Production Assistant Certification Program Cohort 2024

The PA Certification Program is a powerful pathway for early-career filmmakers to secure their first jobs. This program serves 30 participants per cohort, ages 18 and up. Students complete an 8-week online lecture series on production lingo, set etiquette, and non-violent communication on set. Selected participants move to Phase 2 of the program and receive hands-on training during JFMS-led mock productions in Los Angeles. From there, participants are paired with industry professionals of color whom they shadow and assist on set and are provided with stipends, and essentially their first paid jobs in the industry.

Interested in hosting sponsored PAs or applying to an upcoming cohort? Visit the Applications page to get started, or email info@justiceformysister.org for details.

  • Andrea Diaz is a mercurial Mexican-American artist whose work weaves between music, film, creative direction, and spiritual endeavors. Her primary musical project, DIA LUNA is an art pop project created with her cousin, main producer, and engineer, Tomas Deltoro-diaz. Her self-directed music video, "Wilderness" created with frequent collaborator Dani Gros, was screened at the 2023 San Luis Obispo Film Festival and won several awards, including an honorable mention at the 2024 Bowery Film Festival in NYC for best music video. Beyond her creative work, she also hosts spiritually-minded events, fostering sacred spaces for people to experience community and connectedness.

  • Andrea, born and raised in Puerto Rico, is an aspiring filmmaker. From a young age she was mesmerized with films and tv shows, mainly for their storytelling. She felt as if it were magic and that’s what she wanted to do, create magic. After completing her bachelor’s, she moved to LA and obtained her master’s in film and media production to pursue a career in the Entertainment Industry. Her ambition is to make a change in the world and create a big impact in the entertainment business on the international side, especially Latinx and Hispanic artists to help make their dreams a reality. She wants to bring new and meaningful art to the masses and opportunities to her community. 

  • James Retana is an aspiring filmmaker with a background in project planning, community building, research, and team management. Their aspirations as a LA raised and Salvadoreñe filmmaker are to document and archive family/community experiences, particularly around overcoming generational trauma and resisting systemic oppression. With their work, they hope to contribute towards a collective memory that fights against colonialism and fosters community healing. 

    While they hold a bachelor’s in Film from UC Santa Cruz, their production experience is minimal. Most of their time outside of class was spent conducting community-engaged research or providing under-served students with life-stabilizing resources instead. Notable work includes assessing barriers to EBT usage on-campus with the UC Santa Cruz Blum Center, as well as working with the Human Rights Investigation Lab for the Americas to conduct online investigations around the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) epidemic in Northern California. 

    Their passion for theory runs deep, but now is the time to exchange theory for practice. James eagerly looks forward to the professional and technical growth they will experience as part of the 2024 Cohort. 

  • Bryan Garcia is an aspiring filmmaker with over seven years of passion for filmmaking and photography. He has gained experience as a Director of Photography, Assistant Director, and Director, working on various projects from film gigs to short films of his own. Bryan's work has been recognized with awards for his short music video films screened at film festivals. His ultimate goal is to have one of his films screened at major film festivals. Until then, Bryan continues to strive toward this achievement, constantly growing his craft and collaborating with others with the same passion.

  • Cenizo (they/them/elle) is a proud disabled, queer, nonbinary mixed Chicane originally from the Texas-Mexico borderlands. Cenizo’s mission is to create a world where many worlds fit through authentic storytelling. A former educator and legal practitioner, Cenizo witnessed how storytelling, whether in a classroom or a courtroom, affects social change, and how those narratives impact what we see on the screen. Cenizo recently decided that they are better suited to storytelling in film than the law. They continue to learn how to put their stories on screens of all sizes, as both a writer and aspiring filmmaker. 

  • Growing up can be difficult for anyone, but we all have our own problems personal ways of dealing with the hardships of everyday difficulties. While Some may have grown up playing musical instruments or taking up a sport, my passions have always been swayed by my time spent in front of the television screen. I remember all the countless Saturday mornings I was almost glued to the screen always on time to watch my favorite cartoon shows or the time my family and I spent watching our favorite shows like walking dead. I’ve loved the diverse stories and characters that Television and film bring that can only be truly explored when seeing it in motion through the characters performance, lighting and use of camera angles. It’s this enriching muse en scéne that inspired young me to make home videos with my friend and what continues to inspire me to pursue a fulfilling career I couldn’t dream to be apart from.

