The Big Picture Alliance

08/08/2025

We’re still on Cloud 9 following Big Picture Film Fest 2025! Thanks for sharing these moments with us, supporting our work, and celebrating our young filmmakers. So many great memories, we’re already nostalgic. With your support, we premiered 10 new films to an audience of over 250 people - uplifting the voices of over 100 youth and amplifying the work of our community partners. It was a moment to celebrate our youth as visionaries, professionals, and leaders - because when our young people are given a platform to be seen and heard, they thrive. 

This wouldn’t have been possible without supporters like you and our amazing community of youth, funders, partners, staff! We want to give a special shoutout to for providing the space and vibes, our special guest host, musical performer , and all of our staff and team members!

If you’re inspired, please consider donating or joining our BPA Film Fam monthly giving program, and continue to support year-round programs & events that reach hundreds of youth and community members.

Click the link in our bio for ways to contribute to our mission.

Community Partners:
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08/06/2025

This summer student in our Summer Teen Media program had a time and Big Pitch 2025 was no exception. Congrats to our youth filmmakers from the program for getting their films “greenlit” for production! Thanks to all of our industry panelists for participating in our Big Pitch event Groundfloor Studios last Friday! Big thanks to our panel of industry professionals Michael J. Dennis, Sloane Seale, Yasmine Carruthers, and Matthew Morris for all of your feedback, support, and inspiration!

The Summer Teen Media Program is a 6-week intensive where high school students from across Philadelphia collaborate on original films from script-to-screen.

Click here and join our mailing list to stay in the know about upcoming programs and opportunities. https://bit.ly/4hmVLdQ

08/01/2025

We’re ecstatic to announce the premiere of the second installment of our Neighborhood Voices series featuring The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment & Opportunity “Same Day Work and Pay” Program!

This incredible “Same Day Work and Pay” program invests in people experiencing economic instability, homelessness, and barriers to entering the workforce. In this episode, we dive into the program’s impact and how it meets people where they are and gives back to the community through the making of art, murals, and community clean up. The project features community “change makers” from the city of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment & Opportunity and Mural Arts’ Color Me Back program.

In 2024 alone, the Philadelphia Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity served 2,883 participants, helping them earn $905,000 in wages while completing 10,329 jobs.

Discover more about how you can be involved using the link in our bio!

Produced by Big Picture Productions and Chatterblast, this is yet another story that showcases the invaluable work being done by those who are shaping the future of our neighborhoods.

Check out the full video now and learn more about how Philly is helping people get paid and adding to the community one mural at a time! https://youtu.be/SmZ3IpaiOx0

This project is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. The William Penn Foundation provides lead support for Every Voice, Every Vote in 2024 and 2025 with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Comcast NBC Universal, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, and Philadelphia Health Partnership. To learn more about the project and view a full list of supporters, visit www.everyvoice-everyvote.org. Editorial content is created independently of the project’s donors.

Neighborhood Voices is a multimedia series uplifting the stories of community leaders, organizations, and businesses driving transformative change across Phi...

07/30/2025

COMING SOON! Neighborhood Voices Episode 2: “Same Day Work and Pay” with Office of Community Empowerment & Opportunity!

“Same Day Work and Pay” will premiere next week and showcase the creativity and resilience of the members in our neighborhoods experiencing housing insecurity and economic hardship as they participate in public art and service projects through programs like Color Me Back by !

This project is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote (), a collaborative project managed by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism (). The William Penn Foundation() provides lead support for Every Voice, Every Vote in 2024 and 2025 with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Comcast NBC Universal(), The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, and Philadelphia Health Partnership. To learn more about the project and view a full list of supporters, visit www.everyvoice-everyvote.org. Editorial content is created independently of the project’s donors.

07/24/2025

Cinemaniacs program. The application deadline is August 1st. Cinemaniacs is an after-school program where youth (ages 14-24) explore the role of cinema in their lives and society through watching and analyzing a diverse selection of historical and contemporary films. Youth develop a deeper understanding of the evolution and craft of filmmaking through screenings, activities and conversations with guest filmmakers. You won’t want to miss this opportunity.

SCHEDULE:
Wednesdays 4-6pm
FALL Sept 24 - Dec 3, 2025 (10 Sessions)
SPRING Jan 21 - March 25, 2026 (10 Sessions)

LOCATION:
Big Picture Alliance
GroundFloor Studios
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 133 Philadelphia, PA 19107

ELIGIBILITY:
Philadelphia youth ages 14-24

KEY DATES:
Applications Open: July 21st 2025
Applications Due: Aug 1st 2025
Student Orientation September 13th 2025

Space is limited, so please apply as soon as possible. https://www.bigpicturealliance.org/programs/

For further information, please reach out to [email protected]

07/23/2025

Apply Today! The application is now open for our Media Futures program (due August 1st). Media Futures is a 9-month paid digital media workforce program that supports youth (ages 18-24) towards pursuing careers in film & media. Youth gain 300+ hours of hands-on training, develop portfolio websites, learn business skills, attain industry certifications (Adobe Premiere), and produce a community-based documentary film under the mentorship of professionals. Alumni are then placed at 4-12 month paid apprenticeships with our film & media industry partners across Philadelphia. Alumni can also train towards becoming BPA teaching artists, staff, and freelancers with Big Picture Productions.

