Albany FilmFest is excited and honored to be able to showcase the work of Bay Area women filmmakers for the second consecutive year, particularly in this moment when women filmmakers in Hollywood are speaking loud and clear. Once again, we are so impressed by the  range of issues (gentrification and displacement, women construction workers in Burma, LGBT relationships, Down syndrome, and even the afterlife), genres, and breadth of these films and filmmakers. We look forward to discussion and audience interaction after the screening.

Saturday, March 25 at 10am
Albany Twin Theater
1115 Solano Ave, Albany, CA 94706

About the filmmaker: Dana Nachman
Dana Nachman is an award-winning filmmaker of both fiction and documentary films. Nachman’s 2018 feature documentary Pick of the Litter was sold within 48 hours of its premiere at the Slamdance festival and will be released later this year by IFC’s Sundance Selects label.

WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Directed by Pam Uzzell
Documentary Short
When artist Mildred Howard, daughter of legendary Berkeley activist Mable Howard, loses her South Berkeley home due to soaring rental prices, it costs Berkeley a piece of its history and its legacy. This story of an African American family illuminates both personal power to create possibilities in adversity, and the broader issue of gentrification and a housing crisis that threatens a community’s diversity.

About the filmmaker: Pam Uzzell
Pam Uzzell is a producer and editor specializing in documentaries and video content.  Her documentary feature, Unearthing the Dream,  featured on AETN, Arkansas’ public television network, won best documentary at the Arkansas Black Independent Film Festival, as well as an Indie Award of Merit. Video content clients are non-profits, local artists, community organizations, unions, art museums and more. Skills include Adobe Creative Suite, Avid, and FCPX.

SO MUCH YELLOW
Directed by Erica Milsom
Narrative Short
Inspired by true stories, the film explores the impressionistic nature of memories about institutionalization and loss in a family, particularly among siblings where one child has Down syndrome.

About the filmmaker: Erica Milsom
A filmmaker working on both independent and commercial projects originating in the San Francisco Bay Area, Erica brings boundless curiosity and a streamlined narrative sensibility to all her work.

THE CONSTRUCT:
FEMALE LABORERS AND THE FIGHT FOR EQUALITY
Directed by Jalena Keane-Lee
Documentary Short
An exploration of gender inequality and rapid change in Burma through the eyes of a human rights activist and a young female day laborer.

About the filmmaker Jalena Keane-Lee
Jalena Keane-Lee is a filmmaker and the Co-Founder of Blue Peel Productions, an all-female video production team. Originally from Berkeley, California, Keane-Lee passionate about empowering women and girls around the world through innovating and engaging documentary and narrative film.

ENCUENTRO
Directed by Florencia Manóvil
Narrative Short
When Claudia meets another Latino women in bar, the encounter leaves her with a new perspective.

About the filmmaker Florencia Manóvil
Florencia Manóvil is a feminist filmmaker passionate about independent film, social justice, environmentalism, and queer identities.
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Florencia moved to the U.S. at the age of 18 to pursue film studies, eventually settling in the San Francisco Bay Area after living in Boston and New York for several years. A translator and subtitler, writer, filmmaker and mother, Florencia is committed to bringing underrepresented communities to the screen, as well as showcasing Oakland and the Bay Area at large.