cultivating underserved filmmakers and storytellers.
We are rooted in Mni Sota Makoce, the unceeded lands of the Dakota (Minnesota, United States).
Our intuitive process emerges from our values in solidarity, education, community, and care.
Through financial support, community organizing, and mentorship, our programs support filmmakers and their communities to engage in a transformative and healing film experience that fosters deep connections, skill development, and meaningful relationships.
Our programs support and collaborate with emerging, aspiring, and established filmmakers, helping to sustain creative practices that serve communities and imagine new radical futures.
We believe storytelling and creative expression is an ancestral tool for preservation and healing.
Whether it is on a film set or organizing an event, our priority is for participants and collaborators to feel safe, seen, nourished, connected with each other and their own selves.
Mamá Papaya is proud to co-present Cinefilmu Film Festival.
MAMÁ PAPAYA TEAM
Executive Director
Director of Culture & Operations
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mary Anne Quiroz
Ryan Stopera
Ryan Stopera
Tahiel Jimenez Medina
Nicole Donoso Sanchez
Mamá Papaya honors my migrant mama’s spirit who for most of her did not have access to resources and community for creative expression. Our organization recognizes the need for everyone to receive the skills, tools, and resources to feel powerful in their voice in a vibrant community rooted in care and solidarity.”
- Tahiel Jimenez Medina
Founder & Executive Director of Mamá Papaya
Founder & Executive Director of Mamá Papaya