About Us

SHAPESHIFTERS CINEMA is an experimental microcinema located in Oakland, CA. We provide a venue and support for contemporary artists working with experimental and artist-made film, video, sound, music and other types of mediated performance. We host regular, live events, offer workshops on experimental moving image and sound production and operate a storefront shop specializing in print publications, DVDs, sound recordings and other artist-made media.

SHAPESHIFTERS BREWERY makes a variety of small-batch, seasonal, hand-crafted beers, brewed on-site in a space right behind the cinema. These are served (to 21+) at all our events as well as some off-site events. Find out more at shapeshiftersbrewery.com

SHAPESHIFTERS CAFÉ, is right next door to our cinema! We offer freshly-made salads, sandwiches, coffee, tea, pastries and more. Open M-F, 6am-2pm and the first Saturday of every month, 11am-3pm. Find out more at shapeshifterscafe.com

Staff

Gilbert Guerrero - Operations Director & A/V Tech
Kathleen Quillian - Programming Director
Ellie Vanderlip - Education & Outreach Director

we love our members

The Shapeshifters Membership program provides crucial, sustaining support for our small, DIY, volunteer-run organization. By joining the membership program, you become part of an engaged, diverse, creative community working in and around experimental moving image, sound and time-based art. Each level offers a range of access to members-only resources and events, discounts, comps and more. Find out more and join now!


Address

567 5th Street
Oakland, CA 94607

Shapeshifters Cinema sits on the historic territory of Huichin, the ancestral and unceded land of the Chochenyo Muwekma Ohlone, successors of the sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County.

Our building is wheelchair-accessible and has one wheelchair-accessible bathroom.

Hours

Our weekly Thursday Night Happy Hours have been paused indefinitely. We are currently only open when we have a scheduled event. See individual events listed below for all start times.

Doors open 30 minutes before showtime, unless otherwise noted.

Show Your Support


Shapeshifters is a volunteer-run organization. Every donation we receive goes towards supporting our on-going operational costs. Donations are tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor, San Francisco Cinematheque, a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

Cinema

Upcoming Programs & Events

GL4 Metaphysics & Magic

Gravitational Lensing: Feminist Film Dialogues
Program 4 - Metaphysics & Magic
Friday, October 25, 2024
7pm
Admission: $18
(discount for members)

Using both poetic and critical lenses, the films in this program examine the different ways we use symbolism, ritual and mythology as tools for engaging with the unknown in the attempt to understand the mysteries that surround us.

Program 4: Metaphysics & Magic includes: Pwdre Ser the rot of stars (2018, 16mm shown on DV) by Charlotte Pryce, Them Oracles (2012, 16mm film) by Alee Peoples, Onikuma (2016, DV) by Alessia Lupo Cecchet, Flor Serpiente (2014, 16mm film) by Rosario Sotelo, Emmett Street: A Video Poem (2021, Super-8 shown on DV) by Krista Leigh Steinke, Somewhere Between Right and Wrong There is a Garden (2023, DV) by Yin-Ju Chen, Tectum Argenti (2022, 16mm film shown on DV) by Joanna Byrne, EPOS (Chapter 5) (2022, DV) by Lovage Sharrock, Moon Moth Bed (2023, DV) by Virginia L. Montgomery, Golden Dragon Temple (2013, DV) by Lingyun Zheng, Cycladic Thermometer (2023, 16mm film shown on DV) by Kate Dollenmeyer, Smudge Series: Indabaabasaan, Soda Lake and Boozhoo Jiibayag (2013, 16mm film) by Eve-Lauryn LaFountain and ...These Blazeing Starrs! by Deborah Stratman (2011, 16mm film).

Learn more about the Gravitational Lensing series.

Promotional Image from "Tectum Argenti" by Joanna Byrne



Do Over Music

Do-Over Music Series - Jas Stade + Improvised Music & Film
Every First Thursday
7-9pm
Next program: Thursday, November 7, 2024
Admission: $10

The Do-Over Music Series at Shapeshifters Cinema, organized by Lisa Mezzacappa and Jordan Glenn, is a monthly series of sound performances presented by a rotating cast of local luminaries and special guests. The first set features performances of creative - improvised - composed - electronic - acoustic - music. The second set opens up to a live improvised collaboration of sound and visuals made using images culled from the Shapeshifters 16mm film collection.

Set 1 (7pm): Jas Stade - solo guitar

Set 2 (8pm): Improvised music & film:

Jas Stade (guitar), Marië Abe (accordion), Mikey Maleki (multiple instruments), Cody Putman (bassoon) and Jordan Glenn (drums) improvise to fun film loops + quirky found footage excavated from the Shapeshifters 16mm film collection.




