 |
 |
| To our QWOCMAP Community, |
| Welcome to the Fall 2009
edition of REEL BITES, the eNewsletter of Queer Women of Color Media
Arts Project.
|
|
|
   |
|
In each issue of Reel Bites, we bring you a profile of one of our fabulous QWOCMAP filmmakers, whose films bring our community together, to tears and to their feet! For many years, Brenda Williams’ film experience included attending film festivals and movie houses. She “constantly voiced my desire: I wanted to learn how to make a film.” When a friend passed on an email announcing QWOCMAP’s free Filmmaker Training Program, Brenda was able to bring her desire into reality: “The timing of the QWOCMAP class was perfect because I was ready to go from passively dreaming about making a film to learning the process to doing something about it.” Brenda Williams completed two short films, Practice Makes, a 5-minute documentary, through the Introductory workshop, and a 22-minute narrative short, What If?, through the Intermediate workshop. During the process, Brenda realized that “free films aren't free at all! The musicians, the actors, the crew, all work as hard as if they are highly paid professionals. [It] is such a collaborative wonder, it keeps me looking for opportunities and ways to constantly give back…to keep the collaborative nature of the workshops going,” she explains. Moreover, the collaborative nature of the filmmaking workshops translates to the fabulous celebration at the free annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival, where What If? world-premiered in 2009. Brenda says, “ I love the fact that when the films are done, hundreds of excited viewers show up each night to see films and it's free to them; they are our guests and as such are entertained, fed, and exposed to our passions as filmmakers.” What If? is currently screening around the world: Oakland International Film Festival, Atlanta's Out on Film Festival and International Film Festival South Africa, with additional requests from India, Canada, and Australia. With the encouragement of Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project, Brenda continues to pursue her craft, and has embarked on her first feature-length film. Brenda misses the structure of QWOCMAP workshops but shares, “I am extremely excited because I just got permission to shoot on a beautiful farm.” Through participating in our free Filmmaker Training Program, Brenda says, “Free took on another meaning to me and reinforced my desire to always contribute, and not [just] be on the receiving end, as a way of life,” she says. |
|
|
.jpg)  .jpg) |
We are proud to celebrate 10 years of Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project. We want to acknowledge and thank the following funding partners: Horizons Foundation POCIBLE program, for LGBTQ people of color organizations. Akonadi Foundation for “Multiple Borders,” centered on queer women of color and immigration, and the first in our Reels of Resistance DVD series. The California Council for the Humanities Foundation provided support for the Two-Spirit Arts & Action project. Even with these grants, QWOCMAP still needs your support, which helps us to foster filmmaking and community building. With your help, we are able to offer our award-winning Filmmaker Training Program and annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival free of charge. Your support will help make dreams of filmmaking a reality for upcoming artist-activists. Click here to donate now! |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
.jpg) .jpg) .jpg) |
This summer, with the guidance from our Executive Director Madeleine Lim, QWOCMAP Filmmaker and instructor-in-training Emily Encina facilitated a QWOCMAP mini-workshop for the National Sexuality Resource Center (NSRC). Emily led scholars, non-profit organizers, and activists to create their own PSAs related to sexuality issues. Through QWOCMAP Productions, we offer teaching, videography, production and editing services, as well as film workshops and consultations at reasonable rates for nonprofit organizations, activists, and artists. To inquire, please send an email to: info@qwocmap.org |
|
|
.jpg) .jpg) .jpg) |
|
As part of our 10th anniversary celebration, we’re taking a moment to recognize our QWOCMAP filmmakers and their many creative accomplishments! ° Luna Han was awarded a $4,000 Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice grant for her new film Sustainable Harvest, which is in development. ° Ami Puri won First Place at 2009 City College of San Francisco Queer Film Festival for hir film, The Wink and The Pucker. ° Margo Rivera-Weiss, QWOCMAP Board member, won Best Ethnographic Film at the 2008 Berkeley Film Festival. ° Ching-In Chen’s first book The Heart’s Traffic: A Novel in Poems was published by Arktoi Press. ° Maiana Minahal’s first book Legend Sondayo was published by Civil Defense Poetry. Thank you for putting on a wonderful and memorable film festival this year. I am very proud to be part of QWOCMAP's history and hopefully its future as well. - Punam S., QWOCMAP Filmmaker I have been meaning to say…what an honor it was to be involved with QWOCMAP. The experience of being a filmmaker was truly memorable. I can't imagine the level of organization and community building that goes into pulling something off so accessible and high quality. - Jillian Soto, QWOCMAP Filmmaker |
|
|
.jpg) |
|
The Seventh Annual SF International South Asian Film Festival Nov 5-8, 2009 @ the Roxie Theater & the Castro Theatre From art-house classics to documentary films, from innovative and experimental visions to cutting-edge Bollywood, 3rd i is committed to promoting diverse images of South Asians through independent film. The 2009 festival includes offerings from India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kashmir, Australia, Canada, Germany, UK and the USA. Highlights include a special focus on documentaries, a spotlight on the global Sikh experience, and as always, the best independent features from emerging filmmakers. Castro Theatre Saturday, November 7 3:25pm Searching for Sandeep Poppy Stockwell, 2007, Australia, 56 mins with short Mr & Mrs. Singh Punam S., 2009, USA, 12 mins When the singles scene proves fruitless, Sydney native Poppy Stockwell turns to the internet to find romance. When she meets Sandeep, an Anglo-Indo woman from London, she thinks her search is over. But the couple’s quest together—overcoming distance, difference, and intolerance—has only just begun. A candid and funny documentary. In this short film by QWOCMAP Filmmaker Punam S., Mr & Mrs. Singh are full of surprises as a star-crossed couple traversing duty and desire. We're proud that QWOCMAP Filmmakers continue to represent...and we'll see you at the movies! |
| As always, thank you for your support of Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project, we could not do our work without you! |
