
Estate of SF State alum and renowned lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer matches grant challenge from Jonathan Logan Family Foundation to support LGBTQ Cinema students and programming
“LGBTQ students need to see themselves reflected on screen and in all their work...Hammer's work was groundbreaking and now the Cinema Studies program and Queer Cinema Project provide spaces for students to make the work that reflects them and that is supported by the University.”—Florrie Burke, Executor of Barbara Hammer Estate
"The Barbara Hammer Award and the challenge grant fit within her vision of encouraging other artists and filmmakers,” Burke said. “The School of Cinema and the Queer Cinema Project are vital parts of the University. To support them is an honor and a testament to the beginning of Barbara Hammer’s long career.”
The combined donations will fund screenings and events with visiting queer filmmakers, the promotion of QCP’s online platform for student films, yearlong mentorship cohorts and the annual Hammer Award, a $1,000 scholarship.
“Even in 2021, it’s tough to be queer. We almost always grow up in heterosexual families, many of whom are not supportive of us,” said Associate Professor Johnny Symons, director of the Queer Cinema Project. “By making films, students learn to tell their own stories in authentic ways. Finding your voice is empowering. QCP helps those student films find larger audiences, which advances the careers of the makers and inspires other young queer people to tell their own stories, too. It’s a critical cycle for expanding equity among young queer people and showing non-queer people the complexity and nuances of our lives.”
While LGBTQ students have long excelled in SF State’s School of Cinema, they have elevated their game through QCP. Students have made more than 80 LGBTQ films since the project’s founding in 2015, winning three Princess Grace Awards and many honors at professional film festivals. In 2019, three newly minted MFA alumnae — all lesbians — secured full-time tenure-track faculty positions immediately upon graduation.
“For a such vulnerable art as filmmaking, having a space like QCP is integral to the success of LGBTQ filmmakers,” Taborga said.
To make a donation to the Queer Cinema Project, complete the online form or contact Amanda Todd in the Office of University Development at amandatodd@sfsu.edu or (415) 405-3827.
Founded in 2015 to provide mentorship to LGBTQ student filmmakers, the School of Cinema’s Queer Cinema Project is a creative hub for queer storytelling. It helps bring to light new and meaningful films portraying the beauty and complexity of LGBTQ experiences. Unique among film programs worldwide, the project provides students with funding for productions, connections to community resources, a regional and global platform for their work and an annual screening of student films.
Jonathan Logan Family Foundation
The Jonathan Logan Family Foundation supports organizations that advance social justice by empowering world-changing work in investigative journalism, documentary film and arts and culture.
For More Information, Contact
Amanda Todd
Director of Development
(Creative Arts)
College of Liberal & Creative Arts
Email: amandatodd@sfsu.edu
Phone: (415) 405-3827