Win-Mon is 19 years old. She loves film, dance, food, and philosophy. She teaches Theravada Buddhism to peers and younger kids at the Dhammanda Vihara Monastery. Through being active in the Burmese community, she encourages those of the younger generation to take on leadership roles in the Bay Area Burmese Community. This is her first year in BAVC’s Factory program and she hopes to become more skilled in the art film production. Win-Mon looks forward to expressing her innovative ideas with these new cinema skills.
Films include: Miles to Go
Michael is currently a junior at the Urban School of San Francisco. He enjoys creating movies without dialogue, relying on visuals to tell a story. Michael’s favorite aspect of filmmaking is cinematography, although he wants to explore other areas of film such as screenwriting and editing. He hopes to further develop his voice as a filmmaker and visual storyteller at BAVC. Michael also enjoys photography, theater, sports, video games, and great food.
Jane Huff is 17 and a senior at Berkeley High School. After spending her summer learning about filmmaking at Boston University, Jane decided that she wanted to pursue a career in film . This is her first time attending BAVC’s Factory program and she looks forward to exploring the world of cinema and social justice.
Films include: Miles to Go
Rachel Lin is 15; born in Japan, then raised for 10 years in Moraga, California. A sophomore at Campolindo High School, she has loved filmmaking from the age of 6. Rachel has attended many film classes, such as the Film Workshop, BAVC’s Factory Program, and the California State Summer School for the Arts. Rachel’s fascination with environmental documentaries and human nature has fueled her interest in documentary filmmaking. She is the only girl in her high school’s video production class and hopes to develop her leadership skills so she can become a film director.
Esteban Noyola is a junior at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley. He was born in Hayward and raised in Richmond, CA. This is Esteban’s first year in year in The Factory; he hopes to gain more knowledge about filmmaking. He’s inspired by film’s ability to move an audience. He looks forward to telling other people’s stories through film. He likes playing soccer, video games, and is involved in the community of Richmond through the Church.
Julia Retzlaff was born and raised in San Francisco and is currently a sophomore at Gateway high school. She worked with several youth media organizations in the Bay Area before joining BAVC’s Factory program. Julia loves to edit and direct movies, also occasionally writing music for her films, and hopes to turn filmmaking into a career. She enjoys movies, mosh pits, playing piano, and writing poetry and short fiction. Her aspirations include going to film school in New York and changing the way people think about the world around them.
Films include: Miles to Go
Jaison Cabebe is currently a senior at George Washington High School. He was born on July 20th, 1995, and has been a San Francisco local since he was four years old. This happens to be the exact same date that Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. He suspects that this may be why he is frequently called a “space cadet”. At a very young age, Jaison has wanted to create rich films with stories that involve tons of imagination, and tangible worlds where he can live and play in for the rest of his life. He made his first film in the third grade, on a camping trip with friends. It will never see the light of day. You may often find him doodling, day dreaming, getting into arguments with people, or playing drums on his hands.
Born and raised in the Bay Area, 17 year old Buffy Almendares has a deep interest in audio engineering and filmmaking. She is a senior at Burton High School, a peer mentor at BAVC, and on the Youth Advisory Board for the Main SFPL & for BAYMN. Â Buffy has an interest in pursuing entertainment law and building an organization that teaches media literacy and technology skills to youth in developing countries. She is a firm believer that media can be used as a platform to help communities amplify their voices.
Films include: Miles to Go
Lily Yu ,16, is a sophomore at Skyline High School in Oakland. She moved to Oakland from China when she was 7. She joined The Factory in December of 2011 where she created a music video “Limitations” with Moria Moore. During the summer, Lily worked with KQED and attended AFI Silverdocs, where she spoke on the American Graduate panel. Additionally, she enjoys playing jazz and with her cats. Lily plans on going to college to pursue filmmaking and directing.
Owen Smith-Clark is 17 years old who resides in Oakland, California. He is currently enrolled as a senior year at Lick-Wilmerding High School and hopes to study film in college. Owen enjoys cinematography, particularly how the manipulation of framing and lighting can influence storytelling. Additionally, Owen designs and prints t-shirts with business partners, Eric Look and Ben Knobel, at their small clothing company, Colossal SF.
