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
Gilbert Guerrero - Operations Director & A/V Tech
Kathleen Quillian - Programming Director
Ellie Vanderlip - Education & Outreach Director
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!
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.
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.
Makeshift Winter Market + Brunch
Saturday, December 7, 2024 (rain or shine)
Brunch, 10am-2pm
Makeshift Market, 1-6pm
Free Admission
Join us on Saturday, December 7th for food, drink, music, vendors and more, happening all day long at Shapeshifters.
Brunch will be served in the café, from 10am-2pm featuring house-made pastries, seasonal toasts, breakfast burritos, coffee & espresso drinks, house-blended teas and more.
From 1-6pm our cinema space will open up for the Makeshift Winter Market where local artists and organizations will be on hand to sell an array of handmade, small batch and one-of-a-kind items, including San Francisco Cinematheque (experimental film books), Dogbotic (DIY electronics books + kits), Anna Firth (riso prints and zines), Nico Charuza (riso prints), Jim Granato (vinyl records), Layla Chamberlin (lino prints & jewelry), Danny Plotnick (original photographs), Amonda Kallenbach (riso prints & comics), and Octavia Veeder (gemstone jewelry).
Get crafty at the material cinema worktable where you will find all the supplies you need to make your own hand-painted/hand-scratched 16mm film loops. When you're done we'll throw it on the projector to watch it come to life! No filmmaking experience necessary. Fun for kids of all ages!
Browse the A/V rummage sale where you will find a hodge-podge of film projectors, editing equipment and a variety of other A/V tools and resources. You might get lucky and find just what you need to make that next creative project!
Bring home some foliage from the plant sale. We'll have some potted starter plants as well as fresh mistletoe that you can use to decorate for your own holiday festivities.
There will be two kinds of house-made beer on tap—Not So Solid Earth Wee Heavy Scotch Ale and At Land IPA—(+ some canned that you can take to-go) as well as Winter Garden Soup (+ fresh bread) for purchase. Complementary cups of Cinnamon Apple Vanilla Tea and Mexican Coffee will be available as well + a steady stream of grooved vinyl audio gems on the hi-fi, selected by DJs Jim G, Johnny Whatevs & Billy Z.
Come spend the day with us!
Gravitational Lensing: Feminist Film Dialogues
Program 6 - Reproductive Health & Justice
Friday, December 13, 2024
7pm
Admission: $18 (discount for members)
This program explores the topics of reproductive health and justice through the work of filmmakers grappling with the relationships between gender, reproduction and societal expectations. These films consider the economic, personal and political factors around menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and the freedom to choose.
Program 6 - Reproductive Health & Justice includes Hemorrhage (2023, DV) by Ruth Hayes, Menorrhagia (2023, 16mm film shown on DV) by Claire Maske, Reversal (2023, DV) by Diane Nerwen, Other Reckless Things (1984, 16mm film) by Janis Crystal Lipzin, Self-Health (1977, 16mm film) by SF Women's Health Collective, The Gallery That Destroys All Shame (2021, DV) by Aurora Brachman & Jessie Zinn, Light On a Path, Follow (2020, DV) by Elliot Montague, Sing, O Barren Woman (2001, SV shown on DV) by Susan Mogul and others TBA.
This screening is part of the Gravitational Lensing: Feminist Film Dialogues weekend-long focus on Reproductive Health & Justice which also includes the Urgent Action Video Making Workshop on Saturday, 12/14 and Films from the Abortion Clinic Film Collective: Documenting Reproductive Justice on Sunday, 12/15.
Find out more about Gravitational Lensing: Feminist Film Dialogues.
Promotional Image from Reversal by Diane Nerwen.
New & Recent Animated Films by Lewis Klahr
Co-presented by San Francisco Cinematheque
Saturday, December 14, 2024
7pm
Admission: $10 (discount for members)
LA-based filmmaker Lewis Klahr will join us to present an evening of 8 recently finished and in-progress animated films created between 2020 to 2024. Notable, perhaps, for their genre hopping, none of these films have screened in the Bay area and most have yet to screen before an audience. Klahr has curated this “preview” program to test the effectiveness of various sequences and combinations. All of the included films are from Klahr’s ongoing, multipart series From 45 to 33 whose first completed section, "The Blue Rose of Forgetfulness, had a memorable screening at BAMPFA in September.
Screening: Interstitial Romance (Warm Novelette) (2024), Thin Rain (2023), Five Days Till Tomorrow (2022) w/music by Michael Pisaro Liu, Railroad Bill (2023) Music by Dick Connette, Small Town Rain (2024), Crayon Angels (2021) w/music from producer Lorenzo Wolf's tribute album to Judee Sill, Repast (2020), 3 Friends of the Cold Season (2024) w/music by Dick Connette.
