Berkeley Film Foundation

7 days until the deadline! 🎥 This is the last call to submit your film project to the 2026 Documentary Grant Program. If you are a filmmaker living or working in the East Bay, you may be eligible for one of the documentary grants we are offering in our 2026 cycle. Applications close Monday April 13 at 11:59p.

Before submitting, please take time to review the application guidelines to ensure your application is complete. The guidelines include information about eligibility, grant awards, and details about the application process for students and professionals.

We look forward to reviewing your work! ✨

Tomorrow! Come out to the New Parkway for a double screening hosted by the Berkeley Film Foundation. We're excited to show “Keeper of the Fire” followed by “From Here/From There (De Aquí/De Allá)” with a packed Q&A following the screening!

Tickets can be purchased here: https://ticketing.uswest.veezi.com/purchase/20048?siteToken=y62bhsm2h1sfp48nzexbtnm2wg

ticketing.uswest.veezi.com

Don’t miss your chance to see Yoav Potash’s (2018 BFF grantee) latest film, “Among Neighbors” for its return engagement in Oakland! Each screening will be followed by an in-person Q&A with the filmmaker.

Sunday, Jan 11 @ 12:15 PM
Q&A moderated by Ian Bassin, Founder and Executive Director of Protect Democracy

Tuesday, Jan 13 @ 7:20 PM
Q&A moderated by Yafit Shriki Megidish, Chief Jewish Learning Officer, JCC EastBay

Thursday, Jan 15 @ 7:20 PM
Q&A moderated by Lisa Tabak, Jewish Federation Bay Area

For tickets and more information:

Screenings — Among Neighbors Screenings For U.S./Canada theatrical bookings, please contact Cindy Banach at cindy[at]8above.com.For Worldwide one-off and festival bookings, please contact Oded Horowitz at oded[at]panoramafilmsus.com. Upcoming Screenings TUCSON, AZ | Tucson International Film Festival | Jan 18, 2026 Desert View....

The Berkeley FILM Foundation is very proud to announce the recipients of our 2025 documentary grant awards. This year, BFF is distributing $364,500 to 29 documentary projects, including five grants to student filmmakers enrolled at local universities. These remarkable projects tackle some of today’s most pressing and multifaceted issues, using inventive and nuanced techniques to bring these vital stories to life. Several of these films are already gaining recognition, and BFF is proud to help amplify their impact.

Please read our full press release for more information and take a look below at our full list of winners! Link here: https://tinyurl.com/4wnf2sb3

We wish to extend profound thanks to the City of Berkeley, The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, Wareham Development, the Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation, the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, Paul Zaentz, the Robertson Family Foundation, and all our generous supporters. None of this would be possible without you.

We also thank our Grant Review Committee for their time and work in helping to select these BFF award-winners.

The full list of BFF’s 2025 Documentary Award finalists:

An Independent Spark – The Zona Roberts Story – Nina Rappaport Rowan, Producer, Donna Mitroff, Producer, James Buchanan, Director, Dr. Victor Pineda, Co-Producer.

Barren Grounds: The Final Expedition – Matthew Boyd, Director and Producer.

Belly of The World – April September, Director, Lucia Palmarini, Producer, Dana Eshi, Producer.

Between The Sun And The Sidewalk – Helen De Michiel, Director and Producer.

El Oaxaqueño [working title] – David Zlutnick, Director and Producer, Armando Aparicio, Producer, Angela Reginato, Producer.

Fighting Forward – Rivkah Beth Medow, Director, Jen Rainin, Director, Juli Vizza, Editor.

Handmade Death: An Intimate Rendezvous with Mortality – Jan Stürmann, Director, Gina Leibrecht, Editor.

I Do: Finding Love Behind Bars – Rahsaan Thomas, Director, Writer, Producer, Brian Gonsoulin, Producer, Editor.

In the Red: Changing Lives to Save Lives — Mimi Chakarova, Director, Aisha Knowles, Producer, Julias Canada, Producer.

Instrumental: The Elayne Jones Project – Grace Wang, Director, Producer, Jameka Autry, Producer, Julie Wyman, Co-Director and Co-Producer.

