QWOCMAP Productions
A San Francisco-based program supporting queer women of color media artists through filmmaking training, production support, and film festival exhibition.
Overview
QWOCMAP (Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project) is a San Francisco-based nonprofit media arts organization dedicated to creating, exhibiting, and distributing films by queer women of color. Founded in 2000, QWOCMAP operates at the intersection of queer identity, racial justice, and feminist media practice, supporting filmmakers whose creative identities place them at multiple margins of the mainstream film industry simultaneously.
The organization runs a production and training program -- the Filmmakers Training Program -- alongside the QWOCMAP Film Festival, which has screened films by queer women of color annually since 2002. The combination of production support and dedicated exhibition makes QWOCMAP one of the few organizations that supports queer women of color filmmakers from idea through to audience.
What It Offers
QWOCMAP's Filmmakers Training Program provides selected participants with:
- Filmmaking training: Hands-on technical and craft training in camera operation, sound recording, editing, and production management, designed for participants who may not have formal film school backgrounds
- Production support: Access to cameras, sound equipment, and editing facilities through QWOCMAP's equipment program
- Mentorship: Guidance from experienced queer women of color filmmakers who navigate the industry from the same social position as program participants
- Cohort community: Sustained peer relationships with other queer women of color media artists, creating lasting professional and creative networks
- Exhibition at the QWOCMAP Film Festival: Completed films from the training program screen at the annual QWOCMAP Film Festival, providing participants with a guaranteed exhibition platform for their work
The program is designed to be accessible to filmmakers without prior formal training, prioritizing creative vision and community commitment over technical credentials.
Eligibility
Participants must identify as queer women of color. The program is based in San Francisco and serves primarily Bay Area-based filmmakers, though the QWOCMAP Film Festival accepts submissions from queer women of color filmmakers nationally and internationally.
The Filmmakers Training Program has a defined application and selection process. Filmmakers interested in the program should review the current guidelines on the QWOCMAP website for open enrollment periods.
Exhibition Through the QWOCMAP Film Festival
The QWOCMAP Film Festival is the primary exhibition platform for films by queer women of color in the Bay Area and one of the longest-running dedicated festivals of its kind in the United States. Festival submission is open to queer women of color filmmakers beyond the training program community; the festival regularly screens films from across the US and internationally.
Who Should Apply
Queer women of color in the San Francisco Bay Area who want to develop their filmmaking skills and make their first or second short film within a supportive, identity-specific community. Also relevant for queer women of color filmmakers nationally who want to submit completed work to the QWOCMAP Film Festival.
See Also
For broader short film festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy: Getting Your Film Seen. For building a production schedule for a short film, use the Production Schedule Calculator.
