FALL NEWSLETTER COMMEMORATES ANNIVERSARIES AND NEW BEGINNINGS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2024
Citizen Film’s Fall newsletter is here! Read the latest updates on our film screening with Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema, the 20th anniversary of Debra Chasnoff’s landmark documentary Let’s Get Real, and our new job opening.
JOB OPENING: COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2024
Are you passionate about documentary film as a means for social change? Now is your chance to join the Citizen Film team! Citizen Film is looking for a full-time, hybrid Communications Assistant to assist with documentary public engagement and development campaigns. Previous experience in research, social media management, and graphic design is a major plus!
CELEBRATING A LOCAL LEGEND AT BERNAL HEIGHTS OUTDOOR CINEMA
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2024
Citizen Film brought the story of Bayview Hunters Point icon James Richards to the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema film festival, which expanded into the Mission this year. Richards has been behind decades of protests at discriminatory worksites around Bayview Hunters Point and has unlocked countless job opportunities in the community.
SONGS OF TRUTH REACHES 600+ STUDENTS
FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2024
2024 has already marked significant milestones for Citizen Film’s Songs of Truth. We’ve taken the stage seven times as a highlighted segment of the Contemporary Jewish Museum’s Holocaust Art & Resistance Day of Learning, engaging over 600 students from a wide range of schools throughout the Bay Area and inviting high school musicians to perform for their peers. Click below to inquire about hosting a FREE Songs of Truth Community Concert & Conversation from September 2024 to June 2025.
SPRING NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS EXCITING COMMUNITY MILESTONES
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2024
Citizen Film’s Spring newsletter is here! Catch up on all of the exciting work we’ve done so far this year with local youth, Black entrepreneurs, and the ever-growing Songs of Truth community. Click below to read more and learn how you can get involved.
EMPOWERING YOUTH IN THE MAGIC ZONE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2024
We’re so proud of what has been accomplished this year in our after-school program with the Magic Zone, a youth development initiative supporting students in San Francisco’s Fillmore District. Classes integrate gardening and media production, fostering the development of leadership, storytelling, and production skills among high school students. Our students’ photography and short film documenting their work this year is on display at the Main Branch of the SF Public Library from May 1 – June 31.
BECOME A KEEPER OF DEBRA CHASNOFF’S FLAME
TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2024
In 2023, GroundSpark transferred ownership of their film catalog to Citizen Film. We are honored to be able to continue Debra’s life’s work by launching the Debra Chasnoff / GroundSpark Legacy Initiative and a public engagement campaign to support Chasnoff’s past documentaries and her final film, PROGNOSIS – notes on living. With your help we can keep the flame of Debra’s impact and vision burning bright.
WINTER NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS DIVERSE STORYTELLING
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2023
Citizen Film’s Winter newsletter is here! Catch up on our work with entrepreneurs, musicians, activists, and more. Plus, learn about our exciting plans for 2024 and how you can get involved.
SUPPORT BLACK ENTREPRENEURS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023
Support our Black Entrepreneurs this holiday season by stopping by In The Black, one of San Francisco’s Black-led marketplaces and home to Quanies African Shop by Quan Moore and Dreamer Boyz by Joseph Broussard. Moore and Broussard use their businesses as a platform to share their stories and support their communities. Citizen Film looks forward to continuing to document their journeys in the new year.
THIS FALL ON THE BERNAL CUT
MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2023
Thank you to everyone who came out last month for the Mission / Randall Bernal Cut clean up! If you haven’t had the chance to join us on the Cut, October is the month to do it! We have our next workday on October 21st, as well as many other exciting events like the Glen Park Art Walk and the annual Neighborfest Block Party. Follow our newsletter to stay up to date and find out how you can get involved!
BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES RETURNING TO THE FILLMORE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2023
Entrepreneur Fernay McPherson’s dream of bringing her restaurant Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement to San Francisco’s Fillmore District is on its way to coming true. A Fillmore native, McPherson has been growing her business for the last eight years, and plans to open up her second location at 1375 Fillmore St this winter. She just wrapped up a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, but you can follow her journey online to stay informed on how you can help bring Minnie Bell’s home.
“THE FRUITS OF OUR LABOR”
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
In collaboration with our partner MoMagic and the support of our USF community-engagement interns, Citizen Film has been teaching mixed media classes to local high school students. Through photography, poetry and design, they have freely expressed their love and passion for their community and we are proud to have been able to document their progress. See their work that was on display for the summer at San Francisco Public Library’s African American Center Exhibit Space.
