FilmHouse Residencies

SFFILM’s FilmHouse residency program provides Bay Area-based documentary and narrative filmmakers with artistic guidance, office space, a vibrant creative community, and support from established film industry professionals.

Where Bay Area Filmmakers Connect

FilmHouse provides an environment where local filmmakers can gather with their colleagues, collaborate on projects together, share resources, get peer-to-peer feedback, find new networks, and more.

A Dedicated Support Structure

FilmHouse residents get year-round access to a strong network of support from professional advisors, SFFILM Makers staff, visiting industry professionals, and established artists from the Bay Area and beyond.

Year-Round Filmmaker Programming

The SFFILM Makers team is constantly working to build out a robust schedule of filmmaker events at FilmHouse, including industry talks, table reads, work-in-progress screenings, pitch sessions, and more.

Join Our Community

FilmHouse—the only year-round filmmaker residency program of its kind in the United States—supports narrative and documentary feature films by making office space available to independent filmmakers actively engaged in various stages of production. Located at a beautifully renovated building at 644 Broadway on the border of San Francisco’s Chinatown and Italian North Beach districts, FilmHouse is made possible by the generous support of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation and San Francisco Film Commission. FilmHouse provides critical support to local and visiting filmmakers by fostering a thriving creative community that encourages collaboration, resource sharing, peer-to-peer feedback and networking opportunities. A major component of SFFILM’s Artist Development program, FilmHouse functions as a vibrant workshop and creative hub for filmmakers of all kinds.

FilmHouse currently holds 17 filmmakers engaged in 12-month residencies, all working in early project stages of screenwriting and pre-production. Traditionally, throughout the year there are roughly 10–20 visiting filmmakers from our other Artist Development programs that utilize FilmHouse work space. During COVID we have pivoted these to virtual residencies and are excited to welcome filmmakers back as soon as it is safe to do so.

Not sure if full-time residency is right for you, but want to check out FilmHouse events? Sign up to the Filmmaker Interest List to get more information!

SFFILM Makers Creative Advisory Board

All residents have access to consultation from the SFFILM Makers Creative Advisory Board, as well as to a robust guest speaker series featuring lectures and presentations by leading industry professionals, resident-led workshops and work-in-progress screenings, invitations to SFFILM networking events, and numerous other community-building programs.

Current Advisors:

Matthew S. Alaniz – Screenwriting (Narrative)
Jameka Autry – Producing (Documentary)
Don Bernier – Editing (Documentary)
Tom E. Brown – Directing, Screenwriting (Narrative)
A-lan Holt – Inclusion and Representation (Documentary and Narrative)
Jim LeBrecht – Sound Design, Directing (Documentary)
Shrihari Sathe – Producing (Narrative )
Jenny Slattery – Grant Writing (Documentary and Narrative), Development (Documentary)

FAQs

Do I need to live in the Bay Area?

Yes, all residents must reside full-time in the Bay Area.
When are applicants notified?

Applicants will be notified of their status by mid-November.
Do you only support Feature-length Documentaries and Narratives?

The residency program supports filmmakers working on documentary, fiction, and hybrid feature-length films as well as shorts and episodics.