Filmmakers Collaborative SF

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Filmmakers Collaborative SF

Filmmakers Collaborative SF is a nonprofit media organization with a mission to catalyze positive change through the power of filmmaking.

08/21/2026

We're looking forward to this distribution panel on Wednesday!

Reinvention for Disruptive Times
Seminar 4: Rethinking Distribution
Wed, August 26 @ 10am PT / 1pm ET
Virtual

Register by Tuesday at 5pm PT for access to the live event.

Presented by Filmmakers Collaborative SF and Re-Present Media

This seminar will address strategies to navigate the increasingly consolidated distributor ecosystem that often marginalizes filmmakers’ distribution goals and success. We will look at what kinds of new and old strategies are working to reach audiences in this climate, and how we can rethink distribution in response to current trends.

Our panel will discuss:
- Innovations in the distribution ecosystem
- Opportunities in self-distribution, DIY, and partnerships
- Shifting definitions of distribution and reimagining our relationships with audiences
- Collective and community-oriented distribution strategies

Guest Panelists: Jon-Sesrie Goff (Program Officer, Ford Foundation), Arlin Golden (Co-Director, Video Project), Keisha Nicole Knight (Founder, Sentient Art Film and Solidarity Media Network)

TICKETS:
- $15 Series Pass includes this session and series recordings access through Sep 2.
- $5 Individual Session Ticket. Includes recording access for 7 days.
- Free for FCSF Members.
- Fee waivers available. See website for details.

🎟️ Learn more and register: https://www.filmmakerscollaborative.org/events

08/17/2026

Apply now for the For Us, By Us San Francisco Filmmaker Incubator!

The For Us, By Us San Francisco Filmmaker Incubator is a one-year fellowship program that supports a cohort of San Francisco documentary filmmakers from historically marginalized backgrounds who are telling personal stories of communities within the City.

From October 2026-October 2027, fellows will participate in workshops, receive mentoring, and use $5,000 stipends to strategically advance their films, culminating in community engagement screening events.

The program is presented by Filmmakers Collaborative SF and Re-Present Media.

Deadline: September 8

🔗 For more information and to apply: filmmakerscollaborative.org/for-us-by-us

08/07/2026

Directing your first or second feature documentary? Intent to Apply for the 2027 BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship is now open!

This is an amazing opportunity to spend nine months in a cohort of other filmmakers. In addition to traveling, mentorship, gaining insight into the industry, and strengthening your films together, fellows will also receive $10,000 in unrestricted funding.

This year, BAVC Media is introducing a two-step application process designed to save applicants time and help them identify eligible candidates. Before investing time in the full application, you'll first complete a brief Intent to Apply form. Eligible applicants will then be invited to submit the full application.

⏳Deadline for Intent: August 30, 2026 (11:59pm PT)
🔗Apply Here: https://bit.ly/4wvUVCt

08/05/2026

Coming up next week!

Reinvention for Disruptive Times
Seminar 3: Attainable Production
Thu, August 13 @ 1pm PT / 4pm ET
Virtual

Register before August 12 at 5pm PT for access to the live event.

Presented by Filmmakers Collaborative SF and Re-Present Media

This seminar will address production approaches for making films that are achievable and cost-efficient during a time of disruption. The panelists will share their unique processes and choices that help them get their films completed while staying focused on their top priorities. We will emphasize how to get the most out of your funding by working strategically and finding efficiencies.

Our panel will discuss:
- Strategizing about what makes a film “achievable.”
- Having an efficient production without sacrificing quality.
- Collaborative approaches to building your production team and crew.
- Building up success by being resourceful.

Guest Panelists: Claudine Cho (Co-Founder/Filmmaker, OOF Stories), John de Graaf (Filmmaker), Joseph Graham (Filmmaker & Educator)

TICKETS:
- $15 Series Pass includes all sessions and recordings access throughout the series.
- $5 Individual Session Ticket. Includes recording access for 7 days.
- Free for FCSF Members.
- Fee waivers available. See website for details.

🎟️ Learn more and register: https://www.filmmakerscollaborative.org/events

08/04/2026

☕ August Member Drop-in

Thursday, August 8th
1:00-2:30pm PT / 4:00-5:30pm ET
Virtual

Topic: Life/Work Balance

A recurring theme in our Reinvention for Disruptive Times seminar series has been the need for trade-offs and making choices about what we prioritize as independent filmmakers. For this Drop-in, we will be opening up the discussion on life/work balance, including:

-How does one juggle work, family, friends, and filmmaking all at the same time?
-How and when do we allocate time for creative work as mounting responsibilities take over our day?
-What role do finances play in making decisions about our life/work balance?

☕ First Thursday Drop-in is an opportunity for FCSF members to meet each other virtually, learn about each other’s projects, and build community.

🔗 To become a member: https://www.filmmakerscollaborative.org/membership

07/30/2026

🪷🎬 PARAMITA, directed by Kirthi Nath, and Longing Suite by Lata Mani and Nicolás Grandi are screening at Cinema as Prayer: A Night of Q***r South Asian Films on August 19!

FCSF is proud to be the fiscal sponsor for PARAMITA and a community partner for this event!

These two poetic films move through longing, belonging and spiritual transformation, opening a space for reflection, healing and connection.

