BraveMaker

BraveMaker BraveMaker, a 501c3 nonprofit, exists to educate, entertain and create community.

We elevate brave voices & effect cultural change with film for justice diversity and inclusion.

🌮🎬 BRAVEMAKER MONTHLY MEET-UP — THIS THURSDAY NIGHT IN REDWOOD CITY!Come eat. Pitch. Connect. Watch films. Make somethin...
08/31/2026

🌮🎬 BRAVEMAKER MONTHLY MEET-UP
— THIS THURSDAY NIGHT IN REDWOOD CITY!

Come eat. Pitch. Connect. Watch films. Make something happen. 🔥

🌮 6PM : TACOS + $500 SHORT FILM PITCH!
Join us for all-you-can-eat tacos and a chance to pitch a NEW short film for a $500 grant, in partnership with !

🎟️ Grab your ticket and you’ll receive a link to submit your pitch.
https://bravemaker.com/event/15769172-3/

Your film must:
🎬 Be a NEW short film idea
📄 Be under 10 pages
💰 Be achievable on a microbudget
🎥 Be made before the end of 2026

Then stick around because the night isn’t over…

🍿 8PM : FREE SHORT FILMS AT REDWOOD CITY COURTHOUSE SQUARE!

🎭 COZY CORNER by Anita Mae Aguilar

Inspired by a diverse group of actors and the unique bond they share, Cozy Corner is set inside a real San Francisco acting class. When the group unexpectedly loses one of its members in an accident, their grief threatens to tear them apart—or bring them closer together.

💰 HEIST OF THE CENTURY by Siddharth Ananth

Two professional robbers (and a consultant) plan an impossible heist using a very “advanced” set of tools. 😆

✨ Meet Bay Area creatives. Pitch your movie. Find collaborators. Eat tacos. Watch local films under the stars.

THIS THURSDAY • REDWOOD CITY
🌮 Meet-up + tacos: 6PM
🎬 Free films: 8PM

Grab your ticket and come make some movies with us! 🎥🔥

🎙️ TIME FOR A RE-LISTEN! EPISODE 322 🎬🔥CONGRATS MELANIE LOREN! Actress joined the BraveMaker Podcast and spilled all th...
08/30/2026

🎙️ TIME FOR A RE-LISTEN!
EPISODE 322 🎬🔥

CONGRATS MELANIE LOREN!

Actress joined the BraveMaker Podcast and spilled all the behind-the-scenes stories of landing a role in ’s IDIOTS—opposite Peter Dinklage, Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr. 🤯🎥

She takes us through the whole journey:
🎭 The audition
📲 Getting the gig
🎬 Showing up on set
😳 AND discovering who her scene partner was!
❄️ AS WELL AS GOING TO SUNDANCE!

You never know where that next audition might lead. 👀

🎧 Listen to BraveMaker Podcast Episode 322 wherever you get your podcasts—or WATCH the full conversation on our YouTube channel!

https://www.youtube.com/live/93tLxyBhNFo?si=S8VKSGQtUnf255q7

Another MULTI-HYPHENATE JOINS US!🎬 MONDAY, AUGUST 31 @ 10AM PT on Zoom!BraveMaker MasterMind welcomes Chante Carmel—acto...
08/29/2026

Another MULTI-HYPHENATE JOINS US!

🎬 MONDAY,
AUGUST 31 @ 10AM PT on Zoom!

BraveMaker MasterMind welcomes Chante Carmel—actor, singer, dancer, writer, author and Broadway veteran—for a special conversation about building a creative career that lasts.

Chante began performing at age five and was touring internationally by eight. After being discovered by legendary choreographer Debbie Allen, she joined the cast of A Different World as Iesha and went on to appear in ER, Boston Public and more. Her theater career includes the national tour of the Tony Award-winning Rent, plus Dreamgirls, Motown, Dirty Dancing, Waitress and Disney’s The Lion King.

She’s also a songwriter, filmmaker and creator/AUTHOR of 'S**t I Learned on Tour,sharing hard-earned wisdom from years on the road."

🔥 Actors, filmmakers, writers and creatives THIS IS FOR YOU! Come ready to learn and ask questions! INCLUDED FOR ALL MASTERMIND MEMBERS.
WANT TO AUDIT FOR FREE? DM US.

WANT TO JOIN MONTHLY?

📅 Monday, August 31
⏰ 10AM PT
💻 www.BraveMaker.com/MasterMind

COOKIE QUEENS got me 🍪🎬I first heard about this film at Sundance in January, but couldn’t get into a screening. As a pro...
08/17/2026

COOKIE QUEENS got me 🍪🎬

I first heard about this film at Sundance in January, but couldn’t get into a screening. As a proud girl dad, I knew I was probably in for some heart-melting moments when I finally got to see it this week but I wasn’t prepared for the floodgates. 😭

Now that my girls are teens, (high school and college age), I found myself thinking back on so many good memories from those younger parenting years. It was a beautiful reminder of the gift of being a dad.