WAVING THE STARTING FLAG FOR RACING ON THE SPECTRUM
TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2023
Production for our latest documentary has officially begun! Racing on the Spectrum follows three extraordinary race car drivers with autism through life’s twists and turns, both on and off the track. Through partnership with these courageous athletes, their teams, and our advisory team of neurodiversity experts, Racing on the Spectrum will foster acceptance and opportunities for people in neurodiverse communities.
LEARN MORE
ENTREPRENEUR SPOTLIGHT: JOSEPH BROUSSARD & DREAMER BOYZ
FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2023
Citizen Film is following the journey of Entrepreneur Joseph Broussard. He uses his clothing company Dreamer Boyz, founded in honor of his late mother and younger brother, to encourage and empower the black community in the Fillmore District. Broussard is one of the many black entrepreneurs that Citizen Film is working with to share their stories and grow their businesses.
LEARN MORE
SONGS OF TRUTH PLAYS IN BAY AREA
SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2023
“Songs of Truth,” proved itself an unforgettable concert, with musical performances by the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus and multimedia storytelling by Citizen Film. Thank you to all who attended this powerful tribute to those who continued to compose music while imprisoned in the Holocaust. Shows will continue throughout the summer!
LEARN MORE
CUVIER COMMONS MURAL NOW OPEN
SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2023
The Bernal Cut community gathered for a potluck on Saturday to celebrate the unveiling of the new Cuvier Commons Mural! Part of the Bernal Cut Placemaking Project, this 95 foot mural by Amos Goldbaum adds a lively touch of color and local pride to the Cuvier Commons. The design draws on historical photographs of the neighborhood and incorporates personal stories from residents.
THE BUCHANAN MALL HOSTS AFATASI THE ARTIST FASHION SHOW
SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 2023
On Saturday, Afatasi the Artist hosted an afternoon of fun, food, and fashion on the Buchanan Mall. The Artist is a mixed-media conceptual artist, futurist, and proud native San Franciscan. Her artwork connects the past and future of the Buchanan Mall through fashion and community. Thanks to all who came out on this beautiful day– we had a wonderful time! Click below to see pictures from the show and more from Afatasi.
SEE MORE
SEBASTOPOL FILM FEST NOMINATES PROGNOSIS FOR BEST FEATURE
SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2023, 7PM PT
PROGNOSIS – notes on living is headed to the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival! Join Citizen Film and GroundSpark for a night of reflection, conversation, and community Saturday, March 18 at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Brent Auditorium. This screening and live Q&A are the culmination of a long, successful film festival run for Debra Chasnoff’s final film. After bringing this “intimate and honest” documentary to thousands of people at over 25 film festivals, it feels good to go into our last with a nomination for Best Feature!
GET TICKETS
AMERICAN CREED “CONNECTING OUR HEARTLANDS” PHOTOGRAPHY EVENT
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2023
What can rural young adult perspectives teach us about building citizen power? Join us for the American Creed initiative’s “Connecting Our Heartlands” event, hosted by the Center for Rural Strategies. The event will feature photography presentations from young rural community organizers and interactive discussions co-facilitated by civic scholars. Afterwards, there will be a special workshop for educators exploring a variety of ways to use photography-based writing prompts in the classroom.
REGISTER
INTERVIEW WITH AMERICAN CREED “CITIZEN POWER” CAST
THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2023
American Creed “Citizen Power” cast members Sam Schimmel and Jonathan Blair appeared on The Daily Yonder’s podcast “Everywhere Radio” to discuss their approach to photography, organizing work and hopes for their communities. To hear more from these extraordinary young adults, be sure to RSVP for Rural Assembly’s upcoming “Connecting Our Heartlands” event to join the conversation with these young leaders and a panel of scholars.
LISTEN NOW
JWEEKLY SPOTLIGHTS PROGNOSIS AND THE LEGACY FILM FESTIVAL ON AGING
FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2023
Follow Oscar-winner Debra Chasnoff’s journey as she turns a deadly diagnosis into an emotionally raw, funny, and profoundly intimate story about hanging onto life, while preparing to let it go. Watch PROGNOSIS virtually through the Legacy Film Festival on Aging, NOW through January 22. Click here to get tickets.
