News
Support BAVC Media this Giving Tuesday
Dear BAVC Media Community, As we come to the end of 2023, BAVC Media is steadfast in our commitment to creating accessible and participatory mediamaking opportunities. To continue this work we need you. Please support BAVC Media today so that we can continue to invest in our broad, intergenerational community of mediamakers in the Bay Area and across the country. All of our programs, from the BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship for first- or second-time documentary filmmakers, to Reel Stories for girls and gender-expansive youth, and our preservation team that preserves and digitizes AV media for independent artists and arts and cultural [...]
BAVC Media statement in support of a ceasefire in Gaza
BAVC Media is a pluralistic organization that exists to support independent media makers who have often been marginalized as storytellers, working professionals, and citizens who deserve equal and fair treatment and opportunity. We exist to advance social justice by serving media makers - through their craft, courage, bridge-building, risk-taking, and personal sacrifice. With this commitment, we write to express BAVC Media's support of a ceasefire to create free passage of humanitarian aid, an end to the deadly violence and the dehumanization of innocent lives in Gaza and Israel, and the release of all hostages. We seek an end to the [...]
Transmission Studio: The Art of Journalism with Nastia Voynovskaya
Watch the second episode of Transmission Studio, a new series from SF Commons We spoke with Nastia Voynovskaya about the state of Bay Area journalism with a specific focus on arts and culture reporting. Nastia is a Russian-born, Oakland-based journalist. She’s the associate editor at KQED Arts & Culture and co-creator of KQED’s Bay Area hip-hop history project That’s My Word. She’s the recipient of the 2018 Society of Professional Journalists-Northern California award for arts & culture reporting. Transmission Studio is a series of intimate conversations with the independent artists and community-based organizations living and working within the vibrant, complicated [...]
Celebrating 10 Years of Reel Stories
On September 28, we celebrated a significant milestone and gathered at KQED for the second annual Reel Stories Celebration & Awards. It was a night to remember, as we commemorated a decade(!) of Reel Stories programming that has been instrumental in uplifting women, girls, and gender-expansive filmmakers in the Bay Area. A Decade of Empowering Voices The evening was not only an awards ceremony but also a celebration of the voices and creativity of women and gender-expansive filmmakers of all ages. In the words of Paula Smith Arrigoni, BAVC Media’s Executive Director, "We celebrated the rebellious act of training young [...]
Transmission Studio: A Conversation with Nicole Maxali of Balay Kreative
Watch the second episode of Transmission Studio, a new series from SF Commons We spoke with Nicole Maxali, a multigenerational San Franciscan writer, producer, filmmaker and Program Director for Balay Kreative. Balay Kreative Studios is a 3,600 sq ft pop-up art studio, streaming hub & maker space in the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District of San Francisco. It houses an artist-in-residency program, multiple flexible studio spaces, a maker lab with laser cutters, a CNC machine, and woodshop, plus an innovative streaming hub for content creators viewable from Mission Street. Transmission Studio is a series of intimate conversations with the independent artists [...]
Introducing a New SF Commons Series: Transmission Studio
We're excited to introduce a new series from SF Commons: Transmission Studio! What is Transmission Studio Our host and BAVC Media's Director of Community Engagement, Isa Nakazawa, will be diving into candid conversations with independent artists and organizations thriving in the dynamic, ever-evolving ecosystem of San Francisco. Where You Can Watch Episodes will premiere every second and fourth Thursday on SFC.TV. If you miss the first stream episodes will be uploaded to our YouTube channel the following morning at 11am. Episode 1: CROSSROADS 2023 with Steve Polta & Zack Parrinella Up first, Isa spoke with Steve Polta of SF Cinematheque [...]
BAVC Media Has a New Look!
You might’ve noticed we look a little bit different! Two years ago, we had some big news to share: The Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) was transforming into BAVC Media. Fast forward, and it's been an incredible journey! We joined forces with Reel Stories and settled into our amazing space at Ninth Street Independent Film Center. As part of this evolution, we've given BAVC Media’s visual identity a refresh to reflect who we are now as an organization. We’ve been lucky to work with graphic designers, Ollie Eco and MartÃn Gaona, on tackling this design. We’re super excited to share [...]
An Interview With BAVC Media’s Development Manager: Jess Epstein
An Interview With BAVC Media’s Development Manager: Jess Epstein  Tell us a little bit about yourself (career, hobbies, anything you’d like us to know). Hi! I am so excited to be joining BAVC. I’m originally from Massachusetts but have called New York home for nearly 15 years. I studied Visual Culture and Social Change and minored in Documentary in undergrad and have a MA in Arts Administration from Baruch College. I’m a freelance producer currently working on my first feature documentary, which is a dream come true! I feel like I’ve been building a career working towards this goal [...]
PROVISIONS Filmmaking Foundations: Where to Start with Keith Battle
PROVISIONS is a new series from BAVC Media, featuring interviews, advice, and insights into the creative process from our mediamaking community. Keith Battle is a born storyteller, an educator with over ten years of experience, and BAVC Media’s Director of Advanced Training and Workforce Development. He equips up-and-coming filmmakers with video production skills to get their projects off the ground and tell their stories. We recently caught up with him about what he wished he knew before making his first film, pre-shoot anxiety, over-planning, and if you actually need to level up your gear. This conversation has been edited for [...]
Q&A with BLACK BARBIE Filmmaker Lagueria Davis
Still from Black Barbie: A Documentary We recently caught up with 2019 MediaMaker Fellow and filmmaker Lagueria Davis! Lagueria directed and produced the film Black Barbie: A Documentary, which is part of a broader movement to increase understanding of the importance of representation for Black women. It premiered at SXSW and screened at HotDocs. Through intimate access to a charismatic Mattel insider, Beulah Mae Mitchell, Black Barbie delves into the cross-section of merchandise and representation as Black women struggle to elevate their own voices and stories, refusing to be invisible. Black Barbie: A Documentary is screening as part of the [...]