SCHEDULE:
Thursdays 9 am - 3 pm
September 18, 2025 - May 28, 2026
(Winter Break Dec 22 - Jan 9)

LOCATION:
Big Picture Alliance
GroundFloor Studios
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 133 Philadelphia, PA 19107

ELIGIBILITY:
Ages 18-24 (Philadelphia Resident)

KEY DATES:
Applications Open: July 21st, 2025
Applications Due: Aug 1st, 2025
Follow-up interviews: Thursday, August 28th (10 am - 12 pm & 3 -5 pm Slots)
Acceptance notifications: Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025
Student Orientation: September 13th, 2025

APPLICATION DUE: August 1st by 5 pm

Space is limited, so please apply as soon as possible.

Click here to apply! https://www.bigpicturealliance.org/programs/

07/22/2025

Apply Today! The application is now open for our Film Futures program (due August 1st). Film Futures is a 9-month paid fellowship where youth (ages 18-24) produce an original narrative film from script-to-screen under the mentorship of professionals. Through 200 hours of weekly hands-on workshops, youth learn screenwriting, cinematography, audio, acting, directing, and editing. In the fall, each participant develops a screenplay and pitches their film to a panel of industry professionals. One film is selected for production in the Spring, where participants delegate roles and collaboratively bring the film to life. The film premieres at the annual Big Picture Film Fest in June.

SCHEDULE:
Tuesdays 10am-3pm
Sept 16, 2024 - May 26, 2025
(Winter Break Dec 22 - Jan 9)

LOCATION:
Big Picture Alliance
GroundFloor Studios
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 133 Philadelphia, PA 19107

ELIGIBILITY:
Ages 18-24 (Philadelphia Resident)

KEY DATES:
Applications Open: July 26th, 2025
Application Due: August 1s,t 2025
Follow-up interviews: Aug 26 - 29 (TBD)
Acceptance notifications: Sept 2
BPA Orientation: SAT Sept 13, 1-4pm

APPLICATION DUE: August 1st by 5 pm

Space is limited, so please make sure to apply as soon as possible!

Click here to apply! https://www.bigpicturealliance.org/programs/

07/21/2025

Apply Today! The application is now open for our Via Lux Youth Media Collective program. The application deadline is August 1st. BPA’s Youth Media Collective is a 9-month paid fellowship that provides young people (ages 14-18) with access to a creative community and professional mentorship to develop their artistic practice, produce collaborative films, and explore career paths through weekly workshops. In the fall, youth develop fundamentals through producing their own short film from script-to-screen. In the spring, the collective produces a collaborative group film which premieres at the annual Big Picture Film Fest. Youth also have access to weekly open labs, mentorship sessions, and weekend workshops to support their artistic and professional development.

SCHEDULE:
Thursdays 4-6pm
FALL & SPRING | September 18, 2025 - May 28, 2026
(Winter Break Dec 22 - Jan 9)

LOCATION:
Big Picture Alliance
GroundFloor Studios
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 133 Philadelphia, PA 19107

ELIGIBILITY:
Philadelphia youth ages 14-18 (Philadelphia resident)

KEY DATES:
Applications Open: July 21st, 2025
Applications Due: August 1st, 2025
Follow-up interviews: Wednesday, August 27th (10 am - 12 pm & 3 -5 pm Slots)
Acceptance notifications: Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025
Student Orientation: September 13th, 2025

APPLICATION DUE: August 1st by 5 pm

Space is limited, so please make sure to apply as soon as possible!

Click here to apply! https://www.bigpicturealliance.org/programs/

07/17/2025

Support cinema for liberation! Join us, Blackstar Fest this July 31 – Aug 3 in person in Philadelphia or online around the globe for four days of ground-breaking films from Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists. We’re proud to be supporting as partners for the Dawning Shorts and Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab Films Shorts!

Click the link in our bio to check out the full schedule and get tickets to individual screenings or an all-access pass: blackstarfest.org/festival

07/06/2025

“Media Futures is really important to me because it focuses on community. Working with people and interviewing people, to be able to conduct interviews as an interviewer and to be on the camera side, it’s so nice to be a part of every single stage.” - Shaina George

We are beyond grateful and immensely proud of our students this year! Check out this yearbook video featuring interviews with directors from this year's films. They discussed their work and what it means to be supported by creative community. Together, we're cultivating the next generation of storytellers!

Want to watch their films?

Click here to watch the full Big Picture Film Fest 2025! https://bit.ly/4loFUgn

07/03/2025

Casting Call! We’re casting for the short narrative film “Now & Again” being produced by our own Nikki Harmon. The film is a black le***an sci-fi romance, where a random encounter with an old high school acquaintance compels college student and aspiring scientist, Kim, to harness a strange new ability in hopes that it will help her make a romantic connection.

Please email the following to [email protected]:
1) Name
2) Reel/ Headshot/ Resume/ Links to social media
3) The production shoots three days on a Thursday, Friday, & Saturday in Philadelphia in mid-August 2025. (exact details still TBD). One day is a night shoot.

Project Type: Student/ Non-Union; PAID

Submission deadline is July 10th! Questions about the casting call? Reach out to [email protected].

07/01/2025

Don’t miss ‘Searching For The Songs Of Wanaragua,’ a Documentary Screening with Director Eli LaBan (). Join us for a special screening and Q&A session with filmmaker Eli LaBan, as he shares the journey of recording traditional Garifuna music in Honduras to help preserve the Garifuna language and cultural heritage.

Thursday, July 17, 2025
6:30pm – 8pm

LOCATION:
GroundFloor Studios ()
1315 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Click the link in our bio to RSVP!

Space is limited—please fill out the RSVP form to save your spot!

Suggested Donation: $15

Your contribution supports the project’s continuation. Donations can be made via:
– Venmo:
– Cash App: $elilaban

Bring your curiosity and questions for an inspiring Q&A!

For more details, email: [email protected]