Nicolas Jara (Nic) is a filmmaker from the Bay Area currently residing in Los Angeles. Nic attended San Francisco State University where they received degrees in Cinema and Anthropology. While in university, Nic realized how their communities were empowered by various grassroots organizing movements. Their dedication to their work expanded as they acted as a distribution intern for Frameline Film Festival, volunteered for Latinx/e non-profit HOMEY, participated in sea turtle and beach restoration research in Costa Rica, assisted with a fossil fuel divestment campaign, and made a documentary film for the Lighthouse for the Blind & Visually-Impaired.

 

Within an independent study class, Nic wrote, directed and produced their film GUARDIAN  which received a Barbara Hammer Grant, was selected into a dozen film festivals, and garnered awards for Best Direction and Best LGBT Film. The short has been viewed over 120,000 times online and was acquired by NCV Media for their Male Gaze short anthology in the UK. Upon graduation, Nic worked in a variety of positions in the indie film, blockbuster movie, tv, non-profit, and advertisement industries. Recently, they were a video producer at Eames Institute, and has since left to continue their personal creative work. 

 

Nic has produced films that have screened at SCAD, Raindance, New Fest, San Francisco Black Film Festival, Oakland International, Outfest, and Outfest Fusion. Recently, they completed a fellowship for Outfest’s Young Filmmaker Program, further developing their craft with queer community. Nic’s short screenplay UNDER THE INFLUENCE, written within the program was ranked Coverfly’s #1 Adventure Short in 2020. They have since developed the short into a feature screenplay.