Persons
Gabriel Lage
Gabriel Lage is a filmmaker, videographer and still photographer, from São Paulo, Brazil, based in San Francisco, California. He graduated from California College of the Arts in the spring of 2020 with a major in film. His work is centered on applying classic film and photo theory and techniques, with the objective to address contemporary queer themes and realities. His search for inspiration roots itself into the exploration of Latin American queer subjects, intersectionality and social justice. Gabriel believes in film, media and arts as a medium that can be used to amplify underrepresented voices that have so much to [...]
Karolina Esqueda
As the Youth Engagement Specialist, Karolina Esqueda aims to provide support and assistance to BAVC Media's Youth Programs' team and students. Being a BAVC Media Bridges Fellowship alumni herself, she works towards finding ways to ensure student engagement and looking for ways to build community even in the virtual space. She's currently the main point of reference for Youth Programs's social media presence, so make sure to follow @BAVC Mediayouth! Born in Tijuana, Mexico, filmmaker and visual artist, Karolina Esqueda grew up in between Tijuana and San Diego, sisters cities on the border between Mexico and the United States. Her [...]
Nanami Yokota
Nanami Yokota is an international student studying film. She was born in Japan, moved to the Philippines when she was eight, and is in her 3rd year at San Francisco's California College of the Arts. During her time at CCA, she's become interested in production management. Ideally, she would love to be a project manager for animated films, which she feels have served as a way for her to keep in touch with her Japanese heritage and culture and plans to dive deeper into the influence of Asian American culture through animation. Artist Statement: "Since the pandemic began, I noticed [...]
Kia Simon
Kia Simon, an award-winning filmmaker and Emmy Winning editor, started Sneaky Little Sister Films in 2004 in Oakland, California, with a focus on motion graphics and narrative storytelling. Kia says “The design we create should always be telling the story, not distracting from it. It’s always about the ideas that are being communicated.” In addition to mastering new design tools and methods, Kia enjoys learning about new topics and fields through her work. Kia recruits and cultivates artists with diverse design styles and sensibilities, helping them to improve and grow their skills. Kia’s narrative films, music videos and documentaries have [...]
Penny Krueger
Penny Krueger is a film and video editor who has been working in the bay area as a freelance and staff editor since 2005. She was a founding board member of Reel Stories and sat on their board for 9 years and was Board President for the last 5 years. Penny has worked as an editor on several short films and in advertising and with tech companies. Penny strongly believes in supporting and helping young filmmakers find their voices.
Jes Rowe
Jes Rowe joined BAVC Media in January 2020. Prior to this, Jes attended college for both audio production and engineering. She later combined that knowledge with her passion for film, and merging these mediums brought a whole new life to her creative expression. Jes has now been working as a freelance filmmaker for over 13 years and is driven by the desire to connect to the world through media. Over the past 13 years, Jes has established herself as a filmmaker, contributing to various sectors, including non-profit organizations like BAVC Media. As a business owner, Jes has successfully managed her [...]
Victoria Montero
Victoria Montero is an award-winning photographer, filmmaker, and art director. Born and raised in Argentina, her work is centered on historical memory, gender, and social issues. She is the co-author of "Guerrilleras. Tradición y rebelión en la guerra civil de El Salvador", a photo book about Salvadoran Civil War. Based in San Francisco, she collaborates with independent film and photography projects. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Buenos Aires. Guerrilleras Guerrilleras is a documentary film about the Salvadoran Civil War from a gender perspective: the female experience within the anti-government Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front [...]
Sisa Bueno
Originally from New York City, Sisa Bueno is an Afro-Latina film & multimedia maker who is fascinated by people of all cultures and seeks to awaken our own empowerment. The NBC Network named Sisa an NBC Latino Innovator for her filmmaking, and she is a recipient of the ITVS-PBS Diversity Development grant and HotDocs CrossCurrents grant. Sisa is also a member of the NEW INC tech incubator program within the New Museum working with Augmented Reality (AR) technology. For Venida, For Kalief "For Venida, For Kalief" is an empathetic cinematic essay film with visual poetry that pays homage to the [...]
Robie Flores
Robie Flores grew up on the U.S./Mexico border. She’s an independent filmmaker and video editor based in New Orleans. Her work has appeared on CNN and Bloomberg and has been featured by Teen Vogue, Fusion, Allure and i-d Vice. Her latest project The In Between, has received support from Chicken & Egg, Ford Foundation, Field of Vision, ITVS and participated in IFP’s Documentary Lab, the Points North Fellowship and Camden / TFI Labs. The In Between is her first feature film. The In Between Through the eyes of children unencumbered by border politics, The In Between visits the characteristic moments of growing [...]
Reid Davenport
Reid Davenport is making his sixth documentary that explores the perspective of people with disabilities. Davenport is a 2017 TED Fellow and gave a TED Talk at the annual conference in Vancouver. His film awards include the Artistic Visions Award at the 2016 Big Sky Documentary Festival (“A Cerebral Game”) and Best Short Documentary at the 2013 Awareness Film Festival (“Wheelchair Diaries”). He received a Master of Fine Arts in Documentary Film & Video from Stanford University in 2016. I Didn't See You There Spurred by the spectacle of a circus tent that goes up outside his Oakland apartment, a [...]