READ FULL ARTICLE
RURAL YOUNG LEADERS CREATE AMERICAN CREED PHOTO ESSAYS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022
View photo essays created by three extraordinary young rural leaders for “Connecting Our Heartlands,” our upcoming photography event and virtual discussion on care, community and the work of building democracy. Jonathan Blair and his peers explore their roots in Appalachia’s coal industry, their own experience of blue collar work and their aspirations for the future. Sam Schimmel illuminates his Alaskan Indigenous community’s fight to continue subsistence fishing and build a sustainable economy. Jace Charger, co-founder of Standing Rock’s first protest camp, takes stock of current efforts to organize and heal.
REGISTER FOR JAN 19 EVENT
FOLLOW THE BERNAL CUT BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022
Thanks to everyone who came out to our Bernal Cut gardening day this month, 300+ plants entered the earth! Since the Bernal Cut Restoration Project’s inception in 2007, Citizen Film has chronicled how the group has mobilized residents and transformed the Cut into a safer, more beautiful shared public space that connects neighborhoods, encourages walkability, and fosters native California habitat. Follow the project’s new social media accounts to stay up to date on progress and to find out how you can get involved!
FALL NEWSLETTER SPOTLIGHTS COMMUNITIES WORKING FOR CHANGE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022
Read all about it! From transforming San Francisco neighborhoods to winning film festival awards, check out our Fall Newsletter to learn about what Citizen Film is up to these days. Click below to learn more!
READ MORE
CHICAGO REELING FILM FESTIVAL & AARP HONOR PROGNOSIS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
Thank you to Reeling Film Festival and AARP Illinois for choosing PROGNOSIS – notes on living for the AARP Illinois Silver Images Award! This film is a story of resilience, love and family, and it was so special to have Debra Chasnoff’s cousin Salome accept the award on behalf of her and co-director Kate Stilley Steiner.
READ MORE
PROGNOSIS IS PLAYING ALL SEPTEMBER LONG
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2022
No matter where you are in the world, you can watch PROGNOSIS – notes on living this month and join the thousands who have experienced Debra Chasnoff’s “intimate, moving, and eloquent” final film. Click below to check out our September calendar and get your tickets today!
VIEW SEPTEMBER CALENDAR
PROGNOSIS GOES INTERNATIONAL THIS AUGUST
MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 2022
PROGNOSIS – notes on living is heading around the world this month. From Taiwan to Oregon to Philly, we’re so excited to share Debra Chasnoff’s final film far and wide in collaboration with GroundSpark. Click below to check out our August calendar and get your tickets to see the film in person or virtually!
VIEW AUGUST CALENDAR
OUTFILM CONNECTICUT AWARDS PROGNOSIS “BEST DOCUMENTARY”
TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2022
The jury has spoken! PROGNOSIS – notes on living won the BEST DOCUMENTARY Jury Award at OutFilm CT, Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Thank you to everyone on the jury and in the audience who recognized Debra Chasnoff’s final film “for its brave and masterful storytelling and its incredible emotional impact.”
LEARN MORE
JOIN INELDA FOR A PROGNOSIS COMMUNITY CONVERSATION
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2022, 7PM ET
In hard times, how do families ask for help? Watch PROGNOSIS – notes on living at Out Film CT Film Festival and then join our partners at the International End of Life Doula Association for a free virtual community conversation, “Chosen Family and the Constellation of Support,” June 22, 7pm ET.
REGISTER
SUMMER NEWSLETTER CELEBRATES CITIZEN FILM MILESTONES
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022
Citizen Film’s Summer Newsletter has arrived! Read about major project milestones on the Buchanan Mall, PROGNOSIS’ “Best Documentary” award at Boston’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival, and your chance to join the Citizen Film team. Click below to learn more!
READ MORE
JOB OPENING: CITIZEN FILM ASSISTANT PRODUCER
EMAIL COVER LETTER + RESUME TO ADMIN@CITIZENFILM.ORG
Are you or someone you know passionate about documentary film as a means for social change? Citizen Film is looking for a full-time Assistant Producer to carry out producing, technical and administrative tasks supporting all aspects of the documentary media making and audience-engagement process. This position has great opportunity for growth and is open to both local candidates and those who live near a transportation hub in another part of the country.
LEARN MORE
BUCHANAN MALL RECEIVES $3.9M FOR RENOVATIONS
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
And we’re off! Renovation of the Buchanan Mall is now fully funded thanks to a $3.9 million federal grant from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program, administered through the National Park Service. Construction from Eddy Street to Grove Street is expected to start in 2023.
