Banner Photo: Juan Jose Urrea, CINE 25: Narrative Filmmaking
Cinema Department Alumni
Are you a recent graduate of CCSF Cinema and recently landed a job or transferred to a 4-year institution?
Joe Talbot
"Had I never gone to City, I probably never would have had that inspiration, and I don’t even know if I would have made the movie.”
Director of The Last Black Man in San Francisco and winner of the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival
Tina Takemoto
“I returned to school in hopes of gaining specific filmmaking skills. The Cinema Department not only gave me the hands-on experience I was seeking, it also opened my eyes to entirely new approaches to experimental filmmaking that have transformed my practice.”
Visual Artist & Associate Professor at CCA
Muayad Alayan
“Looking back at the path I walked and continue to pursue in my film career, I feel blessed to be an alumnus of the CCSF Cinema Department. Getting an education in a very immersive, collaborative and grassroots environment was crucial to acquiring the necessary knowledge and inspiration which helped me in overcoming the challenges and obstacles that I faced and continue to face as an independent filmmaker.”
Internationally-recognized Feature Filmmaker
Paige Bierma
“I was looking to transition from a career in print journalism and writing to documentary and video production. While I considered applying to programs at State or UC schools, I had heard that CCSF’s Cinema Department was not only top-notch but also affordable. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven in David Brown’s Documentary Filmmaking class, in which he brought in successful filmmakers to screen their latest work and then opened the floor to students to ask the filmmakers questions. You just don’t get that kind of access in most college courses; take advantage of it!”
Emmy Award-winning Filmmaker
Carla Orendorff
“Having the opportunity to work with a 16mm Bolex was the start of a life-long love affair with shooting film. No other program that I know of gives you that kind of access right off the bat. The teachers in Cinema are among the most generous and knowledgeable people I’ve ever met. They go above and beyond for their students and have given me so much mentorship in documentary and experimental film. Since graduating, I have worked with non-profit arts organizations as a video instructor. My students are interested in media production, but are discouraged by the cost of private film schools. I tell them that they have access to one of the best film schools in the country, and it's free.”
Media Educator at PBS Newshour
John Ayon
“The Cinema Department is the place that gave me the opportunity, confidence, and atmosphere for growth that helped me develop an ethic for learning and hard work and find my voice as a filmmaker. The faculty here take pride in their students’ abilities to deliver quality work. I will always count CCSF as the primary incubator for my current work as a filmmaker and editor.”
Independent Filmmaker
Davide Bursa
“My experience in film at City College provided knowledge fundamental for working in the film industry. From technical concepts to working together as a unit, my training made a difference before I even stepped on a film set. Today I’m an established 1st unit grip working in film, television, documentary, and commercial projects.”
Grip
Israel Perez
“I always enjoyed the rich diversity of people one meets at City College; namely, people from different parts of the world and their unique ways of approaching things. I’m greatly indebted to the teachers in the Cinema Department, without whom I would have never discovered the possibilities of what I could become.”
Documentary Filmmaker & Commercial Photographer