Congratulations to Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Jay Gash, for being awarded a Black Women Photographers x Nikon Grant. This grant fund awards monetary grants and Nikon Z gear to Black creatives working in the industry. The grants are marked to aid the completion of visual projects and help with business expenses.

ALIVE IN BRONZE: Huey P. Newton, directed by Re-Take Oakland filmmaker A.K. Sandhu, was acquired by MTV Films and is now streaming on Paramount+.

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, Pallavi Somusetty, for being awarded the IDA Logan Elevate Grant, for her film, Coach Emily. With this grant, she will receive $30,000, story consulting, dedicated artist support, year-long individualized professional development opportunities and filmmaker-guided public programming.

Coach Emily is a feature documentary that follows Emily Taylor, an Oakland-based Black and queer rock climbing coach, as she battles systemic racism in her professional and personal life. Through her Brown Girls Climbing program, Emily trains young girls of color, including her own daughter, as they resist discrimination in the climbing world and work to define themselves in the outdoors.

Congratulations to Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Jessica Jones, for being selected as a Sundance Contributing Editor Fellow.

The yearlong fellowship spotlights emerging talents committed to the art and craft of editing nonfiction feature films. Contributing editor fellows receive a stipend, a dedicated mentor, and access to curated workshops and small gatherings through the fellowship year.

Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Jay Gash, is now the Strategic Capacity Coordinator for QWOCMAP. Jay’s film, When the Garden Comes, which she started producing in Re-Take Oakland, premiered at the 18th Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival in 2022. Jay was also a participant in QWOCMAP’s 2014 Film & Freedom Academy and has been a Mentor to other QWOCMAP Filmmakers since 2017.

As Strategic Capacity Coordinator, Jay supports core artistic programs and events including the Film Freedom Academy Filmmaker Training Program (4-Day Workshop), annual International Queer Women of Color Film Festival, Boutique Distribution Program, and the Critical Juncture Program for LBTQIA+ people of color supported by the Dream Keeper Initiative and Human Rights Commission.

Congratulations to Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Pallavi Somusetty, for winning the $40,000 DocPitch 2023 Jury Award for her film, Coach Emily. Presented by DocLands Documentary Film Festival, DocPitch is an invitation for North American based filmmakers to submit their unfinished feature-length documentary projects currently in early to late stages of production. A jury selected five filmmaking teams to present a verbal pitch and a three-to-five minute trailer.

Coach Emily is a feature documentary that follows Emily Taylor, an Oakland-based Black and queer rock climbing coach, as she battles systemic racism in her professional and personal life. Through her Brown Girls Climbing program, Emily trains young girls of color, including her own daughter, as they resist discrimination in the climbing world and work to define themselves in the outdoors.

Congratulations to Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Jennifer Huang, who was selected for the DOC NYC x Video Consortium Storytelling Incubator for her film, The Long Rescue. This initiative provides first-time feature documentary filmmakers with hands-on creative consultation and professional guidance from established industry voices.

The Long Rescue follows Filipina teen sex trafficking survivors for six years where we learn of their dark pasts through brief flashbacks that reveal the cyclical nature of exploitation that haunts women and their children for generations.

The Long Rescue, directed by Re-Take Oakland filmmaker Jennifer Huang, was accepted into the Film Independent CNN Docuseries Intensive. Supported by Founding Sponsor CNN Original Series, the Intensive helps Fellows walk away with a deeper understanding of the industry through executive and peer mentorships, creative workshopping and industry networking.

The Long Rescue follows Filipina teen sex trafficking survivors for six years in an intimate journey of recovery.

Grandma Lai is a recipient of the LIMCA-Hidden Gems III Award. The purpose of the awards program is to recognize individuals for their story, creative work, and contributions to the LIMCA Iu Mien community.

Grandma Lai is the subject of My Name is Lai, directed by Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Lucy Saephan.

In My Name is Lai, a first generation Mien American elder, shares the events leading up to her arrival to the U.S. as a refugee survivor of war. Lai retraces moments of her life from memories as a young child, to being a newly arrived refugee finding her way in the U.S. Through these memories, Lai reflects on her life, passing on cultural traditions, fears of losing her independence, and hopes for the future.

This Adventure Called California, directed by Re-Take Oakland filmmaker Jennifer Huang, will screen at the 2022 United Nations Association Film Festival on Sunday, October 23 at 1pm in Palo Alto.

This Adventure Called California is a short documentary film about recently divorced Arnoldo, who comes to the United States from Mexico to win back his family but meets only brutality and despair, until a chance encounter at a racquetball court changes the course of his life.

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