READ FULL ARTICLE
WICKED QUEER GIVES AUDIENCE AWARD TO PROGNOSIS – notes on living
MONDAY, MAY 16, 2022
PROGNOSIS – notes on living received the “Audience Award” at Wicked Queer, Boston’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival. It’s incredibly moving to see people in the city Debra Chasnoff once called home —and around the country— embrace her final film the way they have. Click below to read more from the Boston Globe.
READ MORE
INELDA AND ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL PRESENT PROGNOSIS – notes on living
SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2022, 3-4:30PM ET
What would you do? Stream PROGNOSIS – notes on living at the Atlanta Film Festival, then join the conversation at a panel with filmmakers, Atlanta healthcare professionals and directors of the International End of Life Doula Association. Click below to register for the free event.
REGISTER
SF URBAN FILM FEST TO SCREEN “THE SPIRIT OF THE FILLMORE”
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2022
Explore the possibilities of a radiant urban future at the 8th Annual SF Urban Film Festival! “The Spirit of the Fillmore,” Citizen Film’s documentary on the creation of the Buchanan Mall community mural on the Rosa Parks Senior Center, will screen as part of their multidiscipline “Culture Aids” art event on Saturday at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
GET TICKETS
UNVEILING THE BERNAL CUT’S NEW MURAL
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022
The beautiful new Richland Bridge mural is complete! Thank you to the Bay Area Mural Program for their beautiful work, and to all those who have worked tirelessly to beautify the Bernal Cut Path as part of the Bernal Cut Placemaking Project.
Click below to learn more about the mural in this month’s San Francisco Public Works’s newsletter.
READ MORE
MIAMI JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL TO SCREEN PROGNOSIS – notes on living
JANUARY 14 THRU 26, 2022
Miami Jewish Film Festival will screen our newest feature documentary, PROGNOSIS – notes on living, for 2 weeks! Watch virtually January 14-26, and enjoy a panel discussion with moderator Rabbi Fred Klein, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami.
GET TICKETS
WINTER NEWSLETTER PROFILES BUCHANAN STORIES / BUCHANAN CHANGE
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021
Fresh off the press! Citizen Film has long collaborated with residents of San Francisco’s Western Addition and Buchanan Mall to create artworks that spark reflection and dialogue about the neighborhood’s history, present and future. Learn more about that work in our quarterly newsletter.
READ MORE
BERNAL HEIGHTS OUTDOOR CINEMA SPOTLIGHTS CITIZEN FILM THIS OCTOBER
October 1 & 12, 2021
The Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema is coming! Enjoy an assortment of Citizen Film’s work at 2 events this month. Friday, October 1, head down to South Slope Cinema for a free pop up drive-in featuring a great lineup of films including our short doc “The Two Eighty Project.” BHOC will also be hosting a pop-up screening of just Citizen Film shorts on October 12 at Bernal Star on Tuesday, October 12.
LEARN MORE
SF CHRONICLE REIMAGINES THE BERNAL CUT WITH SOPHIE CONSTANTINOU
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
See Citizen Film co-founder Sophie Constantinou in this weekend’s San Francisco Chronicle! Carl Nolte profiles a neighborhood building community on the Bernal Cut. Efforts led by Constantinou have been documented by Citizen Film as part of the Bernal Cut Placemaking Project.
READ FULL ARTICLE
FRAMELINE PROFILES WHAT WE CARRY WITH US: LGBTQ+ REFUGEE STORYLAB
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
Frameline profiled What We Carry with Us: LGBTQ+ Refugee Storylab in their blog. Learn about LGBTQ+ refugee experiences in the latest installment of our ongoing series of micro-documentaries co-created by refugees and descendants.
READ FULL PROFILE
OUTFEST TO SCREEN PROGNOSIS – notes on living
SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2021
Outfest, the largest LGBTQ film festival in Los Angeles, will screen PROGNOSIS – notes on living this weekend! Catch it in person Sunday, August 15 at REDCAT – Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater, or virtually August 16-18.
GET TICKETS
REMEMBERING GLIDE CO-FOUNDER JANICE MIRIKITANI
SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021
We were honored to pay tribute to activist, poet, and GLIDE Co-Founder Janice Mirikitani at her memorial. A true force of nature, Janice’s life and work as “the first lady of the Tenderloin” will continue to change people’s lives for years to come. You can read more in the SF Chronicle.
