Our Posts from December 2019

WORKSHOP: The Many Roles of the Documentary Producer

February 28, 2020, 2-4pm

Join filmmaker Jen Gilomen, producer and director of photography for the new documentary film UNSETTLED: SEEKING REFUGE IN AMERICA (directed/produced by Tom Shepard) for a discussion about what it takes to produce an independent feature documentary. Producers wear many hats, and each film is different — which means the role of a producer is always morphing to fit the needs of each production. In addition to producing UNSETTLED, Gilomen has directed, produced, and shot several features and shorts, narratives and documentaries, many with LGBTQ+ themes. She has also produced corporate and nonprofit documentary content and acted as a Supervising Producer for a portfolio of films for public television. The workshop will cover producer roles, and delve into behind-the-scenes case studies in collaboration on Unsettled and other films Jen has produced.

»JEN GILOMEN BIO

Luchina Fisher

TUE, MAR 28, 2023: THE DADS / MAMA GLORIA

Luchina Fisher is an award-winning director, writer and producer who works at the intersection of race, gender and identity. She is the founder and CEO of Little Light Productions. Her feature directorial debut MAMA GLORIA, about Chicago trans icon activist Gloria Allen, was nominated for a 2022 GLAAD Media Award. The film premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival and BFI Flare London; won numerous jury awards; and made its broadcast debut on World channel and PBS. Her short documentary Team Dream, executive produced by Queen Latifah, won the Audience Choice Award at the 2022 Chicago International Film Festival and Best Documentary Film at the 2022 TIDE Film Festival, qualified for Oscar consideration, and will air on BET. She recently co-directed her second feature about the barriers to Black homeownership, and her new documentary short THE DADS, about six dads of trans and LGBTQ kids on a weekend fishing trip, premiered at SXSW 2023.

Previously, Luchina co-executive produced and co-wrote the critically acclaimed feature documentary BIRTHRIGHT: A WAR STORY, about the war on women’s reproductive health. It appeared in more than 70 theaters nationwide, qualified for Oscar consideration and streamed on Hulu. She has written and produced several nationally broadcast documentaries, including The American Presidency, with Bill Clinton. Her work has appeared on History, A&E, ESPN, ABC and Discovery and has been supported by Black Public Media, the Field Foundation, Firelight Media, National Endowment for the Humanities, Athena Film Festival, Brown Girl Doc Mafia, Sisters in Cinema, and the Queen Collective. Luchina is based in the New York City area and teaches documentary filmmaking at Yale.

Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America

(Tom Shepard, 2019)

Thu, FEB 27, 2020

7pm

The Loft Cinema / FREE

In Person: Joining Jen Gilomen, Producer and Director of Photography, for post-screening Q&A will be UA Professor of History Benjamin Lawrance, whose research focuses on migration.

Co-presented by Lesbian Looks

UNSETTLED tells the stories of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers who have fled intense persecution from their home countries and are now resettling in the U.S. As new leadership in America continues to demonize immigrants and drastically restrict the flow of refugees and asylum seekers into the U.S., UNSETTLED humanizes a group few people know, who are desperately trying to create new and safer homes.

UNSETTLED has been screened at over 40 film festivals, and won more than a dozen awards, including:
Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary, Outfest
New York Cinematography Awards, Best Cinematography
Impact Docs, Award of Excellence

“An engrossing study in human interest, as well as an empathetic look at the particular struggles of U.S. immigration in the new millennium”—Variety

“UNSETTLED reminds viewers that homosexuality is a crime in more than 70 countries, and is punishable by death in four. LGBT asylum claims began to rise during the Obama administration, but under President Trump — shown in the film signing his 2017 executive order to drastically curtail immigration — nearly 70% of all asylum claims are denied by the Department of Homeland Security, a historic low.”—San Francisco Chronicle

Review in Bay Area Reporter

»more info at the film website