PARAMITA bears witness to Prajna Choudhury’s 25-year journey of coming out to her traditional Bangladeshi mother. Told with intimacy and tenderness, the film invites us into a meditative experience as Prajna connects with Buddhist practice and nature as gateways for intergenerational healing.

Longing Suite is a lyrical exploration of awakening to the feminine Divine. Building on a cycle of poems written by Mani in the 1990s, the film traces the arc of a heart-mind-body awakening to the sacred in all that exists.

Together, these intimate, spiritual films invite us to experience cinema as prayer.

The screening will be followed by a conversation and Q&A with the filmmakers, moderated by Madeleine Lim, Executive and Artistic Director of QWOCMAP - Q***r Women of Color Media Arts Project.

Paramita Film Kirthi Nath

Cinema as Prayer: A Night of Q***r South Asian Films
🗓 Wednesday, August 19, 2026
⏰ 6:15 PM
📍 Rialto Cinemas Elmwood, 2966 College Avenue, Berkeley
♿ ADA-accessible theatre
🎟 Tickets + more info: https://rialtocinemas.com/coming-soon-elm/cinema-as-prayer-elm

07/24/2026

Join us on Tuesday to chat about how indie filmmakers are navigating fundraising during these challenging times!

Reinvention for Disruptive Times
Seminar 2: Fundraising Redux
Tue, July 28 @ 11am PT / 2pm ET
Virtual

Register before July 27 at 5pm PT for access to the live event.

Presented by Filmmakers Collaborative SF and Re-Present Media

This seminar will address current financial challenges, funding opportunities, and creative approaches to retooling your project development and funding. We will highlight creative strategies used by filmmakers to fundraise during these challenging times.

Our panel will discuss:
- Trends in indie film budgets, revenue sources, and fundraising.
- How can filmmakers sustain themselves in this climate?
- Playing the long game by aligning your work lifestyle with long-term goals and strategies.

Guest Panelists:
Emily Best, Founder/CEO, Seed&Spark
Ginger Yifan Chen, Filmmaker in Residence at SFFILM
Theresa Navarro, Co-Director/COO, Catapult Film Fund

TICKETS:
- $15 Series Pass includes all sessions and recordings access throughout the series.
- $5 Individual Session Ticket. Includes recording access for 7 days.
- Free for FCSF Members.
- Fee waivers available. See website for details.

🎟️ Learn more and register: https://www.filmmakerscollaborative.org/events

07/16/2026

🎞️ Apply now for the Jewish Film Institute’s 2027 Doc Lab!

Feature Docs at any stage of the creative process are invited to apply to the only U.S.-based fellowship dedicated to expanding and evolving the Jewish Story. This year-long, virtual lab provides creative support and professional development to emerging and established filmmakers from across the globe.

Fellows:
- Participate in monthly cohort meetings
- Attend capacity-enhancing workshops with industry professionals and experts
- Consult with JFI staff on industry best practices in marketing, fundraising, production, and exhibition
- Join an in-person convening at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
- Refine project pitches through mentorship

Learn more about the Doc Lab by signing up for online info sessions at the link below!

Deadline: August 21, 2026

🔗 Apply and learn more at jfi.org/doc-lab

07/15/2026

Our webinar series starts tomorrow!

Reinvention for Disruptive Times
Seminar 1: Strategic Reinvention
Thu, July 16 @ 10am PT / 1pm ET
Virtual

Register before 5pm PT today for access to the first live event.

Presented by Filmmakers Collaborative SF and Re-Present Media

This seminar is a must-see for those concerned about the state of independent filmmaking.

We will be discussing emergent challenges indie filmmakers are facing, with an emphasis on the need for vigilance and reinvention. We will begin with recent data from filmmaker surveys from the Center for Media and Social Impact and highlight the trends and strategies discussed in The Shorenstein Center’s Doc Symposium.

Our panel will discuss:
- Who are the most impacted?
- How can we understand and respond to industry changes?
- How can we integrate participant and filmmaker care and safety?

Guest Panelists: Natalie Bullock Brown, Filmmaker/Director of DAWG and Maida Lynn, Chief Cheerleader, The Backlight

TICKETS:
- $15 Series Pass includes all four sessions and recordings access throughout the series.
- $5 Individual Session Ticket. Includes recording access for 7 days.
- Free for FCSF Members.
- Fee waivers available. See website for details.

🎟️ For more info and registration: https://www.filmmakerscollaborative.org/events

07/09/2026

Grains of Sand 🎞️ Bay Area screenings

FCSF is proud to be the fiscal sponsor for this film.

Filmed over eight years, Grains of Sand accompanies the filmmaker’s mother and mother-in-law — artists and close friends — as they enter their ninth decade. Through conversation, memories, and artwork, along with reflections by the filmmaker herself, they create together a positive, joyful coming-of-age story.

July 13 – Public Screening & Workshop
4:00-6:30 pm
Unitarian Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Road, Kensington CA
Free
https://uucb.org/events/grains-of-sand-screening/

July 15 – Public Screening & Collage Workshop
3:00-6:00 pm
Vivalon, 999 3d Street, San Rafael CA
Free
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grains-of-sand-film-screening-with-filmmaker-sarah-gross-tickets-1991236612310

Address

145 9th Street
San Francisco, CA
94103

Telephone

+14155460155

Website

http://www.filmmakerscollaborative.org/

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