Collaborative SF is a nonprofit media organization with a mission to catalyze positive change through the power of filmmaking. Re-Present Media is an organization dedicated to advocating for personal storytelling from underrepresented communities in documentary film and nonfiction media. The launch of the For Us, By Us Filmmaker Incubator marks an exciting next step in our work to support diverse storytellers and strengthen the Bay Area’s filmmaker ecosystem.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
The six month program includes:
$1,750 stipend to be used in accordance with the filmmaker’s development plan that is created in the program.
Three months of workshops (twice a month) led by a diverse group of working filmmakers and industry professionals covering story development, creative approach, fundraising, distribution, and other elements of the filmmaking journey.
Three months of group mentoring sessions (twice a month) focused on the needs of the participants’ films, with additional individual mentoring with program directors as needed.
Work in progress screening at the end of the program.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible, applicants must:
Be an emerging to mid-career documentary filmmaker
Live or work in the Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma Counties)
Be working on a documentary project that centers a personal story within an underrepresented Bay Area community. The film can be a short or feature length documentary in pre-production with secured participants, production, or post-production.
Be available to participate in the program’s activities. See tentative schedule.
APPLICATION
Application deadline: February 22, 2023 at 11:59pm PST
