Blog
Welcome to the Nest, Ames Stevens!
Meet the newest member of our team: Production Assistant Ames Stevens
As Production Assistant, Ames provides cross-departmental logistic support for Doc Nest 2023 (formerly Next Gen Egg), a large-scale event for filmmakers to receive industry opportunities.
Prior to joining Chicken & Egg Pictures, Ames worked with DiverseToons, a nonprofit devoted to uplifting animators of color, and film festivals such as RIIFF and DOC NYC. Additionally, they have been a PA for a variety of content from HBO, Netflix, and Universal NBC. They are also a filmmaker and a founding member of the queer film collective, SetRise Studios. Ames holds a BA in Film from Vassar College. In their free time, they can be found at any local theater or gallivanting in Inwood Hill Park.
“Chicken & Egg Pictures is that rare organization that gears every aspect of its existence towards a love for artists and filmmakers. It is constantly heartening to work with an organization that deeply cares about women and non-binary artists behind the camera. As a community member and filmmaker, I am thrilled to be working with Chicken & Egg Pictures!”
We are excited to welcome an egg-stra special new team member in our Nest. To learn more about them, visit our team page.
Meet our Spring 2023 Communications Intern, Tess Caldwell!
Chicken & Egg Pictures welcomes an eggs-tra special Spring Intern: Tess Caldwell. She brings a passion for social justice and social media savviness, which permeates through her work. We greatly appreciate everything she brings to our team.
As a Communications Intern, Tess supports the communications team with social media and website promotion, graphics creation, and administrative support.
Currently, Tess is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Media and Screen Studies at Northeastern University, and is excited to join the team as a part of her co-op curriculum. Prior to joining Chicken & Egg Pictures, Tess had a keen interest in providing individuals and organizations with the tools and resources to run successful media campaigns. She launched her career by dedicating herself to providing support to over a dozen nonprofits, organizations, and campaigns on a consultancy basis. With social justice at the core of her work, she strives to deepen the intersection of arts and social justice. Ultimately, she hopes to take these learnings and apply them to work on criminal justice reform as well as to create engaging documentary films surrounding human rights and environmental injustices.
“I am enthusiastic about joining an innovative social impact-oriented organization that is committed to elevating marginalized voices and stories while cultivating such a diverse, talented community.”
We are excited to welcome an egg-stra special new team member in our Nest. To learn more about her, visit our team page.
Four Nest-supported films at True/False Film Fest 2023
Chicken & Egg Pictures is egg-cited to see four Nest-supported and two AlumNest films in the lineup of the 20th edition of True/False Film Fest, which takes place from Thursday, March 2 to Sunday, March 5 in Columbia, Missouri.
Hummingbirds
dirs. Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras
co-dirs. & prods. Jillian Schlesinger, Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco
prods. Leslie Benavides, Rivkah Beth Medow

Hummingbirds is a 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab finalist.
Get your tickets here.

How to Have an American Baby
dir. and prod. Leslie Tai
prod. Jillian Schultz

How to Have an American Baby was supported through the 2017 Diversity Fellows Initiative (past program).
Get your tickets here.

Joonam
dir. Sierra Urich
prod. Keith Wilson

Joonam is a 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee.
Get your tickets here.

Milisuthando
dir. Milisuthando Bongela
prod. Marion Isaacs

Milisuthando is a 2019 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee.
Get your tickets here.
From the AlumNest
- Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
dirs. & prods. Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster
U.S. Documentary Competition
- The Feeling of Being Close to You
dir. & prod. Ash Goh Hua
Part of the Short Films program
Check out the full lineup with this link.
The Nest at Big Sky Documentary Film Fest
The 20th annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival took place from February 17 through February 26 in Montana. We were proud to see four Nest-supported films and seven AlumNest films in the line-up, as well as a retrospective dedicated to 2017 Chicken & Egg Award recipient Penny Lane.
Black Mothers Love & Resist
dir. & prod. Débora Souza Silva
prod. David Felix Sutcliffe, Adina Luo

Black Mothers Love & Resist is a 2020 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee.

The Hamlet Syndrome
dirs. Elwira Niewiera, Piotr Rosolowski
prod. Magdalena Kaminska

The Hamlet Syndrome was supported through Elwira Niewira’s 2021 Chicken & Egg Award.