Living Harriet Tubman – Matty Lynn Barnes, Producer, Brandon Tauszik, Co-Director, Theo Schear, Co-Director.

Make A Circle – Jen Bradwell, Co-Director, Todd Boekelheide, Co-Director, Rebekah Fergusson, Producer.

Power & Light – Kelly Duane de la Vega, Director, Jessica Anthony, Producer, Joey Horan, Associate Producer.

Rebel Without A Pause – Maya Cueva, Director.

Relative Strangers – Deann Borshay Liem, Director and Producer.

Rematriate The Land – Christopher "Toby" McLeod, Director.

Revolución Sin Mu***os /Revolution Without Death – Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi Producer, Director, Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi, Producer.

The Chaplain & The Doctor – Jessica Zitter, Director and Producer.

The Coral Rescuers – Jason Spingarn-Koff, Director, Joanna Rudnick, Producer, Bonni Cohen, Executive Producer.

The End of Isolation – Sarah Shourd, Co-Director, Bobby Field, Co-Director, Suotonge Emile DeWeaver, Producer.

The Tallest Dwarf – Julie Forrest Wyman, Director and Producer.

The United States of Urvashi – Nancy Kates, Director and Producer.

Untitled Alexandra Billings Project – Nico Opper, Director and Producer, Jude Hope Harris, Producer.

Untitled Education Documentary – Zachary Stauffer, Co-Director, Producer, Joanna Rudnick Co-Director, Producer, Jameka Autry, Producer.

Student Projects:

The Glacier Wedding – Thomas Sawano, Co-Director, Amin Muhammad, Co-Director, UC Berkeley.

The Unclaimed – Xingyu Wu, Director,Editor, Kelly Liu, Associate Director, Cinematographer, UC Berkeley.

Strangers on Our Land – Zane Karram, Producer, Co-Director, Kelsey Oliver, Producer, Co-Director, UC Berkeley.

City of Smoke – Producer and Director: Nadia Akbar, Co-Director, Co-Producer, Alicia Chiang, Co-Director, Co-Producer, UC Berkeley.

Allensworth Rising: A Fight For Water – Isabella Marzban, Co-Director, Neenma Ebeledike, Co-Director, UC Berkeley.

Congratulations, filmmakers!

Tonight! Please join us for our next double-feature screening at The New Parkway of Theo Rigby's "Si Pudiera Quedarme/If I Could Stay" and student grant award winner Alfredo Torres' "Jardines". These beautiful films examine the daily struggle of people caught between worlds, awaiting legalization in the United States.

Screening starts at 6:30p. TICKETS can be purchased here: https://ticketing.uswest.veezi.com/purchase/16888?siteToken=y62bhsm2h1sfp48nzexbtnm2wg

Synopsis: "Si Pudiera Quedarme / If I Could Stay"" is a heart-wrenching and inspiring story of two undocumented Latinx mothers, Jeanette and Ingrid, who courageously enter local churches to evade deportation and protect their families. Over five years, they must face the constant threat of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids while fighting for their legal status and inspiring allies in the predominantly white faith communities. Through an intimate and raw lens, the film showcases the unwavering strength, love, and sacrifice of these mothers, who risk everything to keep their families together in the country they call home. "Si Pudiera Quedarme / If I Could Stay"" is a call to action and a powerful reminder that providing Sanctuary is not just an act of charity, but a crucial act of social justice.

Set in a one of the few LGBTQ+ shelters in Tijuana, jardines is an intimate portrait of the life experiences and trajectories unique to displaced q***r folks as they flee violence and persecution in their home countries. Crafted with a lush, poetic and joyous eye the film introduces us to people from all over the world as they contemplate the uncertainty of a future in the United States at a time when asylum legislation and LGBTQ+ rights are under legal duress.
It is in this limbo, amid the shelter's walls, that we share a moment in time with its residents. Strangers become friends and family, as they begin to share deep moments of joy and grief, sorrow and hope.

The Berkeley FILM Foundation is very proud to announce the recipients of our 2024 grant awards. This year, BFF is distributing $287,500 to 24 projects, including five grants to student filmmakers enrolled at local colleges. These incredible projects speak to some of the most complex and urgent issues of our time, and they employ creative and nuanced techniques to tell these crucial stories. Several of these films are already getting noticed and BFF is proud to help spread their impact.

