Central Valley women can apply for free documentary film program. Applications due soon

Laura S. Diaz
·2 min read

Women are invited to apply to a rare and unique opportunity not frequently found in the Central Valley.

Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC), a Fresno-based nonprofit organization helping people access and teaching communities about multimedia, is hosting its first-ever EmpowHERd Voices documentary filmmaking program, inviting women ages 18 and older from Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Madera, Merced, or Mariposa counties to apply.

The application is free, no CMAC membership is required, and those interested can apply as many times as they want (each application should be for a different film concept). There is no prior filmmaking experience required, and the final shorts will be publicly screened in the summer.

Fresno State does offer documentary and narrative filmmaking classes through its Mass Communication and Journalism bachelor’s degree Film and Media Arts option. Fresno City College offers seven types of film classes – introduction to film, introduction to screenwriting, two history options, film and culture, genres, digital filmmaking – according to its 2023-2024 course catalog.

Though these film classes are also offered in Fresno, they are not free or as short of a program like this opportunity CMAC is offering women.

Through nine weeks, 10 selected participants will receive training, guidance and support to share stories about women in their communities through 5-minute documentary films. Selected applicants will be notified on April 1 and the cohort’s first meeting will be on Saturday, April 6.

Fresno-based nonprofit organization Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC) is launching its first-ever EmpowHERd Voices program, a nine-week documentary filmmaking seminar for women in the Central Valley.
Fresno-based nonprofit organization Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC) is launching its first-ever EmpowHERd Voices program, a nine-week documentary filmmaking seminar for women in the Central Valley.

CMAC’s program website reads EmpowHERd Voices is specifically for the production of new, non-fictional material and will not accept completed films or work that has been publicly viewed.

“You may use footage that you already have on hand, but the film itself must have been completed for EmpowHERd Voices this year,” CMAC states.

Per CMAC, the selected participants will be required to:

  • Meet deadlines set by the teaching artist regarding scripts, production schedules, rough drafts, etc.

  • Present rough cuts and participate in weekly mentoring sessions.

  • Work on their documentaries on their own schedule.

  • Submit your final film to CMAC by the established deadline.

The application deadline is Monday, March 25. Those interested can apply online through CMAC’s website, cmac.tv/empowherd.

If you have more questions, CMAC is also hosting two Question-and-Answer sessions:

  • Tuesday, March 12 at 6 p.m., online via Zoom. You can get the meeting link by registering through CMAC’s website, cmac.tv/empowherd.

  • Saturday, March 16 at 1 p.m., in person at CMAC’s offices in downtown Fresno, 1555 Van Ness Avenue, Suite #201. You can also register online to attend.