The Nevada City Film Festival Filmmaker Residency is borne out of the fun, nurturing and artist-friendly values of the Nevada City Film Festival. We aim to provide nourishment and inspiration to diverse filmmakers amidst the beauty and quiet of Nevada City and Grass Valley along with further enriching the area’s artistic offerings and its world-class creative community with the active presence of these filmmakers.

The aim of the Residency is to create a first-of-its kind, industry-leading creative retreat for independent producers. The Residency set a new precedent in 2019 by turning the creative spotlight onto independent producers. The Residency continues to build upon our founding intention of supporting Native and Asian American storytellers to pay tribute to Nevada City's less visible histories, the Nisenan tribe and Asian immigrants.

SUPER RAD & TALENTED, the official podcast of the Nevada City Film Festival: The Adventures of Super Producer Karin Chien (September 11, 2020)

THE UNION: Nevada City Film Festival Highlights Filmmaker Residency (August 12, 2019) by Jennifer Nobles

FILMMAKER MAGAZINE: Independent Producers Unplug at the Nevada City Film Festival Filmmaker Residency (October 21, 2019) by Scott Macaulay

About Nevada City and Grass Valley...

Located at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, surrounded by the Tahoe National Forest and the wild and scenic Yuba River, are the beautifully preserved historic towns of Nevada City and Grass Valley.

Steeped in history and with the most famous gold-mining district in California, Nevada City and Grass Valley experienced a “cultural revolution” that has reshaped the local economy and continues to influence the statewide arts scene. Starting in the ’60s, Beat Generation and deep ecology poet Gary Snyder, singer Utah Phillips, and a host of authors and musicians settled here. Now, for more than 50 high-tech companies – including a virtual and augmented reality hub – creativity occurs in peaceful, natural environments far from major urban centers.

Between them, Nevada City and Grass Valley are home to the Nevada Theatre, the oldest theater in California, and more than 100 arts-related organizations producing upwards of 1,000 events a year, scores of annual festivals, street fairs, art walks and studio tours, and a generous base ofartists and makers. As well as for its arts, the district is known for its expanding vineyards, wineries, and tasting rooms, and a trail network of outstanding natural beauty. The Nisenan lived in the region for thousands of years as part of a perfectly balanced ecosystem, thriving on the Yuba, Bear, and American river watersheds – and, over time, their sacred places are being rediscovered and cherished.

Interested producers, institutions and organizations are invited to contact Residency Director, Karin Chien at karinc@gmail.com.