MediaMakers at the New Orleans Film Festival

Last month, several BAVC Media staff members as well as our cohort of MediaMakers traveled to New Orleans Film Festival! Brittney Réaume, BAVC Media’s Associate Director of Artist Development, gives us a recap as well as some highlights of their trip. Want to travel, gain insights into the industry, and strengthen your film with a community of fellow filmmakers?

Applications are now open for the 2024 MediaMaker fellowship! Apply today, the deadline is December 13 (11:59pm PT) →

This is the second year that the BAVC MediaMaker Fellows have attended the New Orleans Film Festival and it did not disappoint, spending 4 days among filmmakers and film lovers in the unparalleled New Orleans! We started a weekend of fantastic programming watching the opening night documentary, Nailah Jefferson’s outstanding first feature Commuted.

Each day we hopped between dozens of panels, workshops, artist talks, and screenings (not to mention po boys, gumbos, pralines, and oysters). On Saturday we got to see 2020 BAVC MediaMaker Fellow Hanna Lane Miller impress at the South Pitch – Documentary alongside other talented Southern filmmakers. Later that day Fellowship Co-Director Dawn Valadez moderated a panel along with ITVS’s Sherry Simpson Dean titled Towards a Restorative Lens: Healing-Informed Practices in Nonfiction Filmmaking.

The program where she guided panelists Imani Dennison (Bone Black: Midwives vs the South), Chloe Abrahams (The Taste of Mango), and Katja Esson (Razing Liberty Square) to discuss holistic filmmaking practices, how nonfiction films can impact mental health, and strategies for harnessing cinematic power with healing-informed care and intention. We wrapped up our convening with a full day edit lab, where Fellows shared materials and discussion was guided by local New Orleans Editor Jane Geisler followed by a casual reception. We’re so grateful to the whole NOFF team for putting together a festival to remember and we can’t wait to return in 2025.

The MediaMaker Fellowship is devoted to supporting documentary filmmakers using bold cinematic language and innovative impact strategies to grapple with critical issues of our time. Our cohort is a collaborative, community-driven space that places diversity, representation, and ethical relationships with storytelling at the forefront of our practice.

Learn more about the MediaMaker Fellowship here.