FILMMAKER SUPPORT

 

Our professional development activities include public and cohort-based programs that include mentoring, masterclasses, and workshops.
Our focus is on serving underrepresented communities.

 

Filmmaker Updates

Sammy’s Final Arrangement at 2024 Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest

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 […]

Pallavi Somusetty is new A-Doc Co-Director

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 selected for IDFA Forum 2024

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 […]

Editor Development Program

two BIPOC editors in front of a computer

 

Our Editor Development Program supports an emerging BIPOC editor in editing a feature length documentary film through weekly mentorship meetings, technical editing advice, and a participant stipend.

headshot of Angie Morales, Afro-Latinx woman with curly hair

Our current editor is Angie Morales.

Doc Watchers

projector showing a film

We gather documentary film professionals to watch and discuss recent and past documentary films. We meet in downtown Oakland.

Previous films screened include: All That Breathes, Sirens, Subject, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, What We Leave Behind, A Night of Knowing Nothing, and 5 Broken Cameras.

We occasionally screen members’ works in progress.

If you are interested in joining, please fill out our contact form and mention “Doc Watchers.”

 

Current Activities

For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities – Harbor – June 5

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. Presented by Re-Present Media and Filmmakers Collaborative SF For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities – Harbor Wed, June […]

For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities – Sammy’s Final Arrangement – May 29

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. Presented by Re-Present Media and Filmmakers Collaborative SF For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities – Sammy’s Final Arrangement […]

For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities – Saranam Gacchâmi – May 12

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. Presented by Re-Present Media and Filmmakers Collaborative SF For Us, By Us: Our Beloved Communities – Saranam Gacchâmi Saturday, […]

Past Programs

For Us, By Us Filmmaker Program (2023)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Presented by Filmmakers Collaborative SF and Re-Present Media

For Us, By Us was a six month intensive supporting a diverse cohort of seven local documentary filmmakers who are telling personal stories from underrepresented communities in the Bay Area. From March – September 2023, the filmmakers participated in workshops and received mentoring, along with stipends to strategically use for their films. The program culminated in a Filmmaker Showcase event.
The six selected projects highlighted intersections of race, class, and gender from across the Bay Area. With each film comes an opportunity to present the voices and points of view of community members and provide insight into how we can better understand each other and ourselves.

For Us By Us Program Report

See our newly-released Program Report.
(more about For Us, By Us)

 

Re-Take Oakland (2019-2021)

Re-Take Oakland was a two-year public education and filmmaker mentoring program. Documentary filmmakers of color created short personal films featuring stories of individuals, families, and communities in Oakland. They presented these films in collaboration with community partners in post-film dialogues.

Oaktown Stories Saturday June 5th 7-9pm

Througout the program, we offered master classes, film screenings with private filmmaker talks, and mentoring with award-winning documentary filmmakers. Modest stipends were available to filmmakers for production costs.
We focused on emerging filmmakers of color living in the San Francisco Bay Area, with priority given to Oaklanders identifying as Asian American (including South, East, and Southeast Asian), mixed race, and LGBTQ+ people of color.
(more about Re-Take Oakland)