Edwin Filmmaker

12/04/2025

12/03/2025

Are you a Frontera Filmmaker in San Diego or Tijuana? Are you a student at The Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts? Are you an alumni of MACSD education programs? Do you have a big idea or film project in development and are looking for the tools and methods to pitch and share your idea? 

Join Robie Flores and the education team at Media Arts Center San Diego for an incredible, in-depth free Masterclass at the Digital Gym Cinema. This workshop will dive into the methodologies of fundraising including creating decks, pitching, and beginning to share your story. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge and connect with fellow filmmakers from the region around San Diego. Reserve one of the 40 available slots today!

–Free rsvp now, limited seating–
https://forms.gle/QYBohKEMEQ69UXdv5

Robie Flores is a filmmaker and editor drawn to telling stories that explore the nuances of her fronterizo and Mexican-American communities. Her first feature, The In Between, which received support from Ford Foundation and ITVS among others, had its world premiere at SXSW 2024 and its European premiere at FilmFest München. It is now streaming on PBS. Her other work has been presented on CNN, Bloomberg, Independent Lens, BET, Fusion and Teen Vogue.

The In Between
Sat, Mar 22nd, 6:30 PM @ AMC Mission Valley - Screen 2

Following her brother’s death, filmmaker Robie Flores returns home to the Texas-Mexico border. Dancing playfully between personal and collective coming-of-age experiences, Robie rediscovers the possibilities of joy in the aftermath of grief, while offering a nuanced and unexpected portrait of the border.

–Free rsvp now, limited seating–
https://forms.gle/QYBohKEMEQ69UXdv5

12/03/2025

Have you made a film and are wondering what to do next? Are you curious about the film festival submission process? And, after you’ve been accepted to a film festival, are you invested in maximizing your impact through your screenings? Do you want to learn more about filmmaking grants?

Join us for an exciting free workshop where industry leaders Ximena Amescua (Firelight Media) and Samuel Douek (Hola México Film Festival) will demystify the film submission process and discuss strategies filmmakers can implement to create a big impact through film festival screenings and beyond… plus get an inside look at how grants can assist filmmakers with both  production and distribution needs! This discussion will be moderated by the San Diego Latino Film Festival’s Artistic Director, María Paula Lorgia.   

—Free rsvp now, limited seating—

https://forms.gle/ENJGEBTXCWLUe9fY9

Ximena Amescua Cuenca currently works as the Senior Manager of Grantmaking at Firelight Media, a nonprofit supporting nonfiction filmmakers of color in the United States and Latin America. In this role, she manages Firelight Media’s grant-making initiatives, which include the William Greaves Research & Development Fund for mid-career BIPOC filmmakers in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. 

Samuel Douek is the founder & director of the Hola Mexico Film Festival, the largest Mexican Film Festival outside of Mexico. The festival takes place yearly in Los Angeles, bringing more than 10,000 people a year with 40+ films, many of them doing premieres. The festival is attended by the biggest celebrities from Mexico including directors, actors and producers.

08/03/2025

17 short documentaries in 6 weeks! The quality is through the roof 🔥 A huge congratulations to our students and a big thank you to for making this possible. Check out the films in the link on the comments!

03/02/2025

The grassroots movement “A Day Without Immigrants” — Monday, February 3, 2025 aims to demonstrate immigrants’ essential role in the U.S. economy.
The campaign calls for participation in this peaceful demonstration: Let’s raise our voices for our rights and our families. We are essential; we are strong; we are a community. Our strength is in our unity.
Do not work Do not shop. Do not send children to school.

22/01/2025

22/01/2025

Ready for war 🫶🏾😂 (sorry figuring this out as I go 🤙🏾)

20/06/2024

Proud to share my students won both finalist awards including BEST SHORT FILM and SPIRIT OF THE BORDER as well as a cash price at the Short-Fest Binational Film Festival for Emerging Filmmakers. The Young Producers Accelerator Program which I lead will open applications for a new batch of filmmakers this Fall! Congratulations .shcastro and to the actors as well as .cecil93 and for their nomination. Thanks and for making our programs possible as well as to the US and Mexican Embassies, film festival organizers for their inaugural event.

14/06/2024

FINALIST for the Binational Filmmaker Short Fest in Mexico! Super excited to share TWO of my student’s films will be screening at Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT) next Tuesday. They are up for cash award and competing against two more films. El Otro Lado “The Other Side” directed by Angel Gomez was produced as part of our Young Producers Accelerator Program and “Punk’s Not Dead” directed by Cecil Fennie and Carlos Olvera was produced during our Workforce Development Initiative training. A huge thanks for and San Diego City Libraries for making this possible!

23/05/2024

A huge congratulations to one of my hardest working students .berkowitz and her team for being admitted to the Kids First! Film Festival and for screening at the San Diego Latino Film Festival as well! Very proud of your accomplishments and go-getter attitude. Stay awesome Emily! Thank you and education team for making this possible.

16/05/2024

Awesome news! Our non-profit, Media Arts Center San Diego, has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts () for a “Grants for Arts Projects” award of $25,000. This grant will support the Young Producers Accelerator Program. # YOU for your much-needed support & be sure to sign up for our filmmaking workshops throughout the year - https://mediaartscenter.org/education/

14/05/2024

Nice time catching up with the Buenpaso boys on a Tuesday. .burns

27/04/2024

Excited to share that two short-films by the Young Producer’s Accelerator Program were nominated for the 2024 San Diego Film Awards 🎉🎉🎉

The final winners will be announced on June 22nd, 2024 at The Museum Of Photographic Arts as well as on live on KPBS

El Otro Lado, “The Other Side” Directed by Angel Gomez nominated for:
Spirit of San Diego
Best Student Film
First Time Filmmaker
Best Young Actor

Forever, co-directed by Rosemary Bailey and JD Martin nominated for:
Best short-documentary

Congratulations as well to all of our students involved including Joshua Castro, Walter Gutierrez, Cesaire Carrol-Dominguez, Emilie Berkowitz.

Check out the announcement here:
https://fb.watch/rGx55uI85j/

Thank you Media Arts Center San Diego, Teen Producers Project at the Media Arts Center San Diego for making this possible!

28/11/2023

All of the awesome work I get to do with our young aspiring filmmakers wouldn’t be possible without the support of our San Diego community. This , please consider donating to the Media Arts Center San Diego (MACSD)!

MACSD is a 501(c)(3) organization whose vision is to change lives and perspectives through MEDIA ARTS.

Your generous donation would allow MACSD to:
*Continue offering life-changing educational filmmaking initiatives and scholarships
* Produce the San Diego Latino Film Festival, giving visibility to Latinx creatives and their stories
* Manage San Diego’s last independent art-house cinema, the Digital Gym Cinema
* Create content for local partners
+ and SO MUCH MORE!

Please use this link to donate: https://www.mightycause.com/story/Macsd

Thank you for your consideration and generosity! Stay awesome 😁

05/10/2023

Another successful premier of 18 short-documentaries at the Digital Gym Cinema thanks to the Media Arts Center San Diego and the San Diego Central Library. All of this content is produced by young filmmakers from SD. Our trainees go on to receive $550 and a guaranteed paid internship. My role is to train them with all of the equipment, Edith g and ultimately producing a short-film. Checkout their projects here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFa3y2zo0MstzyDml3qt0lV5RNflma267&feature=shared