SFFILM News

SFFILM, in partnership with the Dolby Institute, is celebrating the world premieres of two recent fellows at the 40th Sundance Film Festival this month. The fellowship supports narrative feature films from development through post-production.

Created in 2018 as part of an innovative partnership between Dolby and SFFILM, these fellowships were designed to provide an opportunity rarely afforded to independent filmmakers to thoughtfully elevate and deepen the role of sound and image in their finished films with advanced technology from Dolby Laboratories. SFFILM Makers—SFFILM’s artist development program—and the Dolby Institute offer the selected fellows artistic and industry guidance, facilitate introductions, and provide a cash grant allowing them to begin work with a sound designer during the screenwriting stage. Fellows also gain post-production support, with comprehensive sound design, a Dolby Atmos mix, and Dolby Vision color correction and mastering support.

The 2023 Dolby Institute Fellow is filmmaker Sean Wang and his film Dìdi (弟弟) which will have its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film tells the story of the last month of summer before high school begins. An impressionable thirteen-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.

“Writer and director Sean Wang’s script for Dìdi (弟弟) captured our attention with his vivid portrayal of the heart and experience of a young boy living in Fremont, California in 2008. And we are thrilled to collaborate again with producer Carlos López Estrada. We are excited to give Sean access to Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technology through this fellowship grant to bring the sights and sounds of that world to spectacular life.” Glenn Kiser, Director of the Dolby Institute.

“Our partnership with the Dolby Institute continues to give independent filmmakers astounding access to development of sound and image at every stage of the creative process, something normally reserved for major studio productions” said Masashi Niwano, Director of Artist Development at SFFILM. “Sean’s film benefits from Dolby’s guidance and tools which allows him to stay focused on the story he is telling. We are also thrilled to celebrate two Sundance premieres. Sean will be alongside our 2021 Dolby Institute Fellow, Kobi Libii.”

About the Dolby Institute

The Dolby Institute was created to educate, inspire, and empower the next generation of content creators. Through educational programs, strategic partnerships, and direct artist support, we help creatives think critically and creatively about sound and image, unlocking the power of technology to help tell their stories. To learn more about the Dolby Institute Fellowships or Sound + Image Lab: The Dolby Institute Podcast, visit https://www.dolby.com/institute/

About Dolby Laboratories

Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) is based in San Francisco, California with offices around the globe. From movies and TV shows, to apps, music, sports and gaming, Dolby transforms the science of sight and sound into spectacular experiences for billions of people worldwide. We partner with artists, storytellers, developers, and businesses to revolutionize entertainment and communications with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, Dolby Cinema, and Dolby.io.

Dolby, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, Dolby Cinema, Dolby.io, and the double-D symbol are among the registered and unregistered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.

Stay In Touch With SFFILM

SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM works hard to bring the most exciting films and filmmakers to Bay Area movie lovers. To be the first to know what’s coming, sign up for our email alerts and watch your inbox.

On Wednesday, December 6, 2024, the Sundance Institute revealed the slate of films that will premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. We’re excited to see SFFILM staff and supported filmmakers on the ground in-person in Park City, Utah.

Securing a spot in the Sundance Film Festival lineup is a challenging feat. Thanks to our SFFILM Makers programs, which include our FilmHouse Residency, the Documentary Film Fund, the Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship, and the flagship SFFILM Rainin Grant — the largest granting body for independent narrative feature films in the US — SFFILM helps independent filmmakers breakthrough.

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival slate includes four fantastic SFFILM-supported features. These special stories being shown on a platform as large as Sundance empahsizes SFFILM’s role in providing independent storytellers with the necessary advisory services, workspace, and artist community for filmmakers to develop, complete, and showcase their work to the international film community.

The SFFILM-supported projects screening at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival are:

Dìdi (弟弟)
Director, Screenwriter, Producer: Sean Wang
Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters
SFFILM Support Received—SFFILM Rainin Grant, SFFILM Invest, SFFILM Dolby Institute Fellowship

The American Society of Magical Negroes
Director, Screenwriter, Producer: Kobi Libii
Producers: Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Eddie Vaisman
SFFILM Support Received—SFFILM Westridge Grant, SFFILM Dolby Institute Fellowship

Look Into My Eyes
Director, Producer: Lana Wilson
Producer: Kyle Martin
SFFILM Support Received—SFFILM Invest

Seeking Mavis Beacon
Director, Screenwriter: Jazmin Renée Jones
Producer: Guetty Felin
SFFILM Support Received—SFFILM Invest

Stay In Touch With SFFILM

SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM works hard to bring the most exciting films and filmmakers to Bay Area movie lovers. To be the first to know what’s coming, sign up for our email alerts and watch your inbox.

SFFILM Education’s Youth FilmHouse Residency, in partnership with SFFILM Makers, is an annual program that begins in the Fall semester for Bay Area students grades 9–12 who identify themselves as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC) and are excited to explore careers in film and filmmaking.

Throughout the residency, students have engaged with other SFFILM residents, SFFILM staff, film industry professionals. This year’s curriculum balances practical skills like production strategy and technique along with training, panels, and lectures to highlight industry knowledge and possible career paths through our artist network.

Keep reading to meet the most recent group of Youth Residents for 2023-2024.

2023 SFFILM Youth FilmHouse Residents

Amiko Muscat

I’m Amiko Muscat and I’m a sophomore at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco. My filmmaking experience comes from being in the media department at SOTA and working with organizations such as SFPL, BAYCAT, and SFFILM. What got me into filmmaking was realizing how versatile the process of it could be, such as incorporating other mediums that I love, like photography, music, and writing. In new projects, I’m currently focusing on creating narrative stories with a specific interest in art direction and my city, San Francisco.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

“My inspiration is what I experience and see in my life. I believe that what I choose to incorporate in my films comes from my own perspective on a topic, and to turn my perspective into something visual is really cool. A director who inspires me is Luca Guadagnino. I think his films have brilliant art direction and shot choices.”

