The Berkeley FILM Foundation Awards $287,500 to 19 Independent Filmmakers and 5 Student Filmmakers
NEWS
Media Contact:
Andrew Neilly, Nancy Amaral
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Isabella Miller, BFF Program Director
isabella@berkeleyfilmfoundation.org
510.705.1481
For Immediate Release
THE BERKELEY FILM FOUNDATION AWARDS $287,500 TO 19 INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS AND 5 STUDENT FILMMAKERS
BERKELEY, Calif., September 9, 2024 – The Berkeley FILM Foundation (BFF) is proud to announce that it has awarded $287,500 in its 2024 grant cycle to 19 independent filmmakers and 5 student filmmakers who live, work or attend school in the cities of Richmond, El Cerrito, Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville, or Oakland.
Since its founding in 2009 by the City of Berkeley, The Saul Zaentz Company, and Wareham Development, BFF has awarded $2.87 million to 302 film projects that continuously push boundaries and inspire change. In its effort to encourage the next generation of local filmmakers, BFF has awarded $252,000 to 71 student filmmakers.
A stand-out theme amongst our winners this year was films focused on environmental degradation and the previously unseen effects of climate change. Each of these films uniquely captures the urgency and complexity of solutions to climate change and offer fresh insights into its impact on humanity. By supporting these filmmakers, the grants aim to amplify vital environmental stories that inspire action and awareness both at a local level and on a global scale.
This year’s Saul Zaentz Award for $25,000, given each year to honor the legacy of renowned filmmaker and a BFF founder, Saul Zaentz, is thanks to our partnership with The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation. This year’s award goes to Elivia Shaw for The Invisible Valley. The Invisible Valley uses rich sensory techniques to portray the impact of living and working in the most polluted place in the country: California’s San Joaquin Valley. The largest agricultural region is known as the “sacrifice zone,” and through intimate character study, we learn about the acute health problems experienced by its residents, the strain it causes local medical providers and the growing resistance movement addressing toxic pollution. The film reminds us that our food system is invisible to most of us in the face of climate change. This film is in production. To learn more about the film, visit their website here.
The Al Bendich Award for $20,000, provided jointly by Wareham Development and The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, is granted to Julia Vinograd: Between Spirit and Stone directed and produced by Ken Paul Rosenthal. This Award is given in honor of civil rights attorney, social justice advocate and BFF founding member, Al Bendich. This film keenly profiles infamous Berkeley street poet, Julia Vinograd, who left an indelible legacy as a skilled non-violent protester and a central member of the Bay Area counter-culture movement. Vinograd pushed through several disabilities to produce over seventy poetry collections that championed marginalized voices. Julia's story of nonconformity highlights the creativity that can emerge from difference and asks viewers to understand that difference is intrinsic to our humanity. Through Julia’s experience, national audiences will be inspired by California’s history as a beacon for progressive politics, cultural diversity, and social justice. Visit their website here for more information.
We are also happy to announce the 5th annual Jonathan Logan Family Foundation Elevate Award for $25,000 in partnership with the Berkeley-based Jonathan Logan Family Foundation (JLFF). This award supports one emerging filmmaker each year for five years and will reflect JLFF's mission: to advance social justice by empowering world-changing work in documentary, investigative journalism, and arts and culture. This year’s Elevate Award is granted to Becoming Us produced by Loi Ameera Almeron, directed by Eli Hiller. After taking a DNA test, a filmmaker goes on a journey to connect with his four donor-conceived siblings and newly found biological father to redefine the meaning of family and reconcile their connection with their Filipino heritage. Visit the film’s website here for more information.
New this year! We are excited to present the inaugural Saul Zaentz Creative Vision Award for $25,000, bestowed by The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, to Time Hunter, directed by Daniel Chein and Mushiva, produced by David Felix Sutcliffe. Time Hunter is a genre-bending, co-created, hybrid documentary at the nexus of capitalism, colonialism, and tech. The film follows Mushiva, an immigrant working as a creative technologist in Berlin by day to support his family back home in Namibia, a former German colony. By night, his alter-ego the Time Hunter emerges, a bionic spy dispatched by Black Africans to decolonize tech and overthrow their colonial oppressors through radical hip-hop.
