For Us, By Us Filmmaker Incubator

Presented by Filmmakers Collaborative SF and Re-Present Media

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 Closed

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.

The program activities will be hybrid (virtual and in-person).

Learn more about the For Us, By Us Team.

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.

  • We define personal stories as stories focused on the lives of individuals, families, and communities. Although social issues may intersect with their lives, these stories are not primarily social issue narratives.

• Be available to participate in the program’s activities. See tentative schedule above. Participants are expected to commit to attending all sessions.

Note: Co-directors may apply together but each selected project will be given one stipend.

Application

Application deadline: February 22, 2023 at 11:59pm PST

Applicants will be informed of decisions by March 6, 2023.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

If you would like to donate, please click the button below.
Every donation will be matched by our NEA grant up to $25,000.