Multicultural Affairs
In 2001, the Greater Philadelphia Film Office became the first and only Film Commission in the country to launch an initiative to engage local filmmakers from diverse backgrounds. Through this program, production in the local filmmaking community has increased with a more centralized and diversified network, and multicultural filmmakers have been exposed to new and critical information about the business of filmmaking.
The GPFO is committed to encouraging diversity in filmmaking locally through outreach, research and workforce development. The mission of the Multicultural Affairs Department is to identify unique barriers of entry for filmmakers and crew within undeserved and underrepresented ethnic and social groups; to work within these communities and help cultivate tangible career paths; to build awareness, within diverse communities, about government incentives and the benefits of filming in the Greater Philadelphia region.
Recent programming includes a screening of the film “Praying with Lior,” a wonderful and under-seen documentary that showcases a boy living with Down syndrome who exuberantly embraces his upcoming Bar Mitzvah while dealing with a great family loss. The director and a cast member were in attendance and hosted an entertaining audience Q & A. We hosted “A Conversation with Tanya Hamilton.” Tanya is a local filmmaker whose film, “Night Catches Us,” a 1970’s period piece about the Black Panthers, has received rave festival reviews. The “conversation” which addressed grassroots filmmaking was conducted by our marketing & multicultural affairs director. Also, GPFO continues to serve as the fiscal sponsor for the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.
For more information about the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, Multicultural Affairs, contact Nicole Giles at 215-686-2668 or e-mail nicoleg@film.org.
Please check back soon for updates and new information.