General grant recipients for 2024:
1. All We Carry
Cady Voge, Director, Rachel Clara Reed, Editor and Co-Producer, Laura Pilloni, Producer, Laura Tatham, Producer.
2. As You Choose
Elly Schmidt-Hopper, Director, Producer, Joe Barnett, Director of Photography.
3. Burrocracy
Asali Echols, Director, George Csicsery, Producer, Kat McLain, Cinematographer.
Palmer Morse, Co-Director, Nick Stone Schearer, Co-Director, Catalina Luna, Producer & Translator.
Ariel Ritchin, Director and Producer, Zahra Rasool, Producer.
Darian Woehr, Director, Hailey Sadler, Producer, Produced by The Home Collective.
7. Fog Eaters
Kyle Baker, Director and Producer, Produced by Mimetic Films.
Clare Major, Director and Producer, Whitney Bradshaw, Producer, Rivkah Beth Medow, Producer, Jen Rainin, Producer.
9. PLANT LIFE
Brett Marty and Josh Izenberg, Co-Creators.
10. Post-Atlantic: The Art of Dewey Crumpler (working title only)
Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman, Co-Directors, Co-Producers.
11. Sally!
Deborah Craig, Ondine Rarey, Jörg Fockele
12. The Aunties (working title)
Pallavi Somusetty, Director, Prerana Thakurdesai, Producer.
13. The Strike
JoeBill Muñoz, Director/Producer, Lucas Guilkey, Director/Producer.
14. Untitled Gus Newport film project
Leah Mahan, Co-Director and Producer, Damien Durr, Co-Director.
15. Women Who Ride
Jessica Jones, Director, Debra Wilson, Producer.
STUDENT FILMS
1. Juvenile Lifers
Shadeed Wallace-Stepter, Director and Producer - Berkeley City College student.
2. (M)otherhood
Maggie Fuller, Director/Producer, Jule Sophie Hermann, Director and Cinematographer – UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
3. Unconditional
Danica Simonet, Director and Co-Producer, Albert Gregory, Co-Producer and Director - UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
4. When the Smoke Clears
Misha Schwarz and Maarya Zafar, Co-Creators - UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
5. This is Not a Climate Film
Hana Beach and Beki San Martin, Co-Creators - UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
"We are delighted to honor this year's outstanding grant recipients. A remarkable group of independent documentary filmmakers who are truly the heart and soul of the San Francisco Bay Area's vibrant film community. Their projects tackle critical social issues, uncover untold stories, and amplify voices that need to be heard. At the Berkeley FILM Foundation, we are proud to support these visionary artists as they bring their powerful narratives to the screen, contributing to the cultural richness and social awareness that define our region. Saul Zaentz would be proud of the two awards BFF is distributing in his name, both of which honor the work of filmmakers who are using their independent artistry to highlight important social issues.”
– Abby Ginzberg, President and Board Chair of the Berkeley FILM Foundation
Mission:
The Berkeley FILM Foundation is a 501(c)(3) grant organization for independent filmmakers founded by the City of Berkeley, Wareham Development, and the Saul Zaentz Company with a mission to nurture, sustain and preserve the thriving local film community while attracting the next generation of filmmakers. The BFF focuses on supporting the ideals reflected in Berkeley culture: social, historical and innovative documentary and dramatic works. Many of the BFF grant winners have gone on to screen at U.S. and international film festivals, been recognized with prestigious awards, received television broadcasts, and are making a difference around the world.
SAVE THE DATE!
The Berkeley FILM Foundation and the California Film Institute are thrilled to announce the inaugural Saul Zaentz Film Celebration, an event honoring the legacy of legendary independent film producer Saul Zaentz. Taking place from November 15-17, 2024, at the Smith Rafael Film Center, this event is co-hosted by the California Film Institute and promises to be an unforgettable weekend that pays tribute to a maverick filmmaker who represents the best of Bay Area filmmaking history. Audiences will see theatrical screenings of “Amadeus”, “The English Patient”, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” To learn more, read our press release HERE and follow our channels for announcements about special programming and events.
Please visit our website for announcements of upcoming events: www.berkeleyfilmfoundation.org, www.twitter.com/BerkeleyFilmFdn and www.facebook.com/BerkeleyFilmFoundation.
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