Klahr's Circumstantial Pleasures program will also be presented by SF Cinematheque at The Lab on Wednesday, December 12, 2024.
Films from the Abortion Clinic Film Collective: Documenting Reproductive Justice
Sunday, December 15, 2024
7pm
Admission: $12 (discount for members)
In the Abortion Clinic Film Collective series, we hear from medical directors and staff, mothers and daughters, criminal defense attorneys and advocates from across the country, about how their personal and professional lives have been affected post-Dobbs. Each portal provides a window into the broad and life-threatening ramifications of that Supreme Court decision and its devastating legacy for the health and well-being of our country and people.
Featuring films by Lynne Sachs, Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, Đoan Hoáng Curtis, Kelly Gallagher, Lindsay Opoku-Acheampong, Raymond Rea, Ruth Hayes, and Sasha Waters.
This screening is part of the Gravitational Lensing: Feminist Film Dialogues weekend-long focus on Reproductive Health & Justice which also includes Gravitational Lensing, Program #6: Reproductive Health & Justice on Friday, 12/13 and the Urgent Action Video Making Workshop on Saturday, 12/14.
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 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.
Find out more about our venue.
Our venue and equipment is available for private rentals. Find out more.
Candlelit Paperwork - Hand-drawn Animation
Instructor: Anna Firth
Sunday, December 8, 2024
11am-4pm
Admission: $50 (Discount for Shapeshifters members and students)
Frame-by-frame animation yanks at the second hand, slowing time to an unfamiliar crawl. Candle-lit Paperwork is a devotional introduction to hand-drawn animation on paper with Oakland-based animator Anna Firth. Participants are invited to explore materials and motion in a relaxing atmosphere. Any tests or clips made in the workshop can be taken home as digital files. Everyone welcome. All skill levels welcome. All equipment and materials are provided, as well as light snacks and refreshments. You may choose to bring your favorite drawing supplies.
Urgent Action Video Making Workshop
Instructors: Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, Doan Hoàng Curtis, and Lindsay Opoku-Acheampong
Saturday, December 14, 2024
1-4pm
In-person at Shapeshifters Cinema
Admission: FREE - RSVP here
Join the Abortion Clinic Film Collective in creating quick, urgent video responses to the election and other pressing global issues in our current political climate. Inspired by the Collective's films made after the overturning of Roe v Wade, ACFC members will lead participants through using video to harness strong and impassioned reactions into political and artistic statements, all culminating in a unique, short, collaborative film. Connect, reflect, and move forward at this pivotal moment together!
This workshop is part of the Gravitational Lensing: Feminist Film Dialogues weekend-long focus on Reproductive Health & Justice which also includes Gravitational Lensing, Program #6: Reproductive Health & Justice on Friday, 12/13 and Films from the Abortion Clinic Film Collective: Documenting Reproductive Justice on Sunday, 12/15.
Build Your Own Panorama Crankie
Instructor: Risa Lenore
Sunday, January 5, 2025
12-5pm
In-person at Shapeshifters Cinema
Admission: $65 (Discount for Shapeshifters members)
Learn how to make a panorama "crankie" with puppeteer and artist Risa Lenore—Artistic Director of Possibly Puppets Handmade Theatre. A crankie is a pre-cinematic media device—a moving panorama of painted/illustrated imagery made on a scrolling backdrop. After learning about and seeing examples of the art form, participants will build their own out of cardboard boxes, paper scrolls and text from a short story, song or poem (self-penned or otherwise). Skills needed: imagination, a playful attitude and very basic drawing skills (can you draw a line? a dot?—you got this!) We will use a power drill to make holes—we can help you! Bring your favorite drawing supplies. Colored pencils, inks, pens and scroll paper will be provided. By the end of this, you will go home with your very own panorama crankie!
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!
The Shapeshifters shop features an eclectic range of DVDs, books, CDs and other artist-made items. Browse the selection here
Jennifer Reeves, September 29, 2024 at Shapeshifters Cinema
Workshop with Phil Hoffman & Deirdre Logue, September 22, 2024 at Shapeshifters Cinema
The Beth Schenck Quintet, August 1, 2024 at Shapeshifters Cinema
Suki O'Kane, August 16 2020 at Shapeshifters Cinema
John Davis, September 20, 2020 at Shapeshifters Cinema
Killer Banshee, September 13, 2020 at Shapeshifters Cinema
Elena Pardo, December 6, 2019 at Shapeshifters Cinema
Lynne Sachs, November 10, 2019 at Shapeshifters Cinema
Minoosh Zomorodinia, October 13, 2019 at Shapeshifters Cinema
Jeremy Rourke, September 20, 2019 at Shapeshifters Cinema
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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