Member Montage Program Reveal
Co-presented by Drunken Film Fest and Film SF.
The Member Montage: Community Screening & Mixer is the first in a new event series for Bay Area filmmakers. Creating a judgment-free space to share and workshop short films, music videos, passion projects, or works in progress with the BAVC Media community.
“Some stories transcend time and space, insisting not to be forgotten. Some heartbreak is reversible, with the help of a little dancing. And sometimes, we just need a good laugh. I hope you find all of this and more during our first-ever Member Montage Community Screening.” – Zander Constien, programmer and BAVC Media’s Membership & Programs Assistant.
Join us on Thursday, July 10, at 6:30 pm in the Ninth St Independent Film Center Screening room, followed by snacks and refreshments in the BAVC Media space. RSVP here→.
See the program below!
European man, American beach
by Rex Shannon
A European man goes naked to an American beach. A clothed American beachgoer takes offense and a brawl ensues.
Filmmaker bio
Rex Shannon began his artistic career as a fiction writer and literary scholar. His first three creative productions were a short story called “Come Up Here” published in Alaska Quarterly Review, an academic article on James Joyce’s “Ulysses” published in Joyce Studies Annual, and an internet novel published on web3. Since 2022, Rex has turned his narrative productions to film. “European Man…American Beach” is his first narrative short: a drama/comedy about a brawl between a naked European and an American who’s deeply offended by the European’s nudity.
How Dare The Angel Sing
by Jonathan Villet
She refuses to forget. His music refuses to be forgotten.
When young Grete dares to be independent in 1600s Germany, authorities burn her at the stake. But her Spirit lives on yearning for empathy. She finds Eugen Engel, a composer in 1930s Berlin, writing an opera about her. Her joy and suffering fill his music. He too is an outcast, being Jewish. Nazis murder him and his music seems lost. But she is exhilarated when artists of our time unearth Eugen’s opera. Amidst resurging political bigotry the parallels hit hard. When a German theater premieres Eugen’s opera in 2022, Grete’s Spirit watches the standing ovations. And she weeps.
Filmmaker bio
Jonathan writes and edits documentary films, creates communications campaigns, and provides on-camera interviews and voice-over. He was Director/Writer/Editor of WRESTLING THE ANGEL 2024, Writer/Interviewer/Editor of FINDING SNOW WHITE which showed in numerous film festivals, and a co-writer for BUT I LOVE THE ZINE, broadcast on PBS/KQED’s Truly California, also shown in festivals. He heads OneWorld Communications in San Francisco. His media creations and campaigns have won numerous Addy, Telly and other industry awards. He worked extensively in Africa creating media and communications for the UN. Lives in San Francisco.
Strangers
by Adrien Houha
Strangers is a music video to the Ethel Cain song of the same name. It retells the story of Little Red Riding Hood, and explores themes of trauma and abuse.
Filmmaker bio
Adrien Houha is an editor and filmmaker based in the Bay Area. Previously, she was a BAVC PG&E Fellow. Currently, she’s a post production assistant on contract at Apple. She’s always working on experimental personal projects, and has a love for queer, feminist film.
Allensworth: The Town That Refuses to Die
by Daryl Jones
In Allensworth: The Town That Refuses to Die, residents of a rural community in California’s Central Valley confront infrastructure challenges, drought, and flood as they work to sustain themselves and thrive at this historic site of Black and Latino migration.
Filmmaker bio
Daryl B. Jones is a documentary filmmaker whose films include TENDER (2019), a short documentary about Black trans women managing the housing crisis in San Francisco. He also wrote, “Know Your Ethical Guidelines for Documentary Filmmaking,” for New Day Films. His oral history project and documentary, THE NEW ROXY THEATER (2024) is archived at Jackson State University. He holds an MFA in social documentation from UC Santa Cruz.
My Darling, Look At Me!
by Alec Douglas
After a break-up, a young couple look back at their doomed relationship and decide to clean up their act.
Filmmaker bio
Alec Douglas is a Bay Area-born director, writer, and editor whose passion for filmmaking began with a childhood love of movies. His films—Taking a Beating, Goin’ Up, and My Darling, Look at Me!—have screened at festivals such as WorldFest Houston and Culver City, earning honors like Best Director and Best Editing. A graduate of Expression College with a degree in Digital Film, Alec focuses on telling grounded, emotionally resonant stories that reflect the human experience. He continues to develop award-winning work while drawing inspiration from life, community, and the cinematic beauty of California
Companion
by LaTajh Weaver
An ode to the unspoken romance between Cats and their Humans.
Filmmaker bio
LaTajh Simmons-Weaver is a screenwriter, director, and producer from Oakland, CA. Their work blends humor, imagination, and irony to explore overlooked stories within Black Queer dynamics, examining how these communities learn to cope with everyday injustices. They are the director of two short films premiering in 2025: the short documentary HOLD ME CLOSE premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and the narrative short BUDGET PARADISE premiered at SFFILM Festival. Weaver is now developing their first feature NO ONE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS: A QUEER INCLUSIVE MEMOIR, a dark comedy challenging identity politics amongst the ever-gentrifying Bay Area. Their script is a recipient of SFFILM’s Rainin Grant for development. In addition, Weaver is wrapping production on WHEN THE REVOLUTION DOESN’T COME, a short documentary they produced in coalition with The Guardian. Directed by Aurora Brachman, the film explores the upbringings of the children of some of the most revolutionary members of The Black Panther Party and was released in February 2025.
Dirty Dance Heartbreak
by Ginger Yifan Chen
A music video. A breakup ballad; a narrative-within-a-narrative; broken glass; joyful dance; disco and destruction.
Filmmaker bio
Ginger Yifan Chen is an interdisciplinary writer, director, and artist. Their works focus on science fiction, liminal spaces, and Asian American stories. Their recent project Break My Heart—a short film about nonbinary love—has screened at SF Indie Fest and Queer Voices: New York City Film Festival, among others.
Who can attend?
Anyone! This is a free and open event to watch some cool stuff and meet fellow artists, creatives, and filmmakers in the Bay Area. You can choose to give a voluntary donation if you have the means, but we want this event to be accessible to everyone.
Kick back after the screening for the happy hour and connect with other creatives to collaborate, network, discuss, and inspire one another. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.
