Help us support the next generation of filmmakers by providing them with the tools and resources they need to create a career in the film industry.
Support the Future Voices of Film
Help us continue providing life-changing opportunities for female-identifying filmmakers from Chicago's public housing community. After years of essential support, we need $25K to sustain our year-round outreach in 2026.
The Impact of Your Support
A few years ago, local nonprofit Elevated Films Chicago stepped in to supplement our highly acclaimed "Become a Filmmaker" summer program by providing essential support for year-round outreach. We've recently learned that they will not have the capacity to sustain this funding in 2026.
These funds directly benefit female-identifying filmmakers from Chicago's public housing community, providing access, exposure, and experiences that are often out of reach—and truly life-changing.
Access the industry
- • Submit films to and attend prestigious festivals like NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth) in Seattle where they connect with inspiring directors such as Raven Jackson (All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt).
- • Serve as jurors at Chicago's CineYouth and receive real-world insight from the head programmer on how festivals operate.
- • Participate in technical workshops with industry professionals, including cinematographer, Ashley Battle.
- • Attend Chicago International Film Festival screenings and filmmaker conversations, most recently Kevin Shaw's One Golden Summer.
Experience culture & storytelling at the highest level
- • Attend world-class performances like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Tina Turner: The Musical.
- • Engage in powerful talkbacks for films such as Ava DuVernay's Origin via NEON and ARRAY.
- • Act as Sundance Ambassadors with mentorship from Chaz Ebert's team on writing thoughtful film criticism.
- • Screen Rita Coburn's historical masterpieces on Black visionaries (Maya Angelou, Marian Anderson) followed by private talks sharing hard-won industry wisdom.
See themselves on real sets
- • Go on VIP set tours such as Jordan Peele's Candyman (Monkeypaw Productions), where they met director Nia DaCosta and actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
- • Get recruited by their DePaul mentors to work on their films.
Receive mentorship & tangible opportunity
- • Gain guidance submitting work to contests like The Better Angels Society Next Generation Film Contest, which awards cash prizes.
- • Speak on panels and network with Chicago's filmmaking community through Cinema Femme.
Ways to Give
Choose a giving level that works for you. Every contribution helps shape the future of filmmaking.
Industry Partner
Join four other individuals or corporate sponsors to fully fund our 2026 outreach
Creative Champion
Support multiple students throughout the year with essential opportunities
Filmmaker Friend
Help fund festival attendance and industry workshops for our students
One Generous Donor
A single donation of $25,000 would fully fund our 2026 outreach program and ensure these life-changing opportunities continue for aspiring female filmmakers.
Donate $25,000Custom amount? Choose your own donation amount
BECOME A FILMMAKER
PROGRAM MODEL
Demographic
- Female-identifying Youth
- Chicago Housing Authority Residents
- Ages 15-23
Six-Week Filmmaking Intensive
- 2 weeks story development & film training
- 2 weeks film production
- 2 weeks post-production
"To educate girls is to reduce poverty."Kofi Annan
Through two lenses—the lens of a camera and the lens of their life experiences—students gain technical filmmaking skills and learn the power of their personal narratives.
A Partnership Program
The Become a Filmmaker program is a collaborative initiative bringing together community resources, academic excellence, and creative expertise.
Chicago Housing Authority
Springboard to Success
Summer Program Funding
DePaul University
School of Cinematic Arts
College of Computing and Digital Media
Academic Mentorship
Classrooms
Editing Labs
Film Eequipment
Elevated Films Chicago
Year-long Outreach Funding
Production Support
Film Mentorship
Screenings
This unique collaboration operates through DePaul’s in-kind donations of classrooms, editing labs, and equipment. The remaining summer program budget is provided by CHA and their nonprofit partner, Springboard to Success.
In 2021, Elevated Films Chicago joined forces to extend access to filmmaking as both an artistic and economic pathway for CHA youth. Our support provides year-round film screenings, mentorship, networking opportunities and exposure to Chicago's premier arts and culture.
- Hair as Self-expression
- Gun Violence
- Bullying
- Single Parenting
- Teen Pregnancy
- Homelessness
- LGBTQ Mental Health
- Southside Pride
- Surviving Drug Addiction
- Reproductive Rights
- Black-owned Restaurants
- Black Girl Joy
- Social Media's Effect on Self Esteem
- Lack of Translators at Doctors Offices
- Materialism
- Code Switching
- Rape Culture
- Objectification of Black Women & Girls
Become a Filmmaker Youth Films
View on Vimeo
CHA/DePaul Highlights Video
2018
A behind-the-scenes peek at our three DePaul/CHA Youth programs: Documentary Filmmaking for Girls, Game & Graphic Design, and Screenwriting. Take a look inside…
I Am Not Your Token
2023
Ebony Hendrix is a 16-year-old, preppy Black girl attempting to assimilate to her predominantly white high school. She struggles to find her identity in her popular…
Birthday
2017
In "Birthday," four teen girls explore the topic of homelessness through the eyes of a man who shares his firsthand account of living on the streets. By…
Phenomenally Me
2018
Four African American teen girls from Chicago explore the power of hair in shaping their identity, expressing their creativity, and building their confidence. Faculty…
Taste of 75th
2019
A short film celebrating famous eats on Chicago's South Side featuring Brown Sugar Bakery, Original Soul Vegetarian and Mabe's Deli. Filmmaker Mentor:…
So There's This Girl
2024
In this short film written and directed by Isis Gullette, a Black queer teen struggles to admit the truth of her feelings to her best friend before they leave for…
Code Switchin'
2023
This short documentary explores the meaning and effects of code switching on communities of color. Faculty Mentor: James Choi | Grad Student Mentor: Jaden Duenas…
Rise Up
2016
This powerful short documentary follows four teen girls who have been personally affected by violence in Chicago. In telling their intimate stories their wish is…
Filmmaker Mentor to Youth Ratio
Our two tier mentorship model allows youth to learn from their peers (college students) and award-winning film professionals. For our graduate students, it's an enrichment opportunity where they intimately learn about challenges facing minority youth in Chicago.
WHAT WE NEED MOST.
A sustainable & efficient funding source so we can focus on expansion and growth versus constant fundraising.
Program History
Since 2016, the Become a Filmmaker youth program, an intensive six-week summer documentary filmmaking course, has provided underserved youth with new economic pathways and the tools to share their voices with the world. The program, a partnership made possible by the Chicago Housing Authority's nonprofit partner Springboard to Success and DePaul University's School of Cinematic Arts, part of the College of Computing and Digital Media, has helped participants gain technical filmmaking skills and learn the power of their personal narratives. In the past six years since the program's inception, the short films have screened and won awards at film festivals across the globe.