WATCH OUR TRIBUTE TO JANICE
PROGNOSIS – notes on living AT THE SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
JULY 25, 2021, 12PM PST
Join us for the first live screening of PROGNOSIS – notes on living! The film will screen at the Castro Theatre Sunday, July 25 — and stream at any point during the Festival (July 22 – August 1). The live screening will be accompanied by a live Q&A with Co-Director Kate Stilley Steiner, and Producers Nancy Otto and Lidia Szajko, Debra Chasnoff’s sons Noah Chasnoff and Oscar Klausner, and Traci Dobronravova, Director, Seniors At Home at Jewish Family and Children’s Services.
GET TICKETS
WATCH WHAT WE CARRY WITH US ON YOUTUBE
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021
LGBTQ+ refugees tell their stories in micro-documentaries streaming free on YouTube! Check out the latest suite of micro-docs directed by Sam Ball in refugee storylabs produced by Citizen Film with support from the Creative Work Fund and the San Francisco Arts Commission in collaboration with Frameline, the organization behind San Francisco’s International LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
WATCH NOW
BRIDGING ACTIVISM AND STORYTELLING WITH SOPHIE CONSTANTINOU
THE GLEN PARK ASSOCIATION
For years, Citizen Film co-founder Sophie Constantinou has actively partnered with communities around the Bay Area to tell stories that mobilize residents and catalyze tangible change, particularly in San Francisco’s Buchanan Mall and Bernal Cut neighborhoods. The major growth and development the two communities have seen in just the last five years is a testament to what local activists can accomplish with teamwork and a little entrepreneurial spirit. The Glen Park Association recently interviewed Sophie about her connection to filmmaking and empowering communities through storytelling that inspires activism.
READ THE FEATURE PROFILE
“‘Prognosis’: S.F. documentarian turns camera on herself as she battles cancer”
J. – THE JEWISH NEWS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
“‘It’s an amazing feeling to feel like we finished Chas’ legacy,’ Nancy Otto said. ‘This was a lasting thing that she wanted to give.'”
READ FULL ARTICLE
WHAT WE CARRY WITH US: LGBTQ+ REFUGEE STORYLAB AT FRAMELINE
SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 2021
When you nearly lose everything, what do you cherish most? This year, we’re celebrating Pride with the world premiere of the latest micro-documentaries created in refugee storylabs produced by Citizen Film. The films will be showing June 20, World Refugee Day, in front of select features at Frameline45, the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
LEARN MORE
WORLD PREMIERE OF PROGNOSIS – notes on living
JUNE 19, 2021, 4PM PST
When Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Debra Chasnoff is diagnosed with stage-4 cancer, she and her wife Nancy turn the camera on themselves and their LGBTQ family to create an emotionally raw, sometimes funny, and always intimate story about hanging onto life and love, even as you prepare to let it go. Experience the world premiere of PROGNOSIS – notes on living for FREE at this year’s Frameline Film Festival.
RESERVE YOUR FREE SPOT
“In ‘Prognosis,’ a filmmaker faces her death, but the Frameline film is about life”
SF CHRONICLE
“In 2015, Academy Award-winning director Debra Chasnoff made an interesting decision when she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer: She decided she didn’t want to know how much time she had left. Instead, she just wanted to live. During whatever time she had left. Of course, as was in the San Francisco filmmaker’s DNA, she picked up a camera to document it.”
READ FULL ARTICLE
THE RIFLEMAN’S VIOLIN AT THE GI FILM FESTIVAL SAN DIEGO
TERMINAL 2 WEST THRU JUNE 1, 2021
Meet the GI who fiddled for Stalin on the eve of the Cold War. A short documentary directed by Sam Ball and produced by Abraham D. Sofaer for the Hoover Institution Library & Archives is on display in San Diego International Airport’s Terminal 2 West through June 1, 2021. View more from the Archive at potsdamrevisited.org, and learn about a remarkable intersection of history and music experienced by Stuart Canin, who would go on to win the Paganini Prize and serve as concertmaster for the San Francisco Symphony.
LEARN MORE
THE BUCHANAN MALL OPPORTUNITY HUB
COMING SOON!
For years, Citizen Film has partnered with Black entrepreneurs in San Francisco’s Western Addition to tell their stories and build community. Now, we’re partnering with Buchanan Change Initiative on an exciting new project. The Opportunity Hub, a technology-equipped and expandable kiosk co-designed with local artists and micro-entrepreneurs, will serve as an innovative resource to all who visit the Buchanan Mall. From business activation to entertainment to education, the Hub will increase the visibility of local and primarily Black-owned businesses and propel the Western Addition to a better future.