One of my favorite moments was watching one of the girls find the courage to talk about the pressures she was feeling and seeing her mom listen, make space for her, and empower her. ❤️ There are so many beautiful themes here about parenting, growing up, confidence, pressure, dreams, and letting kids become who they are. I STILL am learning these lessons not to correct my kids before I connect with them or try to solve their problems before I just give them space to share what they want to say.

As the credits were rolling, (which I always stay for!) I immediately texted another girl-dad friend and said: TAKE YOUR DAUGHTER TO SEE THIS.

And all the girls in are SO INTERESTING TO WATCH! The youngest girl scout feature, ARA, wrecked me with cuteness every single time she was on screen. 😂🥹

I love being a girl dad.

And the next time you see some girls selling cookies? Buy more than one box. 🍪🍪🍪 You might just be helping make some dreams come true.

Well done to the producing team and director !

--Tony Gapastione



🎬 GOT A FILM IDEA? LET’S GET IT ON THE PAGE.Sign up for our BraveMaker ONLINE Screenwriting Class—live on Zoom and avail...
08/16/2026

🎬 GOT A FILM IDEA? LET’S GET IT ON THE PAGE.

Sign up for our BraveMaker ONLINE Screenwriting Class—live on Zoom and available anywhere in the world. 🌎💻

The goal? START and finish your idea.

Taught by BraveMaker founder and filmmaker Tony Gapastione, with special guest drop-ins along the way, this class will help you learn the ins and outs of what a screenplay needs to be—and CAN be—on the page.

✍️ Develop your idea
🎥 Learn the essentials of screenwriting
🔥 Get deadlines, feedback, encouragement, and accountability
🎬 Write with PRODUCTION in mind—like you might actually make this thing!

You’re not required to produce your script, but we highly recommend this class for anyone who wants support moving beyond “I have an idea…” to “I MADE A FILM.”

And ACTORS: this is for you, too! Stop waiting for someone else to cast you. Write something for YOU to star in.

📅 Starts Thursday, August 27, 2026 5pm PT
💻 LIVE ONLINE via Zoom
🌎 Take it from anywhere

Ready to stop talking about that idea and START WRITING IT?

👉 Sign up at BraveMaker.com/events

🎭 ACTORS: This is one you don’t want to miss.🎬 NOT AN ACTOR? Directors—come learn how to COACH actors better!Meet Marjor...
08/14/2026

🎭 ACTORS: This is one you don’t want to miss.
🎬 NOT AN ACTOR? Directors—come learn how to COACH actors better!

Meet Marjorie Ballentine on Monday, August 17 at 10AM PT for an exclusive BraveMaker MasterMind Zoom session.

Marjorie apprenticed directly under the legendary Stella Adler and trained with some of the most influential acting teachers of all time, including Lee Strasberg, Uta Hagen, and Geraldine Page.

She later served on the faculty of the Stella Adler Conservatory in NYC, teaching Technique, Scene Study, and Script Interpretation—and helping shape its curriculum.

Today, Marjorie is one of the most sought-after acting coaches in Los Angeles and is considered by many to be one of the greatest living teachers of the Stella Adler technique.

🔥 And this Monday, our MasterMind members get access to her.

Actors: come sharpen your craft.
Directors: come learn how to communicate with and coach your actors.
Filmmakers: come learn what makes a performance come alive.

Not a member yet? Join the BraveMaker MasterMind community for weekly conversations, coaching, feedback, creative community, and special industry guests like Marjorie.

🎬 Monday, August 17 | 10AM PT | Zoom
🔥 Exclusive to BraveMaker MasterMind members
We highly encourage actors and filmmakers to invest in this membership community for all the PERKS!

https://bravemaker.com/about-us/membership/

If you want to DROP IN for one session only DM US and we'll send you the link on how to register.

Thank you, Jonathan!With the support of our donors we will continue foster creativity in our community and curate a fest...
08/13/2026

Thank you, Jonathan!
With the support of our donors we will continue foster creativity in our community and curate a fest that empowers brave storytellers!
www.BraveMaker.com/Donate
Keep supporting our nonprofit!

Almost FILLED up. Learn all the ins and outs, ups and downs of making a movie. DM us for more info
08/12/2026

Almost FILLED up.

Learn all the ins and outs, ups and downs of making a movie.

DM us for more info

We 🩷 this work!Thank you Kendra!With the support of our sponsors we will continue create a fest we are proud of, a fest ...
08/11/2026

We 🩷 this work!
Thank you Kendra!
With the support of our sponsors we will continue create a fest we are proud of, a fest that welcomes and includes all, and a fest that inspires filmmakers to make friends and make (more) movies!

Address

Redwood City, CA
94062

Telephone

+16507017661

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when BraveMaker posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to BraveMaker:

Shortcuts

Share

Category