All around us we are witnessing the collapse of the San Francisco Bay Area arts ecosystem, as institutions close, community spaces vanish and artists leave town for greener pastures and more reliable opportunities. It's grim. And sadly, we may be the next to go.

Despite our best efforts, we continue to fall short of making ends meet and we are asking for help from the community to bring us back from the brink. We need to raise $60,000 over the next two weeks to cover rent, insurance, and other pending fees and payments related to the operational costs of our multi-faceted art organization and business.

About Us

Since 2012, Shapeshifters Cinema has been a key component of the Bay Area experimental/artist-made/DIY media arts community–supporting hundreds of artists who work with film, music, sound and multimedia performance.

We host approximately 80-100 events a year in our cozy, quirky, 154-year-old Victorian-era venue, supporting local and visiting filmmakers, musicians and multimedia artists working primarily with small gauge, personal, experimental and DIY moving image and sound-making processes. Our popular workshop series provides regular, affordable, accessible opportunities for both novice and seasoned filmmakers to try their hand at a dizzying variety of alternative and experimental moving image and sound making techniques. Our new Summer Youth Media Makers Camp is one of the only opportunities of its kind for Bay Area 12-17 year-olds to learn about analog, digital and pre-cinematic experimental film and sound making processes directly from experienced artists and educators.

Along with a space for exhibition and education, the work of our organization also provides a redistribution of income back to the community through artist fees and other kinds of financial support. Over the past 12 months we have provided artists over $10,000 for presenting work in our cinema or teaching workshops. Another $1,000 has gone to independent film distribution organizations and archives (Canyon Cinema, Filmmakers Co-op, Video Data Bank, and others) for film rentals. Fundraisers held in our venue raised over $3,000 to support local organizations working in both creative and social justice realms.

When we moved into our space in August 2019, after 7 years as a independent monthly series, we did so with the intention of expanding our range of programming and educational opportunities–as well as adding the unique element of an in-house microbrewery so that we could continue to build on what we have become known for–experimental & expanded film, sound + beer. But when COVID hit just a few months into our big expansion project, we were knocked off this track in a big way. Eventually we made our way back with the support of our members and donors as well as the few rare grant awards available for small, volunteer-run, hybrid film/beer/food-based organizations like ours.

In 2023 we were presented with the unexpected opportunity to take over the café next door to our cinema. Over the past 3 years, we have fixed up, spruced up and upgraded the café to bring it in-line with the Shapeshifters vision, resulting in an upward trend of its business. It has been a delicate balancing act as we work to expand what we are capable of providing while also continuing to operate within our means. But we still can't quite manage to reach the top of the hill.

How do we do it?

If we're going to be frank with you, here's our big secret. The biggest donor to our organization over the years has been an unnamed shadow donor–and that has been us–the founding directors–who have kept the engine running with regular financial infusions from out of our own pockets. This is nothing new for organizations in their early years and we know it is part of the responsibilities we signed up for. We have been in a very fortunate position to do this for as long as we have. But things have changed and this is no longer the case. Our personal coffers have run dry and we just don't have any more to give. So we are turning to you, our community, with hat in hand to ask for your support.

Shapeshifters is about community.

Shapeshifters is small and scrappy by design. We are committed to what we do and beholden only to the artists and the community. We offer our venue as a “third space” that is open and accessible to gather and share communal experiences in a world that is increasingly geared towards isolation and disconnect.

There is so much in the pipeline just waiting to be shared with you–more screenings of artist-made films, more live music performances, more artist-led workshops, more delicious beer and food. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. We can't wait to bring it all to you. We have just hit an especially rough patch and so we turn to you, our loyal community, to help get us through so we can continue on this thrilling journey together.

If you appreciate what we do and you are in a position to support our organization, please donate now to help ensure its future.