Spread Some Holiday Cheer: Make a Film Foundation
Make A Film Foundation grants film wishes to children with serious or life-threatening medical conditions, helping them to create short film legacies by teaming them with noted actors, directors, and writers. The art of filmmaking is not only healing and therapeutic but also offers hope and builds self-esteem.
Young people facing illness and long-term hospitalization naturally feel marginalized from the world. Many spend vast amounts of time watching television, experiencing realities they may never share.
The Make a Film Foundation provides an opportunity for young people to use the media as a powerful tool for self-expression and communication by creating five-minute film legacies. Pairing participants with noted directors, writers, actors and producer mentors, we provide them with the tools, resources, and guidance to reclaim the media and give them a voice.
Founded by Tamika Lamison, a Virginia native who graduated from The American University with a BA in Performing Arts while also studying at Howard University. She wrote her first screenplay, Jar By the Door about her time in New York. The script was a Sundance Finalist and won several other awards including the Gordon Parks Indie Film Award and $10,000 which she used to move to Los Angeles after attending and graduating from the New York Film Academy where she fell in love with directing.
While in L.A., Tamika won several Fellowships and Awards in Writing and Directing including the ABC/Walt Disney Fellowship in Screenwriting for, Memoirs of A Virgin Whore, The Guy Hanks and Marvin Miller (Cosby) Fellowship, the CBS Director’s Initiative and AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women Fellowship in which she wrote, directed and produced the multi-award winning short film, Hope. She was then hired as both a Camera Operator and Director on one of BET’s first reality TV shows: College Hill. Tamika recently produced and starred in the feature film Last Life which is currently on the film festival circuit.
In an effort to give back, Tamika created and founded, Make A Film Foundation (MAFF), a non-profit that grants ‘film wishes’ to children who have serious or life-threatening medical conditions by teaming them with noted actors, writers, directors, and producers who help them create short film legacies.
Through MAFF, Tamika has produced over 100 short documentaries and 4 award-winning short narrative films, working with members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, across the spectrum.
She was invited to do a TEDx talk about her journey with the organization, which can be found on YouTube. She currently works at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in their Education Department.
Get involved! Do yourself a favor! Volunteer! Be a mentor! Submit a story!
