Film
Beyond the Gap
Beyond the Gap is a documentary that explores the educational achievement gap existing between young African-American males and other American students. Grandville Taylor, Deshon Smith and Raysean Jones, graduates of Washington High School in the San Francisco Unified School District, share their empowering stories of success to inspire other young African-American men and students of color to successfully overcome the achievement gap. This film will also provide possible solutions for educators, administrators, community members and families to eliminate the gap in educational opportunity.
End of Isolation
In the summer of 2022, 9 people embarked on a 2-month national tour to perform The BOX, a critically acclaimed play about prison resistance. In following this journey, the documentary also dives deep into the lives of visionary thought leaders and communities on the frontlines of reimagining justice across our country. If we think beyond prisons, what are we building in their place?
Black Is Blue
BLACK IS BLUE is set in dystopian Oakland, where an ex-techie trans woman uses pirated AI technology to control a young trans lover, but their love and revenge plot against a DNA-harvesting corporation unravels, leading to a tragic end for all. Against the dystopian backdrop of another Bay Area tech boom gone bust, this is an erotic tale of a black trans couple brought together by technology. Their tragic love story is witnessed by a bot who stands by — eager to learn and protect— until it is transformed by them. Epic in presentation, taut and tense in character and [...]
Follow the Light
In 1969, 8th grader Adam Haas got his hands on some used video equipment and shot a film about his classmates. Forty-eight years later Haas is returning to his filmmaker roots to track down his original subjects, to find out where they are now and what happened to them along the way. In discussing what has brought meaning to their lives – along with the disasters, the regrets, and the joys— they reveal the impact of the shared educational experience that brought them together in the first place.
Growing up in America: Life After the Taliban
After narrowly escaping from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in August 2021, 9 year old Masoma and her family begin a new life in Sacramento, California. Growing up in America: Life After the Taliban, is an intimate documentary following her family’s journey of building home after war.
BSU: AN INSIDE LOOK
In 1968, two young men bring the Civil Rights Movement to San Francisco State University, sparking national news and launching a student-led revolution that transforms the face of the American educational system. "BSU: An Inside Look" blends historical retelling, personal perspectives and contemporary resonance through archival photographs, strike footage and first-person interviews with James Garrett and Mayor Willie Brown, etc. Our intention is to show how B.S.U. organized a coalition that ultimately forced the administration to create the First Ever College of Ethnic Studies in the nation and its everlasting impact on academic curriculum in the US.
Henrietta The Dragon Slayer
In a desolate high desert battlefield, Franc, a knight far from home, vanishes after being plagued by nightmares. His friend and a valiant, decorated war veteran, Henrietta discovers clues that lead her to a treacherous cliffside cave and a menacing chimera. Henrietta confronts the creature to rescue Franc, but can’t succeed with force alone. She must trust in her magical necklace if she wants to have a fighting chance. If you’d like to show your support for the Henrietta Film through other means reach out to Beth Barany here at bethbarany@gmail.com
A Brief Diary of an Unimportant Man
A Brief Diary of an Unimportant Man is an experimental documentary told entirely through internal monologue, live-looped folk songs, and ambient sound captured in public spaces along the East Coast. It blends performance art, music, and hand-drawn animation to explore memory, grief, identity, and the absurd sanctity of karaoke.
Home is a Hotel
Across America, cities are struggling with homelessness and housing affordability. How does one decades old solution – cramped Single Room Occupancy units – impact the lives of those who live in them? Home Is a Hotel takes you inside San Francisco’s SRO housing through intimate portraits of their residents filmed over six years. This character-driven, verité documentary immerses viewers in what it means to call a single room home in the heart of one of America’s richest cities. It’s the story of an immigrant single mom in Chinatown, a blind songwriter fighting harassment and eviction, an ex-couple in recovery co-parenting [...]
Kizuna
Kizuna is an animist film & intergenerational prayer journey following the spirit of an unborn aborted child into the heart of a taiko drum and into the dusty fertility shrines of a mountain village facing depopulation and cultural loss.
