At the Bay Area Video Coalition Producers Institute
Earlier this year, we gave a grant of MemoryMiner to the Bay Area Video Coalition. They are an amazing organization that helps independent media creators in a variety of ways such as classroom training, access to high-end editing suites, networking, etc. Every year, they hold an intensive workshop for documentary film makers called the Producers Institute. The projects are jury selected from a large pool of both new and well-established producers/directors, and for several days, each project is given the full support of BAVC and its partners in order to help the project along.
It was my honor to be able to present MemoryMiner to the assembled teams on Monday morning, where it was extremely well received. One project that has really piqued my interest is called “Through a Lens Darkly” which is both a film project, and the beginning of a movement to bring to light the African American experience through the lens of African American photographers. Another project called Precious Objects of Desire follows the lives of several Korean adoptees (including the filmmaker herself) who struggle with issues of identity and belonging. I cried while watching the trailer.
While hanging out with the team members, I’ve been able to learn a ton about the world of documentary film making, which surely has many things in common with indie software projects like MemoryMiner. I can’t wait to watch these projects bloom.