katherinepertuso@bavc.org
World Premiere of TRACES OF HOME by Colette Ghunim
Colette Ghunim, a 2020 BAVC MediaMaker Fellow, will premiere her feature documentary Traces of Home at DocNYC on Friday, November 14. The film represents the culmination of a nine-year production, exploring belonging and identity across generations. In our conversation, Ghunim reflected on the process of bringing the film to life, the importance of intentional audience outreach, and the impact of building an advisory board of more than 200 nonprofit partners. Traces of Home follows Ghunim as she joins her parents in searching for the ancestral homes they were forced to flee as children in Mexico and Palestine. What begins as [...]
2025 MediaMakers at 21st Camden International Film Festival
Earlier this month, our 2025 MediaMaker Fellows gathered at the 21st Camden International Film Festival (CIFF). Brittany Réaume, BAVC Media's Associate Director of Artist Development, shared a behind-the-scenes look at the Fellows’ time at the festival, where several MediaMaker alums also screened their work. We also caught up with Paige Bethman, director of Remaining Native, and producer Jess Epstein about their screening experience and the community-building fun run they organized around the film. Brittney’s Recap: What a special year at CIFF! Between seeing films and pitches from MediaMaker alum in packed houses, gathering with supporters and friends new and old [...]
World Premiere of LIBERTAD by Brenda Ávila-Hanna
We recently caught up with Brenda Ávila-Hanna, a 2019 BAVC MediaMaker fellow and independent filmmaker, about her film Libertad, having its world premiere at the 25th New York Latino Festival on September 17 as well as her experience as a filmmaker in the Bay Area. The documentary focuses on Alejandra’s story as an indigenous transgender woman on a lifelong quest for a safe place to call home is told through a combination slice-of-life moments shot over the course of 7 years with animated sequences based on Alejandra’s original artwork. The result is a film that doubly serves as an intimate [...]
Announcing Fall 2025 Editing Fellows in Partnership with PG&E
We're excited to announce BAVC Media’s 2025 cohort of Better Together Fellows in partnership with PG&E: Our Media Producer cohort fellows include DeAndre Waters, Arlly Abarientos and Alana Walker and our Assistant Editor cohort fellows are Kelly Chen, Lily Shannon-Sutter and Angelica Castro. Award-winning professional editors and filmmakers, Jessica Jones and Kristina Motwani, are returning as editing mentors for Fellows in this third cohort of the fellowship, and they're joined by Sean Havey and Caron Creighton who will serve as media producer mentors. A unique opportunity to build the production and post-production workforce in San Francisco, the Fellowship aims to [...]
Meet Zander Constien, BAVC Media’s Membership & Programs Assistant
Zander Constien recently joined the BAVC Media team as our Membership and Programs Assistant, where they’re helping foster meaningful connections with our members and supporting the day-to-day rhythm of our public programs. If you have any questions about membership email him at membership@bavc.org and learn more about membership here. Working alongside the Marketing Department, Zander also plays a key role in strengthening BAVC Media’s outreach and community engagement efforts. Originally from Colorado, he brings a rich background in cinema and language studies, along with hands-on experience supporting independent filmmakers at both BAVC and the Roxie Theater. When they’re not busy [...]
Remaining Native SXSW Premiere
Remaining Native follows Ku Stevens as he retraces his great-grandfather’s 50-mile escape from an Indian boarding school, a journey that explores memory, resilience, and the ongoing impact of this history on Native communities. For director Paige Bethmann, the story was personal—her great-grandmother attended a Catholic-run boarding school in New York, shaping her family’s history in ways that still resonate today. With the support of the BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship, Bethmann navigated the challenges of independent filmmaking, finding mentorship and a network of peers to help bring Remaining Native to life. In this interview, producer Jess Epstein discusses the collaborative process, the [...]
The Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Conference with Victoria Fajardo
Victoria Fajardo, BAVC Media’s Preservation Technician & Audio Specialist, attended the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums (ATALM) Conference last October. She shared her insights and highlighted the importance of preserving Indigenous culture through archival practices, community involvement, and technology. What were your biggest takeaways from the conference? My biggest takeaways from the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Conference were centered around the importance of preserving Indigenous culture through archival practices, the need for community involvement in these processes, and the evolving role of technology in facilitating access to these resources. It was clear that tribal communities [...]
Mapping the Magnetic Media Landscape: Lessons from Archives Across the U.S.
As part of the Mapping the Magnetic Media Landscape study, BAVC Media's Research and Development Manager, Kailen Sallander, and Director of Special Programs Kelli Shay Hix conducted site visits to three archives across the United States including ENTRE, ‘Ulu’ulu, and Smithsonian Institution's Audiovisual Media Preservation Initiative. This initiative aims to develop a comprehensive, data-driven understanding of analog audiovisual media digitization and conservation efforts nationwide. By engaging directly with organizations working on magnetic media preservation, the project seeks to identify challenges, share creative solutions, and foster collaboration within the field. Below, Kailen reflects on the lessons learned from these organizations. Purpose [...]
Celebrating BAVC Media at Sundance 2025
The Sundance Film Festival 2025 is just around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited to cheer on some incredible films from BAVC Media's community. These works showcase a stunning variety of stories, from a poetic look at Black farmers’ legacy in the American South to an intimate portrayal of Deaf Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin, and from an investigation of disability rights to a heartfelt exploration of chosen family. Here’s more information about these incredible projects and the visionary BAVC Media filmmakers behind them. Seeds a BAVC Media supported film directed by 2019 MediaMaker Fellow Brittany Shyne An exploration of Black generational farmers in [...]
BAVC Media at AMIA 2024: Advancing Preservation, Mentorship, and Community Archiving
The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) annual conference was held in Milwaukee earlier this month. As in-person attendance has been steadily increasing since the remote-only conferences of 2020 and 2021, this year’s venue became a bustling mini-city hosting the brightest minds in film, video, and sound preservation. BAVC Media was among the most visible organizations at the conference, participating in a variety of panels, presentations, and poster sessions. Our Preservation team attended including Tim Lake, Victoria "Kiki" Fajardo, Chris Castro, Adira-Danique Philyaw and Kelli Hix. Camcorder footage captured by Preservation Lab Manager, Christopher Castro In alignment with [...]