To see the full list of winners, please read our press release here: https://lnkd.in/gaBft_F7

We wish to extend profound thanks to the City of Berkeley, Wareham Development, The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, the Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation, the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, Bayer, the Robertson Family Foundation, and all our generous supporters. None of this would be possible without your support.

We also thank our Grant Review Committee for their time and work in helping to select these BFF award-winners.

The Berkeley FILM Foundation is very excited to announce the launch of our Narrative Short Film Grant Program. Starting this month, BFF will be accepting applications for funding for narrative short films from filmmakers who live or work in the cities of Richmond, El Cerrito, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Alameda.

We are looking for projects under 40 minutes that use creative techniques, innovative visual elements and thoughtful character development to tell a story that illuminates a larger concept of social or environmental justice.

Applications will open on August 19 and the deadline to submit will be September 23, 2024. Please review the guidelines (link below) to learn more about your eligibility and available grants. We look forward to seeing all the amazing work the East Bay has to offer!

Guidelines: https://berkeleyfilmfoundation.org/narrative-short-film-program

Less than 5 days remain until the general grant deadline for BFF's 2024 grant cycle. Don't delay! Get your application in by May 13. The guidelines, eligibility and link to complete the application can all be found here: https://berkeleyfilmfoundation.org/annual-grant-cycle

Tomorrow! The Berkeley FILM Foundation is happy to be partnering with the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) for our next workshop on Tuesday, April 30 at the David Brower Center in Berkeley. Please note that we are shifting this event to the evening. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/filmmaker-workshop-demystifying-film-samples-co-hosted-by-bavc-and-bff-tickets-880958509617?aff=oddtdtcreator

This detailed workshop will be hosted by award-winning film editors Melina Tupa and Stephanie Mechura who will teach filmmakers how to craft a film sample that demonstrates your abilities as a visual storyteller and gets noticed by potential funders. A well-crafted film sample can be the key to getting grants no matter what stage of production you are in. The session will shed light on what reviewers are looking for and how you can implement these elements into your application to help advance your film. Both experienced and beginner filmmakers are encouraged to attend!

If you need any accommodation for this event, please contact Isabella Miller at [email protected] or by phone at (510) 705-1481 with your request.

Date: Tuesday, April 30
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: The David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
TICKETS - $10
Register by clicking here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/filmmaker-workshop-demystifying-film-samples-co-hosted-by-bavc-and-bff-tickets-880958509617?aff=oddtdtcreator

The BFF 2024 Grant Cycle is now open! We invite local filmmakers who live or work in the cities of Richmond, El Cerrito, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Alameda (new this year!) to submit your film proposal for consideration of a 2024 project grant. The Berkeley FILM Foundation provides grants in the production, post-production and distribution stages for documentary features and documentary shorts. The deadline to apply for General Grants is May 13.

Reminder! Don't miss the screening of "Home is a Hotel" happening TOMORROW, September 26, at The New Parkway in Oakland. We will host director Kevin Wong for a Q&A following the film and other special guests. Please note that the start time has changed from 7:00p to 6:45p. Please bring your friends and enjoy some pizza and drinks in a terrific space! Ticket link is included below.

"Home is a Hotel"
Date: Tuesday September 26, 2023
Time: 6:45p **Earlier start time
Location: The New Parkway Theater, 474 24th St, Oakland, CA 94612
*Stay for a post-screening Q&A with the filmmaker.
TICKETS: https://ticketing.uswest.veezi.com/purchase/14478?siteToken=y62bhsm2h1sfp48nzexbtnm2wg

Reminder! Please join us tomorrow, September 12 at 7:00p, for a screening of 'Jack Has a Plan' - a film by Bradley Berman and funded by BFF in 2022. Invite your friends and join us in Oakland!

Jack Has a Plan
Date: Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Time: 7:00pm
Location: The New Parkway, 474 24th St, Oakland, CA 94612
*Please stay for a post-screening Q&A with the filmmaker and other guests.
TICKETS: https://tinyurl.com/yeyk2x5y