Empowering a New Generation: The Emerging Filmmakers Program Launches in Washington

Citizen Screen is a monthly column dedicated to film and film-related topics, sourced and curated by Port Townsend Film Festival. This month’s column is by Rachel Noll James of Emergence Films.

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The 2025 cohort for the Emerging Filmmaker Program poses with the Emergence Films team at the program's kickoff weekend. Photo by Aiyana Irwin  [/caption]

News by Rachel Noll James

At Emergence Films, we are passionate about providing opportunities for female-identifying filmmakers. Earlier this year, we launched the inaugural cycle of our new Emerging Filmmakers Program, a practical, mission-driven incubator designed to support early-career, female-identifying filmmakers. We want to provide the tools, education, and opportunities they need to build sustainable careers.

In an industry that has long sidelined women’s voices — especially in the early-career pipeline — this program aims to break down systemic barriers with a model rooted in equity, access, and creative freedom.

The program, with much more information at https://emergencefilms.us, is supporting a cohort of Washington-based filmmakers through a deeply holistic model. The facets include essential education, mentorship, paid apprenticeships, bespoke fundraising guidance, marketing and distribution strategy, and non-recoupable cash grants to fund both a short film and a microbudget feature.

Unlike traditional programs that expect artists to “pay their dues” through unpaid labor, it was important to us to provide a living wage throughout the 18-month experience.

It’s a radical idea, but it shouldn’t be. You shouldn’t have to be wealthy—or burn yourself out—while you learn the ropes. You should be supported and paid.

Each participating team consists of a writer, director, and producer—fostering a collaborative creative bond that can grow beyond the program itself. Participants emerge not only with completed work, but with real-world experience, a powerful resume, and the confidence and community to chart their own paths.

Getting to work alongside this first cohort has been profoundly moving. Their passion, generosity, and willingness to show up for each other—and themselves—has been so beautiful to watch. In a few short months I have seen them grow in confidence and take bold creative risks. I cannot wait to see the projects that come out of it.

The program’s funding model reflects our company values. Rather than placing creative limits on genre, casting, format, or commercial viability, our approach invites filmmakers to experiment, explore bold ideas, and stay rooted in personal vision. Because the funds provided are not tied to recoupment, filmmakers can take artistic risks and maintain ownership over their work.

This program is deeply personal to me and to my cofounder Sienna Beckman. We’ve both navigated firsthand the challenges of fundraising and creating within the traditional Hollywood parameters. The traditional financing and distribution systems have let women down for decades. Even when the numbers inarguably prove that female-driven content sells, Hollywood remains reluctant to invest in projects that uplift female voices.

If we want to see a change, we have to create it.

This realization led us to pivot away from conventional funding models. On our last two Washington-based films, Sienna and I leaned into a mission-aligned, community-centered approach—securing tax-deductible donations and values-aligned grants through our fiscal sponsor, Realize Impact, rather than relying on traditional equity investors. This experience was life-changing for both of us. We learned that there is a powerful community of people and organizations who are eager to support bold, inclusive storytelling when given a clear and ethical path to do so.

The Emerging Filmmakers Program builds on that foundation—creating a sustainable framework that uplifts individual artists while also planting seeds for long-term transformation in the film industry.

While this first cycle is focused on Washington-based filmmakers, our long-term vision is global. We hope to expand in future years, growing a robust, interconnected community of female-identifying filmmakers across the U.S. and beyond.

By championing diverse voices and creating real pathways for underrepresented storytellers, this program aims not only to launch careers, but to reshape what’s possible in independent cinema. I believe that when we invest in women — when we give them the space, tools, and support to tell their stories — the ripple effect is enormous. It impacts not only their lives and careers but the culture at large. Stories shape how we see ourselves and each other. Who gets to tell those stories matters.

The Emerging Filmmakers Program is proud to be supported by a network of forward-thinking organizations and advocates, including Seed & Spark, Entertainment Partners, Roadmap Writers, Full Time Filmmaker, The Vashon Film Institute, Northwest Film Forum, Realize Impact, 4Culture, Bainbridge Community Foundation, and the Northwest Screenwriters Guild.