NOVAC

NOVAC empowers storytellers and communities by providing education, training, and resources in film, TV, and digital media. Our vision is that storytellers in Southeast Louisiana have equitable access to creative and economic opportunities in film and digital media, and the agency, voice, and vision to tell their own stories. We seek to have community stories represented by community storytellers at the highest level of practice.

NOVAC empowers storytellers and communities by providing education, training, and resources in film, TV, and digital media. Our free programming includes workforce trainings for the Louisiana community, our youth programming for students and families and filmmaker fellowships. We offer workshops, equipment and space rentals discounts and low-cost rates to filmmakers. Our production services are market rate, however we hire community filmmakers to do the work. We also have an extensive archive and offer archiving services to the community.

Our Community Filmmaker Cohort helps everyday people create films that document their lives and preserve Louisiana's history and culture. This program provides training, mentorship, a stipend and resources to new and emerging filmmakers who work collectively to complete a film project. Since 2021, the Cohort has supported 20 filmmakers in completing 8 films, 3 of which earned the 2022, 2023 and 2024 New Orleans Film Festival's Audience Awards.

We need your help completing these film projects. We use grants, earned income and donations to pay for programming costs, such as filmmaker stipends, production crew, equipment and talent.

Testimonials

"My name is Viviana de la Rosa, and NOVAC's Community Film Cohort 2022 has immensely impacted my life as a homeless woman in New Orleans where I gained back my self-worth and confidence, received valuable filmmaking experience and worked in the film industry as a First Assistant Director with a prominent Film Director in Los Angeles. In brief, NOVAC's invaluable film experience simply changed my life." - Viviana de la Rosa