Filmmaking is hard work. That’s the main lesson I walked away with after a year and half of working with the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) to write and direct my first short film. For over ten years, QWOCMAP’s been offering free video production classes to women of color in the Bay Area, and for the past seven those projects have been featured at the Queer Women of Color Film Festival. 

Held this year at San Francisco’s Brava Theater June 10-12, the festival is a rare and important space for filmmakers, allies and communities to build bonds and work magic. We all know that Hollywood’s not a hospitable place for most folks who aren’t white, especially if you’re a woman and queer and of color.

This year’s festival will showcase 38 new films and focus on everything from hilarious stories of roommate love triangles to harrowing tales of overcoming mental illness. There’s also a Saturday afternoon panel called "Thinkers and Troublemakers" with poet Jewelle Gomez, activist Ericka Huggins, Pratibha Parmar, Canyon Sam and Olga Talamante. 

And the best part? It’s totally free of charge, including the food. So if you’re in the Bay Area this weekend, go ahead and check it out. And come to say hi while you’re at it. More details here.

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