ADVENTURES IN VIRTUAL ART
WEDNESDAYS IN APRIL & MAY 2021, 5-7PM PT
17 years ago, multimedia artist Tucker Stilley was struck with ALS. Now fully paralyzed, he uses his eyes to control his computer and create art at a dizzying pace. Next month, Citizen Film’s Kate Stilley Steiner teams up with her brother and partner orgs Virtual Ability, Inc and the Cohort of Disembodied Artists to give guided tours of Tucker’s latest work at the Cape Able Art Gallery in the virtual world of Second Life – work the LA Times describes as “breathtaking images of the frailty and strength of the human condition.”
SIGN UP FOR A GUIDED TOUR
STORIES FROM THE ARC SF
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021
Meet the residents and workers of The Arc SF, the Bay Area’s largest learning and resource center for individuals with developmental disabilities and Citizen Film’s newest partner. Even during the ongoing pandemic, The Arc SF remains dedicated to their mission of empowering their clients to live lives with dignity, self-determination, and independence. We’re documenting those efforts, from work training sessions to community events, in our new series of shorts available to watch now.
WATCH STORIES FROM THE ARC SF
WHAT WE CARRY WITH US @ JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF SAN FRANCISCO
MARCH 16 – APRIL 9, 2021
We asked refugees and descendants to curate some of their prized possessions for a new multimedia exhibition exploring connections between the ancient Jewish people’s escape from Egypt and the resilience of modern-day refugees. Catch microdocs from “What We Carry with Us” at Fort Mason Flix or visit the JCCSF’s website to enjoy them along with resources to elevate your seder table discussions this Passover!
VIEW THE ONLINE EXHIBITION
CITIZEN FILM IS NOW ACCEPTING INTERN APPLICATIONS
DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT PST ON FEBRUARY 19, 2021
As a Citizen Film Intern, you will have the opportunity to research a wide variety of topics, assist in running media engagement campaigns, and more as you immerse yourself in the world of documentary filmmaking. This remote internship is especially valuable for applicants in the last year of their undergraduate degree (or later) but all are welcome to apply! If you’re interested, please email your cover letter and resume to admin@citizenfilm.org.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE POSITION
FREE VIRTUAL AMERICAN CREED SCREENING
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2020 – 4PM PST, 7PM EST
It has never been more important–or more accessible, no matter where you are in the country–to come together and discuss America’s identity and our ideals. Join us for a FREE VIRTUAL screening of our PBS documentary AMERICAN CREED followed by a discussion with director Sam Ball and a panel convened by the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore (MA) and open to everyone, around the country. Email Sara Ewing at sewing@jccns.com for the screening and discussion links.
REGISTER FOR FREE
AN EVENING WITH DAVID GODLIS FEATURING PLEASURES OF URBAN DECAY
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2020
In conjunction with the recent publication of his latest book, Godlis Streets, Metrograph hosted a night of films and reminisces with renowned NYC photographer David Godlis, who specializes in punk and cinema. Citizen Film co-founder Sam Ball joined a panel of fellow filmmakers who have collaborated with Godlis and spoke about his documentary short, PLEASURES OF URBAN DECAY.
THE NIGHT IS AVAILABLE TO WATCH THROUGH JANUARY 1
YOUTH LEADERS IGNITE THE SPIRIT OF THE FILLMORE
BY SADIE MCCANN, YOUTH JOURNALIST
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2020
“Down at the Buchanan Street Mall, a six block long park in the Fillmore district of San Francisco, you’ll find youth leaders Widya Batin, Sasha Earle, and Meseka Garcia on a mission: preserving the soul of the neighborhood and using art to keep the memories alive.”
Youth journalist Sadie McCann reflects on the inspiration these leaders and those around the world provide for herself and the rest of Gen Z.
READ FULL ARTICLE
CITIZEN FILM AND ARTPLACE: STORYTELLING TO INSPIRE CHANGE
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020 – 12:15 PM PST, 3PM EST
Can documentary storytelling help community activists and entrepreneurs revitalize their neighborhoods? Zoom in for Sophie Constantinou and Tamara Walker’s virtual multimedia presentation about how Citizen Film and our community partners bring people together to tell stories, make art, and build trust between the community and government agencies to build healthy public spaces that foster resilience on San Francisco’s Buchanan Mall.
REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT
DID YOU MISS US AT THE DRIVE-IN?
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020 – 8PM PST, 11PM EST
Explore the complicated history of African Americans’ place in San Francisco politics in AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE VOTE – a collaboration between Citizen Film and the San Francisco African American Historical and Cultural Society. African Americans and the Vote features San Francisco’s first Black mayor, Willie Brown, and members of the next generation of leadership.
REGISTER FOR FREE LIVESTREAM EVENT
LIVE KONZERTKASTS KEEP THE LIGHTS ON
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020 – 4:30PM PST, 7:30PM EST
When shelter-in-place orders stripped musicians of their livelihood, we hatched a plan to produce a live-streaming series that pays musicians to perform on social media. The LIVE KonzertKast series, hosted by Music Director Urs Leonhardt Steiner and produced by Kate Stilley Steiner, has generated over 75,000 views worldwide… so far!
WATCH THEIR NEXT PERFORMANCE
THE RIFLEMAN’S VIOLIN AT THE GI FILM FESTIVAL SAN DIEGO
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020
At age 19, in 1944, Stuart Canin shipped off to fight Nazi soldiers with his rifle. He’d made a name for himself as a violin prodigy, so he brought along an instrument, “just in case.” In July, 1945, President Truman thought music might break the ice of negotiations to end WWII, and the army called on Canin again: to play for Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. Director Sam Ball, Producer Abraham D. Sofaer, and subject Stuart Canin accompanied their film, THE RIFLEMAN’S VIOLIN, to this year’s (virtual) GI Film Festival San Diego.
WATCH THEIR FESTIVAL Q&A
WATCH VOTE BY DESIGN AT THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
What happens when 18-year-olds from Oakland to Appalachia come together to imagine the future of the presidency? Catch the recent Commonwealth Club conversation between filmmaker Sam Ball, Vote by Design creator Lisa Kay Solomon and moderator Gerald Harris as they explore what collaborative problem-solving between next gen voters shows us about the potential of American democracy.
WATCH THE EVENT ON YOUTUBE
JFI FILM OF THE MONTH: WENDY MACNAUGHTON DRAWS CASTRO COMMONS
OCTOBER, 2020
Long before lockdowns, artist Wendy MacNaughton and filmmaker Sam Ball spent an afternoon together in a beloved San Francisco “parklet.” We’re pleased to announce that the Jewish Film Institute named the resulting short documentary their October 2020 “Film of the Month” and hosted Wendy MacNaughton and Sam Ball in conversation.
WATCH THE FULL FILM ON YOUTUBE
BUCHANAN STORIES / BUCHANAN CHANGE WINS “OUR TOWN” AWARD
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020
Citizen Film has been awarded an NEA “Our Town” grant of $100,000 to help Black-owned businesses tell their own stories and generate support for improvements on the Buchanan Mall, a five-block walkway in the once famous Fillmore Jazz District. Citizen Film has been collaborating with community artists, activists and entrepreneurs on the mall to co-create short films, documentary murals and multimedia installations that celebrate neighborhood activism.
ROSA PARKS SENIOR CENTER MURAL UNVEILING
SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 2019
The newest milestone in Citizen Film’s ongoing creative placemaking efforts to revitalize the Buchanan Mall has been unveiled! Head down to the Rosa Parks Senior Center (1111 Buchanan St, San Francisco) to see the gorgeous new mural created in partnership with the Bay Area Mural Program.
CHOP SHOP: A COMMUNITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT CONVERSATION
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
Join us at The Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center (515 Cortland Avenue, San Francisco) for a screening of two shorts: Chop Shop: a Community and Law Enforcement Conversation and In The End, What’s Our Difference? Created in collaboration with Young Community Developers (Chop Shop) and Collective Impact + SFPD (In the End), this program is part of the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema‘s film crawl, an evening of community and films, and meant to facilitate a youth-lead dialogue between San Francisco residents of color and local law enforcement in barbershops across the city.
BUY TICKETS
AMERICAN CREED PREMIERES NATIONWIDE ON PBS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
In the documentary film AMERICAN CREED, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David M. Kennedy come together from different backgrounds and points of view to investigate the idea of a unifying American creed. The premiere of this PBS special is at the center of a robust public engagement campaign including community conversations, classroom activities and local storytelling across the country.
CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS