Austin School of Film

Austin School of Film We are committed to helping people bring their visions to life by providing an inclusive space to grow, learn, create, and present their work.

We empower, support, and educate emerging artists of all ages as active participants in shaping our culture, and engage communities to rethink the way we view film, art and technology. Motion Media Arts Center is a 501c(3) non-profit independent film, art, and technology center that supports every aspect of production from creation to presentation. Founded in 2002 with the merging of two award-win

ning arts & film institutions (Austin Cinemaker Co-op & Center for Young Cinema) MMAC has been globally recognized for its innovative media arts programming for nearly two decades. Our goal is to empower, support, and educate emerging artists of all ages as active participants in shaping our culture, and engage communities to rethink the way we view film, art and technology. We seek to reduce inequality in all of its forms, and create opportunities & community through breaking borders and barriers within film & creative media. Our programs include—

Austin School of Film— a year-round educational program providing classes and workshops in art, film, and creative technology for all ages taught & developed by our staff & faculty of industry filmmakers and independent artists. PPST...we also founded & operate Cinemaker Space— Austin’s first and only non-profit MAKE/WORK co-working + venue hybrid, designed as an alternative to traditional co-working spaces for artists, media makers, and all creatives alike. We provide alternative ways to work, learn, create, and consume the arts in the digital era.

08/01/2026

Wrapped our first-ever Adult Summer Camp session, and what a beautiful way to kick things off.

There are still 3 more free Saturdays to join us this August!

Explore hands-on workshops, artist talks, and conversations celebrating film and media arts.

⭐️Visit the link in our bio to learn more!

Our final artist announcement for Adult Summer Camp is the wonderful Virginia L. Montgomery.Meet Virginia Virginia L. Mo...
07/31/2026

Our final artist announcement for Adult Summer Camp is the wonderful Virginia L. Montgomery.

Meet Virginia Virginia L. Montgomery 🦋🧿 ⭐️

Virginia is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist working across video, sound, and sculpture. Based in Houston and Austin, Texas, she creates surreal, sensory-rich artworks that merge mysticism, science, ecology, and her own neurodivergent perspective. Her practice explores transformation, perception, and embodied experience through recurring imagery including moths, moons, telescopes, and cosmic forms. Known for material experimentation, Montgomery often hand-raises the moths and butterflies featured in her work. Montgomery received her MFA from Yale University and her BFA from The University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been presented by institutions including the New Museum, Times Square Arts, Museum Folkwang, SculptureCenter, Ballroom Marfa, Tate Modern, and the Blanton Museum of Art. She has participated in residencies at MacDowell, Headlands Center for the Arts, Socrates Sculpture Park, and others.

⭐ Join Virginia alongside Jinni J., Lisa Woods, and Abinadi Meza for a conversation on building a sustainable creative practice on August 22 as the grand finale of our Adult Summer Camp series.

⭐ This event sold out in less than 24 hours, but we encourage you to join the waitlist. Spots do open up.

We’re thrilled to welcome Meghan Ross to our incredible roster of teaching artists!A Women at Sundance Adobe Fellow, Sun...
07/30/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome Meghan Ross to our incredible roster of teaching artists!

A Women at Sundance Adobe Fellow, Sundance Episodic Lab alum, and filmmaker whose work has premiered in The New Yorker and earned a Webby Award nomination, Meghan joins our Adult Summer Camp series on August 8 with Directing Across Mediums & Platforms before launching a brand-new Austin School of Film class this fall.

Formerly the Head of Creator Success at Seed&Spark, Meghan has helped thousands of filmmakers bring projects to life and has served as a juror, pitch coach, and mentor for The Gotham, SXSW, ATX TV Festival, ScreenCraft, NFFTY, and the Austin Film Society Shorts Grant.

Whether you’re developing a short, feature, series, podcast, or something entirely your own, Meghan’s workshops will help you turn your idea into a project with a clear creative roadmap.

✨ Join the waitlist for August 8 or enroll now in the fall weekend intensive. Learn more at the link in our bio!

Photo JINNI J. ⭐️

Success in the creative industries isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every path is different, and that’s exactly what makes these...
07/28/2026

Success in the creative industries isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every path is different, and that’s exactly what makes these conversations so valuable.

Meet Jinni J.

Jinni J. is a Texas-born and raised photographer, director, & DP working across portraiture, fashion, nature, and music genres. Known for a raw, intimate, deeply relational and playful approach, she is drawn to the essence of women and flora. Her work carries a soft editorial sensibility with a distinct emphasis on warmth, atmosphere, and emotional presence. She has a studio based on the town square in Lockhart, Texas.

⭐ Join Jinni J. alongside Lisa Woods, Abinadi Meza, and Virginia L. Montgomery for a conversation on building a sustainable creative practice.

⭐ This event sold out in less than 24 hours, but we encourage you to join the waitlist. Spots do open up.

Community is our favorite classroom.These workshops and panels are about learning from the people making work in Austin ...
07/22/2026

Community is our favorite classroom.

These workshops and panels are about learning from the people making work in Austin right now.

Meet Lisa B. Woods .b.woods ⭐️

Lisa B. Woods is an Austin-based media artist and creative organizer. As a designer-turned-artist, her practice uses code, custom electronics, and kinetic sculpture to explore the intersections of technology, ecology, and hidden systems. Lisa brings firsthand expertise in balancing technical creative production with sustainable community leadership. As the founder and operator of And&And Studios, she directly addresses the challenges of creative longevity by providing affordable, community-oriented studio space in Austin. Her commitment to alternative arts ecosystems extends globally through her work as a Steering Committee member for UNESCO Austin City of Media Arts, and as a member of ICOSA Collective, Ecoartspace, and The Alternative Art School.

⭐️Join Lisa alongside Abinadi Meza, Virginia L. Montgomery, and Jinni J. for a conversation on building a sustainable creative practice.

⭐️This event sold out in less than 24 hours, but we encourage you to join the waitlist. Spots do open up.

Great artists deserve great conversations.Adult Summer Camp was created to connect our community with the artists shapin...
07/21/2026

Great artists deserve great conversations.

Adult Summer Camp was created to connect our community with the artists shaping film and media arts in Austin. Meet today’s featured artist.

Meet MJ Johnston ⭐️

MJ Johnston is an Austin-based director of photography and producer who spent two decades working across narrative features, documentaries, and reality television, a range that shaped both their eye and their instincts. That breadth eventually led to founding Salt Production, where the work shifted from executing other people’s visions to building their own. They’re currently in production on two feature documentaries, one centered on criminal justice reform, one on traumatic brain injury, while continuing to develop brand films in between.

⭐️Join MJ, Emily Basma, and J. Manzo for a candid discussion about freelancing, career longevity, and making a living behind the camera.

⭐️This event sold out in less than 24 hours, but we encourage you to join the waitlist. Spots do open up.

Authenticity matters, but so opportunities to demystify the industry. Meet J. Manzo ⭐️J. Manzo is a filmmaker and educa...
07/19/2026

Authenticity matters, but so opportunities to demystify the industry.

Meet J. Manzo ⭐️

J. Manzo is a filmmaker and educator dedicated to authentic creative expression through cinema. He holds a BA in Media Arts and has worked as a director, cinematographer, and colorist. For half a decade, Manzo served as a teaching artist while simultaneously writing, directing, shooting, and producing numerous short films. His work has garnered several awards and professional accolades. He is currently an MFA candidate at UT Austin.

Join Manzo, Emily Basma, and MJ Johnston as they discuss freelancing, getting on set, and what actually matters beyond the gear.

⭐️This event sold out in less than 24 hours, but we encourage you to join the waitlist. Spots do open up

The best way to learn is to ask.This new summer series is built around honest conversations, hands-on learning, and acce...
07/18/2026

The best way to learn is to ask.

This new summer series is built around honest conversations, hands-on learning, and access to working artists.

Meet Faiza Kracheni (.kracheni) ⭐️

Faiza Kracheni is a Mexican Algerian American media artist, musician, and nonprofit leader born and raised in East Austin. Her practice is defined by non-narrative analog film experiments that merge hand-developing, painting on celluloid, and physically altering motion picture film. She is the Executive Director of Motion Media Arts Center, home of Austin School of Film, and the founder of CINEMAKER Studio Access Program. Other projects and volunteer work include , Arts Commission, and more. She is committed to helping artists access tools, find their voice, and contribute to the film & media arts landscape in a meaningful way.

⭐️Get your hands on real 16mm film and explore analog filmmaking as a physical, tactile art form with her on August 1. No experience required.

This event sold out in less than 24 hours, but we encourage you to join the waitlist. Spots do open up.

07/17/2026

Our summer series sold out in less than 24 hours (even after we added more seats) so here’s the inspiration behind the series!

‼️ You can join the waitlist on each session’s page to be notified if a spot opens up.

Access changes everything. Meet one of the artists sharing their experience, process, and perspective with our community...
07/17/2026

Access changes everything. Meet one of the artists sharing their experience, process, and perspective with our community.

Meet Emily Basma ⭐️

Emily Basma is a narrative, commercial, and music video cinematographer and camera assistant. Her deep love of cinema drew her to the craft, and her desire to harness light kept her there. At a young age, films such as Suspiria and Daughters of the Dust inspired her to treat her shot designs like visual poetry and her camera movements like dance steps. Emily's preferred medium is film for its tactile workflow, rich history, and because, sometimes, it has a mind of its own. Her work has been showcased at multiple film festivals, including Tribeca, SXSW, and Miami Film Festival, as well as locally in Austin at The Paramount and through the Hyperreal Film Club, where she is also a programmer.

Join Emily, MJ Johnston, and J. Manzo for an honest conversation about rates, gear, freelance life, breaking into the industry, and the realities of building a career behind the camera.

⭐️ This event sold out in less than 24 hours, but we encourage you to join the waitlist. Spots do open up.

Address

916 Springdale Road
Austin, TX
78702

Telephone

+15122368877

Website

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