Still I Rise Films

What Still I Rise Films does

Still I Rise Films is a Berkeley/Oakland, California-based nonprofit organization founded in 2016 that produces a curated series of non-fiction documentary and animated short films, all directed and produced by women. The catalog is built around the thematic thesis of celebrating people who persevere in spite of struggle, covering subjects ranging from immigration (The Cake, The Glove, The Alien), disability (Grounded, Les Eaux Calmes), racial justice (The Lesson, The Dream, Still Here), to women's safety (The Light, The Invisible) and environmental stewardship (The Elephant). Films combine documentary footage with animation, illustration, mixed media, and sound design, and the organization operates under a license from Maya Angelou's estate (Caged Bird Legacy, LLC) for the "Still I Rise" name and concept.

The business model is nonprofit philanthropy-driven. The organization runs three core programs: a Film Portfolio (the primary output, distributed via stillirisefilms.org, film festivals, streaming platforms, theaters, and educational distributors including Women Make Movies and Hot Docs For Schools); a Still I Rise Fellowship Program launched in 2021 with $75,000 of funding from donors Shannon and Mark Hart, supporting 11 inaugural women fellows; and a Visual Arts Grant Program providing renewable grants to women artists working in documentary film, animation, and mixed media. A separate Film Submissions Platform invites global submissions from women filmmakers. There is no publicly disclosed commercial pricing or revenue; operating inflows appear to come from individual donors, foundation grants (notably a $150,000 CARESTAR Foundation grant in June 2023), and co-production with A Moment in Time Productions.

Customers/audiences are segmented across four groups: film festivals and streaming platforms (Tribeca, SXSW, Hot Docs, Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival, etc.) seeking diverse documentary content; educational institutions needing classroom material on social-justice themes; theaters and community organizations hosting public screenings; and women filmmakers/visual artists applying for fellowships and grants. Geographic reach spans the U.S., Canada, Kenya, Haiti, Venezuela, and Spain, with premieres at internationally recognized venues including Tribeca, SXSW, Hot Docs, FESPACO, and UNESCO programming, alongside awards from World Press Photo, Impact Docs, and SIMA, indicating a credible, albeit small-scale, international footprint.

Name

Still I Rise Films

Legal name

Still I Rise Films

Website

https://stillirisefilms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Still I Rise Films is a 501(c)-style nonprofit founded in 2016 that produces a series of non-fiction documentary and animated short films directed by women, covering themes of resilience, immigration, and justice, supported by a fellowship and grant program and distributed through film festivals, streaming platforms, and educational distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Documentary Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA), Multimedia Learning Production (Video, Animation, Interactive) (EDAGAKAG)

Keywords

• Documentary film production
• Women filmmaker support
• Nonprofit film media
• Educational film distribution
• Animated short films

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fellowship and Grant Program Funding: The organization provides $75,000 annually in fellowship and grant support to women filmmakers. This is funded through donor support, including Shannon and Mark Hart's continuous support for the fellowship program.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Still I Rise Films is a nonprofit film organization that produces documentary and animated short films directed and produced entirely by women. The organization supports women filmmakers through a fellowship program and a visual arts grant program, and distributes its films via its own website, streaming platforms, theaters, film festivals, and educational distributors.

Product overview

Still I Rise Films is a nonprofit documentary film series and platform that produces short non-fiction films directed and filmed by women. The organization operates as a unified platform offering a film portfolio of documentaries and animations, complemented by a fellowship program that provided $75,000 in 2021, a Visual Arts Grant Program supporting artists in documentary film, animation, and mixed media, and a submissions platform for women filmmakers. The organization distributes content through partnerships with streaming platforms, theaters, and educational distributors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Still I Rise Film Portfolio A collection of documentary and animated short films directed and produced by women, covering social-justice, healthcare, and human-resilience subjects, distributed via the organization's website, streaming platforms, theaters, film festivals, and educational distributors.
• Still I Rise Fellowship Program A fellowship program that provides emerging women filmmakers with resources and support to produce films through the organization.
• Visual Arts Grant Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Films have premiered at major festivals including Tribeca, SXSW, Hot Docs, and many others

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• A Moment in Time ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Moment in Time Productions, along with the Still I Rise Films grant program, produces short films and animations that honor ordinary people striving for dignity and justice. This is a co-production partnership for content creation.
• Caged Bird Legacy, LLCcoreOthersThe film series is used by permission of Caged Bird Legacy, LLC, the organization representing Maya Angelou's legacy. The 'Still I Rise' name and concept are used under license from Maya Angelou's estate.
• Women Make MoviescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWomen Make Movies is a nonprofit partner that distributes documentary films by women. Still I Rise Films films are available through this distribution channel for educational and community screenings.
• CASE Art FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCASE Art Fund is a nonprofit partner that collaborated on the production of Passengers documentary. The partnership involves co-funding and co-producing documentary projects about social justice themes.
• Mission LocalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMission Local is an award-winning news website. Hélène Goupil, a Still I Rise Films grant recipient, helped start and run Mission Local, connecting journalism and documentary filmmaking.
• Oakland School for the ArtscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOakland School for the Arts is a nonprofit partner. Delores Thompson teaches radio production there and collaborated on creating The Mirror. Sarah Schecter, a student at the school, wrote the introduction for The Lesson.
• The Mosaic Film ExperienceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Mosaic Film Experience is a nonprofit partner supporting filmmakers and visual storytelling.
• Bay Area YouthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBay Area Youth is a nonprofit partner organization in the Bay Area supporting youth media and storytelling programs.
• Streaming Platforms, Theaters, and Educational DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStill I Rise Films partners with streaming platforms, theaters, and educational distributors to make documentary films and animated stories widely available to audiences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Women Make Movies: Nonprofit distributor and advocacy organization dedicated to films by and about women; explicit distribution partner of Still I Rise Films and the most directly comparable peer in the women-filmmaker nonprofit space.
• Chicken & Egg Pictures: Nonprofit that supports women and nonbinary documentary filmmakers via fellowships, grants, and mentorship — directly comparable talent-development model and women-centered documentary thesis.
• A Moment in Time Productions: Named core co-production partner of Still I Rise Films; produces short nonfiction films and animations with overlapping mission and creative approach, making it the closest operational peer.
• Kartemquin Films: Veteran nonprofit documentary production company producing issue-driven social justice films for 50+ years; highly comparable in nonprofit mission, nonfiction specialty, and impact-oriented storytelling.
• PBS POV: Long-running PBS documentary showcase featuring independent nonfiction films on social issues; directly comparable in nonfiction specialty, distribution model, and mission-aligned storytelling.
• New York Women in Film & Television: Nonprofit professional organization supporting women working in film, television, and digital media — comparable in nonprofit structure and women-in-film focus, though focused on industry support rather than production.

Broad incumbents

• Film Independent: Established nonprofit supporting independent filmmakers (including documentary) through grants, labs, and festival programming; serves an overlapping mission but with much broader scope and scale.
• International Documentary Association (IDA): Leading membership-based nonprofit organization serving the documentary industry broadly; comparable in nonprofit structure and documentary focus, though serves all filmmakers rather than women-only.
• Sundance Institute Documentary Fund: Funds and develops independent documentary storytellers via grants and labs; the woman-filmmaker programs (including the Women at Sundance initiative) compete with Still I Rise Films' fellowship for the same talent pool.
• Independent Television Service (ITVS): Funded by CPB to commission, produce, and distribute independent documentary films for public television; comparable in nonprofit funding structure and documentary focus at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stillirisefilms
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Still I Rise Films