About Our Cinema

Our intimate, 40-seat cinema is able to host a range of presentations by contemporary artists working in film, video, sound, music, multimedia and performance. Our focus is primarily on experimental and artist-made.

Doors open 30 minutes before showtime, unless otherwise noted.

Tickets

Tickets for all events are available on-line pre-show as well as at the door (unless otherwise noted). Information and links are posted under each program event listing. Please note: we only honor tickets purchased directly from Shapeshifters.

Venue Specs

Find out more about our venue.

Rentals

Our venue and equipment is available for private rentals. Find out more.

Archive

View Past Programs

Workshops

We are working on scheduling more great workshops for you. Sign up on our mailing list and be the first to know about them!


About Our Workshops

Our workshops emphasize a DIY approach to art-making. Each one is taught by a different guest artist who shares practical, hands-on lessons in a variety of media and creative practices using materials and resources you probably already have, or are otherwise easy to acquire. Learn something new or enhance your own established art practice. Everyone is welcome!

Archive

View Past Workshops


Jennifer Reeves

Jennifer Reeves, September 29, 2024 at Shapeshifters Cinema

Phil Hoffman workshop

Workshop with Phil Hoffman & Deirdre Logue, September 22, 2024 at Shapeshifters Cinema

Beth Schenck Quintet

The Beth Schenck Quintet, August 1, 2024 at Shapeshifters Cinema

Suki O'Kane 2020

Suki O'Kane, August 16 2020 at Shapeshifters Cinema

John Davis 2020

John Davis, September 20, 2020 at Shapeshifters Cinema

Killer Banshee 2020

Killer Banshee, September 13, 2020 at Shapeshifters Cinema

elena-pardo-2019-2048w

Elena Pardo, December 6, 2019 at Shapeshifters Cinema

lynne-sachs-2019-2048w

Lynne Sachs, November 10, 2019 at Shapeshifters Cinema

minoosh-zomorodinia-2019-2048w

Minoosh Zomorodinia, October 13, 2019 at Shapeshifters Cinema

jeremy-rourke-2019

Jeremy Rourke, September 20, 2019 at Shapeshifters Cinema



Connect

Announcements

Alemeda County Arts Fund grant

Shapeshifters receives Alameda Count ARTSFund Grant
We are pleased to announce that Shapeshifters Cinema was one of 120 Alameda County nonprofit arts and cultural organizations to receive a 2024 ARTSFUND grant. The ARTSFUND grant provides general operating support to assist with the mission and ongoing programs of Alameda County nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. See the full list of 2024 grant recipients.

Nosh logo

Word is out! The Shapeshifters universe is expanding! In January 2023, we took over the cafe next door to our cinema and brewery. We've been slowly working on fixing it up since then to fold it into the Shapeshifters vision. In the meantime, the kitchen is in full swing! We've got all kinds of seasonal and freshly-made sandwiches and salads, locally-roasted coffee drinks, house-blended teas, pastries (made both in-house and by local phenom Firebrand Bakery) and breakfast items, including our very popular breakfast burrito. We are currently open Monday-Friday from 6am-2pm. Check out our full menu. All items are available for dine-in, take-out or delivery. You can also follow us on Instagram where we post weekly specials and other fun things @shapeshifterscafe.

KQED article

In the wake of SFMOMA's announcement to cut its historically-significant and beloved film program, KQED journalist Sarah Hotchkiss wrote a great article looking at how this affects the over-all ecology of the Bay Area film culture and the film programs and microcinemas (including Shapeshifters) that continue to cultivate it. Read the article here.

jlid logo

Jack London Improvement District awards funds to Shapeshifters for our merch expansion!
Due to restrictions brought on by the global pandemic and for the safety of our community, we shut down for over a year... but we did not stop! In addition to livestreaming artists' work and hosting artist-led workshops, we opened a retail shop online. We are expanding and building out a shop at our venue with the help of funds provided by the Jack London Improvement District (BID). The funds will go towards building a wall of shelves and stocking up on artists books, records, DVDS, CDs, unique works of art, and handmade goods. Check out the announcement and the full list of award winners.

city-of-oakland logo

Shapeshifters receives an Oakland CARES grant!
We are very grateful to have received a grant through the Oakland CARES Fund for Artists and Arts Non-Profits, made possible by the city of Oakland Economic & Workforce Development Department, Cultural Affairs Division and administered by Center for Cultural Innovation. These funds ensure that we can continue our (modified) operations during these challenging and uncertain times.

Thank you to all of our donors & funders
We rely on individual donations to support artists and operate our cinema. We are immensely grateful for their contributions. View the list of donors


Join the Mailing List



    


Keep In Touch

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

connect /-\ shapeshifterscinema.com