QWOCMAP: Film & Freedom Academy - San Francisco

An amazing 4 days. Thank you for the experience! See you in June!

Filmmaking Workshops: Fall 2023

Registration is now open!

This Fall, QWOCMAP will conduct two FREE in-person filmmaking workshops for LBTQIA+ BIPOC at our space in the Presidio.

Workshop for Youth (ages 18-24)

Workshop Dates: November 10-13, 2023

DEADLINE: Sunday, October 1

Workshop for All Ages

Workshop Dates: October 6-9, 2023

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Who is the workshop for?

These Film & Freedom Academy workshops are offered to LBTQIA+ BIPOC who are:

African Descent/Black; Native American; First Nations & Indigenous; Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander; Southwest Asian, Middle Eastern, Arab, North African, South Asian; Asian, Southeast Asian, Central Asian; Chicanx & Latinx, including indígena and afrodescendiente; and multi-ethnic lesbian, bisexual, asexual, queer women of color (both cisgender & transgender), and Two Spirit, intersex, and nonbinary, agender, gender nonconforming, and transgender people of color (of any orientation).

The workshop in November is offered specifically for LBTQIA+ BIPOC between the ages of 18 and 24 years old.

What is the workshop about?

In 4 days, you will learn to create, write, direct, and edit a short film, under 5 minutes. This FREE intensive workshop demystifies filmmaking through hands-on exercises and interactive technical lectures in a highly creative, collaborative, and supportive environment. Each film project will be paired with a Film Mentor for support and coaching for the duration of the workshop. The entire process makes filmmaking completely doable and FUN!

Your completed film will then world premiere in June 2024 at QWOCMAP’s 20th annual International Queer Women of Color Film Festival.

When is the workshop?

You must be able to attend ALL 4 classes IN-PERSON if you are accepted into a workshop.

During the last class, you will edit and complete your film. Please be prepared to work past 5pm if necessary. The more time you can dedicate to editing, the more successful you will be!

After the workshop, we strongly recommend that participants take a day off to rest and recover.

Workshop 1 – All Ages

Class 1: Friday, October 6, 10am-5pm
Class 2: Saturday, October 7, 10am-5pm
Class 3: Sunday, October 8, 10am-5pm
Class 4: Monday, October 9, 10am-5pm

Monday, October 9 is Indigenous People’s Day.

Workshop 2 – Youth Ages 18-24

Class 1: Friday, November 10, 10am-5pm
Class 2: Saturday, November 11, 10am-5pm
Class 3: Sunday, November 12, 10am-5pm
Class 4: Monday, November 13, 10am-5pm

Friday, November 10 is Veteran’s Day.

Where is the workshop?

This IN-PERSON 4-day, intensive filmmaking workshop will take place at QWOCMAP’s space in the San Francisco Presidio.

Address: 1014 Torney Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94129

There is a free PresidiGo shuttle from Embarcadero BART in San Francisco. There are other public transportation options and ample parking.

Safety

Our COVID safety guidelines are designed for the safety of our Sick & Disabled community and will benefit everyone.

All participants, their cast and crew, and the QWOCMAP team commit to:

  1. Email proof of full COVID vaccination plus at least one booster.
    • A photo of your CDC vaccination card; OR
    • A screenshot of your personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record; OR
    • Documentation from a healthcare provider
  2. Take daily antigen tests during the workshop.
  3. Wear a N95 or KN95 mask indoors at all times.
  4. Be fragrance free and smoke free.
  5. If you feel sick, please stay home.

We encourage everyone to take a PCR test before the workshop if possible.

QWOCMAP will run mobile HEPA air purifiers, open the windows for fresh air ventilation, provide disinfecting supplies, N95 masks, antigen tests, and gloves.

Should there be smoke from wildfires, there are air scrubbers that will run in the building.

Access Information

Please let us know your access needs in the registration form, including food allergies, so that we can better accommodate you.

ASL
ASL interpretation will be provided for participants who are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing.

Childcare
QWOCMAP is not able to safely provide childcare for this workshop.

Crisis Counselors
Crisis counselors will be available for the duration of the workshop to provide support for participants who experience intense emotions as they learn and create. There are also quiet areas and comfortable spaces in the venue to reduce sensory stimulation.

Fragrance Free
QWOCMAP asks that all participants come fragrance free. We provide fragrance free hand soap and low-scent markers, and we make black & white copies of printed materials for participants. However, while we can open windows and run air filters in the workshop space, the entire venue is not fragrance free.

Meals
QWOCMAP will provide individually packaged boxed meals and snacks with as much variety of vegan and vegetarian options and as few allergens as possible.

There are a number of indoor and outdoor locations where participants will be able to safely unmask to eat their meals.

Mobility
Bathrooms and other amenities require a little walking.

Seating
There are standard and big & tall rolling office chairs, folding chairs without arms, and 21-inch-wide padded seats without arms for comfort that support up to 800 lbs.

Service Animals
QWOCMAP is not able to accommodate service animals for this workshop.

Wheelchair
The entire venue, including restrooms, is ADA compliant and accessible for wheelchairs.

Stipend (Youth Workshop Only)

Youth participants will receive a $500 stipend for on time arrival for each workshop session, full attendance at each workshop session, and completion of film by the end of the workshop process.

Thank you for your dedication, your commitment to faithfully recording the thoughts, visions and voices of queer women of color.

Filmmaker Training Program

Our Filmmaker Training Program demystifies filmmaking and gives you the tools to create your own film. We provide professional training, coaching, equipment for use, and learning resources, all free of charge.

QWOCMAP disrupts the current film landscape by developing richer, authentic, and more complex representations of our community on screen and behind the camera. We provide the equipment, the support, and the intensive, professional training that make it possible for our participants to take control of their creative vision. Our program is free because film is the most expensive art form in the world. And in the fight for social justice, stories by, for, and about queer women of color, both cisgender and transgender, and nonbinary, gender nonconforming, and transgender people of color of any orientation, need to be seen, heard, and shared.

Waiting List

Some of our filmmaking workshops are open to all queer women of color (cisgender and transgender), and nonbinary, gender nonconforming, and transgender people of color (of any orientation).

Other workshops are specifically for certain groups, such as Youth (ages 18-24), Sick & Disabled, or formerly incarcerated LBTQIA+ Black, Native/Indigenous, people of color.

If this timing or workshop isn’t the right one for you, fret not! Sign up on the waiting list, and you’ll be the first to get registration information for future workshops.

I want to thank you again, for allowing me to be a part of something so very special (and very important). I have walked away inspired and more confident than I have felt in a long while. You have given me more than you know. I already have plans for upcoming projects and am eager to share things I have learned with other queer women of color who have interest in the power of film. —QWOCMAP Filmmaker

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