Filmmakers Collaborative –
FC Academy

Founded in 1987, Filmmakers Collaborative (FC) is a tax-exempt organization that sponsors and supports the independent media community through fiscal sponsorship and professional development and networking. It is the grantee of record for thousands of media projects across the country – from documentary and IMAX films to digital media and theatrical productions. As a member of FC’s board of directors, Anne Zeiser, Azure Media’s principal, was instrumental in expanding the organization’s reach beyond professional filmmakers to young people. FC viewed media literacy and filmmaking initiatives for young people as an essential tool for an informed and empowered citizenry in a modern world.

 

FC initiated this with a two-pronged plan, first creating The Boston International Kids Film Festival (BIKFF), a film festival “for kids, by kids, and about kids” enabling the next generation of filmmakers to realize the power and potential of media. The festival includes a weekend of workshops and screenings of family-friendly films – from full-length documentaries, animated shorts, and short films – both professionally and student-made, hailing from countries that span the globe. The second element is FC Academy, providing in-person filmmaking classes for students of all ages who want to flex their creative muscles and learn the art of filmmaking. FC Academy’s goal is to show kids that making a film can be a powerful way to tell a story, express emotions, state a point of view, and have fun.

 

Azure Media’s strategic planning helped expand FC Academy’s concept into a thriving program of after-school, school vacation weeks, and summer camps, with classes in filmmaking, animation, and stop motion. Young filmmakers participating in FC Academy are given center stage at BIKFF with special blocks throughout the festival weekend, as their short films are screened before family and friends. More than 2,000 students have participated in FC Academy, producing 150 short films from 40 cities and towns across Massachusetts. FC Academy is FC’s largest source of revenue, outpacing its earnings from fiscal sponsorship, and cementing the financial security of the non-profit organization.