From the AlumNest

Nest-supported filmmaker Penny Lane was selected as the 2023 Retrospective artist. The retrospective includes six films directed by Lane from 2010 to today, including Nest-supported Hail Satan?, The Pain of Others; and Nuts!, Our Nixon, and The Voyagers.
- For the Record
dir. & prod. Heather Courtney
prod. Paul Stekler - Sealed in Blood
dir. Sofian Khan
prod. J. Motts - Lily Gladstone: Far Out There
dir. & prod. Brooke Pepion Swaney
prod. Jeri Rafter
Lily Gladstone: Far Out There will being having its World Premiere
Post written by Spring intern Tess Caldwell
Four Nest-supported Films at Berlinale 2023
Chicken & Egg Pictures is proud to see three Nest-supported films in Berlinale 2023 lineup. El eco/The Echo and Hummingbirds will have their world premiere, and the recent Sundance winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary The Eternal Memory will have its European premiere. The festival takes place from Wednesday, February 16 to Sunday, February 26.
El eco / The Echo
dir. & prod. Tatiana Huezo
prod. Dalia Reyes

El eco / The Echo will have its world premiere in the Encounters section and was supported through Tatiana Huezo’s 2021 Chicken & Egg Award.
Get your tickets here.

The Eternal Memory
dir. & prod. Maite Alberdi
prods. Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue

The Eternal Memory will have its European Premiere in the Panorama Section and was supported through Maite Alberdi’s 2020 Chicken & Egg Award.
Get your tickets here.

Hummingbirds
dirs. Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras
co-dirs. & prods. Jillian Schlesinger, Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco
prods. Leslie Benavides, Rivkah Beth Medow

Hummingbirds will have its world premiere in the Generation 14plus section and is a 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab finalist.
Get your tickets here.
From the AlumNest
- My ne zgasnemo / We Will Not Fade Away
dir. Alisa Kovalenko
prods. Valery Kalmykov, Oleksiy Kobelev
World premiere in the 14plus competition of Berlinale Generation
Alisa is also participating in the Berlinale Talents Event A Closer Look: Current Docs from Ukraine - 2017 Chicken & Egg Award recipient Kirsten Johnson is participating in the Berlinale Talents Event Simply Absurd: Subversive Screenwriting
Welcome to the Nest, Will Tamura!
Meet the newest member of our team: Program Assistant Will Tamura
As Program Assistant, Will supports the Program team’s growing efforts.
Prior to Chicken & Egg Pictures, Will resided in the San Francisco Bay Area, working as a Civil Rights Legal Assistant and Assistant Manager of an independent bookstore. They have also held Marketing and Distribution intern positions at Cinetic Media and A24 in New York City. Will holds a BA in Film and a BA in Political Science from UC Berkeley, and an MA in Film and Media Studies from Columbia University. Outside of Chicken & Egg, Will can be found at any repertory cinema or perusing the shelves of a used bookstore.
“I’m delighted to join an organization that imbues social responsibility and equity in its films. The sheer talent and commitment to our mission within our team, as well as our supported filmmakers, is truly inspiring!”
We are excited to welcome an egg-stra special new team member in our Nest. To learn more about them, visit our team page.
Two Nest-supported Films Win Awards at Sundance World Cinema Documentary Competition!
Chicken & Egg Pictures is egg-static to see 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Against the Tide, 2020 Chicken & Egg Award recipient Maite Alberdi, and Nest-supported filmmaker Michèle Stephenson receive Jury awards. We were also proud to see AlumNest filmmaker Jess Devaney be the recipient of the 2023 Amazon Studios Nonfiction Producers Award.
Congratulations to all awardees and their teams!
Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Verite Filmmaking
Against the Tide
dir. & prod. Sarvnik Kaur
prod. Koval Bhatia

Against the Tide is a 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee.

Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
The Eternal Memory
dir. & prod. Maite Alberdi
prods. Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue

The Eternal Memory was supported through Maite Alberdi’s 2020 Chicken & Egg Award.
From the AlumNest
- Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
dirs. & prods. Michele Stephenson, Joe Brewster
U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - Jess Devaney received the 2023 Amazon Studios Nonfiction Producers Award