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 mentorship 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 mentors, 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 40 filmmakers engaged in 12-month residencies, all working in early project stages of screenwriting and pre-production. In addition to 12-month residencies, throughout the year there are roughly 10–20 visiting filmmakers from other Artist Development programs that utilize the FilmHouse work space. Not sure if full-time residency is right for you, but want to check out FilmHouse events? Sign up for the Filmmaker membership add-on to get on the invite list:

Filmmaker Add-On Current Residents

SFFILM Makers Mentor Advisory Board

All residents have access to consultation from the SFFILM Makers Mentor 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 Mentors:

Nels Bangerter, Editor
Chi Do, Impact Strategist
Blye Faust, Producer
Jennie Frisbie, Manager/Producer
Steve Holmgren, Business and Legal Affairs
Jim LeBrecht, Sound Designer/Director
Carrie Lozano, Funding and Editorial Strategy
Kim Parker, Producer
Nicole Perlman, Writer
Dawn Porter, Director
Ellen Schneider, Coach and Strategist