Chloe Caruth

My name is Chloe Caruth. I’m a junior at Berkeley High School and I live in Berkeley. I am currently in my first year of the 2-year IB Film class, I co-run the BHS Film, Food, and Feminism Club, and I’m in the BHS Film Festival Club. I want to explore different kinds of connections and relationships in my work. I’m very interested in narrative filmmaking and hope to incorporate stop motion into my films in the future.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

“What inspires me as a filmmaker is human nature and the complexities of daily life. I also get a lot of inspiration from art and music.”

Kai Parker

I’m a resident of San Francisco, currently in my senior year of high school. I’m a producer, writer, director, and sound recordist. I’ve taken many formal classes on filmmaking through high school and have helped others my age create their own personal films for the past two years or so. I have four years of experience on sets, doing everything from collecting trash as a Production Assistant to directing sets for my own films.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

“Every once in a while, I’ll watch a film that will move me to feel genuine sadness, empathy, fear, or some other emotion. The fact that pictures on a screen can drive audiences to experience strong emotions seems impossible, but it just goes to show how film can be an extremely powerful medium. It is my goal to make films with this kind of power.”

Kea Morshed

Hi! My name is Kea, I’m in 12th grade, and I go to Berkeley High School. I’ve been making films pretty much throughout high school and recently began making films for local non-profit groups. I like to use comedy as an instrument for drawing attention to pressing issues.

Kiana Sipes

My name is Kiana and I’m a junior at Albany High School. I’m head-over-heels in love with film as a form of self-expression and creativity. My interest in film stems from my love of theatre, and I aim to create stories that showcase those two passions side by side—and, more importantly, that my friends and I can see ourselves in. I’m currently writing my first series, and I plan to continue studying writing and film in college.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

“Some of my biggest inspirations would have to be David Tennant’s acting, Hozier’s and COIN’s music, Danny Elfman’s film scores, and movies like Wayne’s World, Fire Island, and Palm Springs.”

Markayla “Kayla” Griffin-Shoals

My name is Markayla “Kayla” Griffin-Shoals and I am a senior at Berkeley High School. I would like to accredit my interest for editing and the sequencing from my video production teacher Phil Halpern allowing me to showcase topics that are meaningful to me as a young African American female content creator and allowing for me and peers to showcase our voices as young adults that are often silenced.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

“To create film things that I feel should be mainstream and break status quo and talk about uncomfortable topics that need attention.”

Matilde Aranda

My name is Matilde. I’m 17 and I’ve wanted to be a filmmaker since I realized that was a job title. I made my first independent film at 13 and at 15 I was paid to make a short documentary about a record label founded and run by two young Latina women trying to figure out the music industry together. I like to shed light on topics that might otherwise be overlooked.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

“Probably my dad. He has always supported my passion and tries to provide me with as many opportunities in the film industry as possible and sacrifices so much for me to be happy. I really hope one day I can prove that it was all worth it.”

Penelope Dominguez Walton

My name is Penelope Dominguez Walton, and I am a sophomore at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland. My passion for filmmaking started in 7th grade, and progressively got bigger and bigger as I grew up. I use scriptwriting and film as a way to cope with challenges in my life and mentally.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

“I am heavily inspired by Jordan Peele, but music always inspires me and gives me ideas on what to write about.”

Reed Norberto

A senior at San Leandro High School and The President of San Leandro Academy for Multimedia, Reed is an aspiring filmmaker and photographer attempting to enter a much bigger world. Skilled in both video and broadcast production, taking the lead role as cinematographer and set designer. The themes they would love to cover are coming of age and coming to terms with death. Highlighting humanity’s reminder that our time is limited and therefore precious. They believe that through narrative storytelling and stunning visuals, we can change people’s minds rather than please them. Just like what cinema used to be.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

“The composition of Stanley Kubrick’s work makes any frame look like any realism painting. Each scene is always intentional and highly attentive to detail. Being one of the most daring, innovative, controversial, yet influential of all time to come. I use his techniques to apply them to my work in my own way, paying homage and tribute to the director. Not only does he inspire me as a daring filmmaker but also as an attentive photographer.”

Riyaz Alladin

My name is Riyaz Alladin and I am a senior at Berkeley High School. I’ve made many passion projects on my own as well as assisting in creating promotional videos for non-profit organizations for about 6 years now. I enjoy all types of themes, but something I have been recently drawn to is comedy and taking simple aspects of life to then blow them out of proportion for a feeling of absurdity. I am currently starting production on my most ambitious short film yet.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

“No single person has inspired me to become a filmmaker. The audience is what really inspires me. Whether it’s positive or negative, to see everyone’s reaction is something I appreciate and look forward to on every project.”

Ziggy Spencer

VJ “Ziggy” Spencer is a nonbinary, youth filmmaker based in Alameda, California who has been working with Oakland based company Reel Stories for 5 years as a student board representative and camp staff member. Ziggy Spencer works primarily as a narrative filmmaker, but has experience working in documentaries such as #TeensToo, which has gone international to many different film festivals. They continue to work with Reel Stories on new projects and have begun experimenting with classic filmmaking techniques such as celluloid film.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

“The human condition.”

Stay In Touch With SFFILM

SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM works hard to bring the most exciting films and filmmakers to Bay Area movie lovers, to support emerging filmmakers, and to educate youth through cinema. To be the first to know what’s coming, sign up for our email alerts and watch your inbox.