A Space to See Ourselves: BGDM at the William + Louise Greaves Seminar

This March, a group of Brown Girls Doc Mafia members gathered at Stanford University for the William + Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, a three-day convening designed for Black, Brown and Indigenous artists working across cinematic forms. Hosted in partnership with the Institute for Diversity in the Arts, the seminar offered an intimate space to explore craft, engage in critical conversations and connect with a community of filmmakers committed to pushing the boundaries of storytelling.

Through BGDM, members were able to attend the seminar and immerse themselves in an environment intentionally built for reflection, experimentation and exchange. Over the course of the weekend, participants explored the technical and creative aspects of media-making while engaging in honest conversations about the challenges and possibilities within their work.

What emerged was not just a deeper understanding of craft, but a renewed sense of purpose, connection and belonging. Below are reflections from the Mafiosxs who attended.

Jennifer Huang

Director, Editor, Producer, Writer

The seminar really expanded my perspectives on how to think about making and seeing images, and how meaning is made, interpreted, and passed on. It was illuminating to hear how leading filmmakers are thinking about their work as a response and a redirection from dominant and oppressive narratives. Moving forward, this will inform and challenge my own work.

The session with Ben Caldwell will stay with me for a long time. His ability to work across genres and technologies, from experimental 8 mm film to a community-building app (I think on public transportation?) was a huge reminder that so many of the limitations I feel are self-imposed.

Chinaka Hodge was a great way to end the weekend. Often I feel wrung out by the last talk, but her session was energetic, interactive, funny and informative. I really appreciated her vulnerability about working in Hollywood as a poet, mother, and a Black woman.

I want to give a special shout out to the team that did the Impact Through A Disability Justice Lens. Their work collaborating and taking care of participants with intention and putting accessibility at the forefront was both inspiring and actionable. Because I am in the beginning stages of our impact strategizing, I will be able to implement my learnings in the next few weeks and beyond.

And though it’s often said, the community and conversations that happened between sessions were equally meaningful. With so many challenging ideas being presented, it was invaluable to be able to exchange thoughts, clarify, and gain further perspectives.

Thanks so much for this unique opportunity!

Ari Ali

Creative Producer, Director, Post-Production Supervisor

The W&L Greaves seminar was amazing. I'm deep in the research and development phase of a project and needed to be around community, be intellectually stimulated and inspired to keep diligently chipping away. It was a much needed refresh.

A few of us got an airbnb together and spent some quality time with each other. I attached a photo of us outside our little home.

Thank you for the opportunity and I hope we get to meet in person someday.

Sarah Oberholtzer

Writer/Director/Producer

Largely thanks to Brown Girls Doc Mafia, I was able to attend Blackstar's 2026 William and Louise Greaves Seminar at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. The opportunity provided me the opportunity to connect with other filmmakers of color, learn from incredible workshops, and engage in a thoughtful reflection on the power of films and especially documentaries. During my first day, the seminar presented a Producer's Commentary by Onye Anyanwu, lead Producer for the hybrid doc BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions. This moment stands out to me as one of my most memorable experiences during the weekend. The seminar had offered a glimpse into the creative process for a film that continues to inspire me in its ability to shift form from documentary to narrative to archival documentation. While my own film does not include the archive, I found the talk incredibly informative around the time and precision it takes to create such an impactful work of art.

One of the second most impactful experiences at the seminar would have to be a workshop I attended by Tibetan-American filmmaker Tenzin Phuntsog entitled “The Image That Eludes the Conscious Mind.” The experience was incredibly exploratory and thought provoking as we collectively workshopped moments of our films without external pressures to conform to one way of seeing/creating content. Throughout the rest of the week, I got to attend shorts screenings, networking gatherings, and more engagements that have all stuck with me as I develop and build my own creative process as a filmmaker.

Thank you again!

L Miller

The three days of the W & L Seminar were more affirming than the 3 years of film school I did. When I expressed that during one of the Q&As, many participants clapped, and a few came up to me afterward to tell me how much that resonated with them. It was a shared feeling: the validation and capacity to "see ourselves" in each other is something that will sustain me for many years to come. The weekend had its drawbacks; some speakers were more compelling than others, and the jam-packed schedule forced a choice between missing a session or missing the crisp sunshine and beautiful greenery outside. The best parts were the moments in between: the hallway conversations after a particularly moving session, the eyerolls and raised eyebrows at a wild comment during Q&A, and sharing meals with strangers who became friends. I'm forever grateful for this experience and am excited to be in similar spaces again soon.

BGDM is proud to support members in accessing opportunities like this, where filmmakers can deepen their practice, build lasting relationships and be affirmed in their work.