Filmmaker’s Bootcamp

Queens World’s Filmmaker’s Bootcamp is an intensive, multi-week documentary production lab delivered in partnership with community organizations. Working alongside the Festival Directors, Teaching Artists, and Festival Associates, participants move from concept to completed short documentary on a topic identified by the host organization.

Participants rotate through key production roles from week to week, including boom operator, camera operator, field producer, and editor. Each new role is mentored by the Queens World team, providing hands-on training in professional production standards, collaboration, and set protocol.

The Bootcamp concludes with a public screening. The deadline is real. The film must be finished.

Participants lead marketing efforts for the screening, introduce their completed work to the community, and facilitate a post-screening conversation. The result is both a finished documentary and a lived understanding of what it takes to bring a project across the finish line.