  • Ella Thury is a Latina artist from Amazonas, Brazil. She is a content creator for UNICEF Brazil and an active member of an independent production company. Now a student in California, she seeks to gain more experience in the film industry. With a background in theater and three short films written, including one in the final stages of production, Ella is dedicated to developing socially driven narratives and amplifying underrepresented voices.

  • Hanaa Moosavi is a Writer/Director from San Diego, California. Her work gravitates towards genre pieces, more specifically horror and comedy, as well as dramas that dissect what it means to live as an Arab-American woman in today’s political climate. Hanaa,from a very young age, has always been creating— even when not pursuing filmmaking as a career or in school. With determination and excitement to create, Hanaa strives to always be collaborating with like minded individuals who love filmmaking as much as she does.

  • Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Irene is a passionate filmmaker driven by a  deep connection to community. Currently attending Santa Monica College she is planning  to transfer soon to complete her bachelor's degree in Film Production. She aspires to  create films that uplift and empower marginalized voices. With a focus on social impact  and authentic storytelling, Irene's work aims to inspire positive change and spark  meaningful conversations.

  • Ivy Guerra is a first-gen student at Cal State Los Angeles, majoring in Chicano/a/x Latinx Studies. In the continuation of her studies she has explored her interest in short films, film,mini-documentaries, and queer Latinx films. She has also submitted a short student filmed testimonio documentary, to her first student short film festival at Cal State Los Angeles first Chicanx/Latinx Film festival. Ivy is looking forward to stepping into more storytelling and the behind the scenes of television, film, and media. 

  • Karina Ramos Villalobos is a passionate multimedia storyteller with a background in journalism, now aiming to break into the film industry. Born and raised in the San Diego area, Karina developed a love for videography and aspires to enter the film world as a video editor. 

    With a heritage rooted in her immigrant Salvadoran parents, Karina feels a deep responsibility to expand story representation and amplify unique feature stories. Her journalism experience includes working at a broadcast television news station in Eureka, CA, and contributing to El Leñador, the only bilingual newspaper in Humboldt County. 

    Karina hopes that through the Justice for My Sister fellowship, she can continue her dedication to radical storytelling and work on projects that reflect the diverse perspectives of our world. Her passion for film is continually growing, with works like "Innocent Voices," "Problemista," and "I'm No Longer Here" inspiring her to create her own versions of the stories within and around her.

  • Kit DeZolt is a gay Asian transracial adoptee, actor and producer. Kit was a producer on "Last Summer of Nathan Lee" and "Boy Luck Club," both on Prime Video, among other indie projects. As an actor, Kit played Kien in "Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk", Nox in "Moon Manor", and English dubbed Prince Jehyeon in “The King’s Affection”.  Kit was on the North American tours of Baby Shark Live and Blippi: The Wonderful World. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from LMU and his first job in LA was as a condom (feel free to ask about it). IG:@Kit_DeZolt.

  • Ky Hsiung is a multifaceted artist, dabbling in woodworking, metalworking, and filmmaking. A passionate traveler, Ky loves to explore new places, read, write, and eat delicious food. Their family dog, Figgy Pudding, is a mischievous companion, often joining in their adventures. When not working on creative projects, Ky can be found reading books, drinking milk tea, and looking at plants, all while skillfully avoiding chores. Known for their vivid dreams and intense side-eye, Ky can even rip a phonebook in half, but maybe only a small one.

  • My name is Maria ”Caro'' Covarrubias, an 18-year-old college student with dreams of becoming an award winning screenwriter and director. I attended John F Kennedy High School where I took film as an elective for three years, I credit my film teacher Mr. Lemos for everything that I know. I am currently working towards my bach degree in screenwriting. I have a passion for creating stories and showcasing them as well. I believe that the film industry needs more diversity and I want to help diversify it. I find it incredibly important to uplift BIPOC filmmakers and help them achieve their visions.

  • My name is Mario Hernandez, I am of Mexican descent, and I was raised in the East Los Angeles/Boyle Heights area. I have always had an interest in music and the visual arts. I love to indulge in many art mediums including, painting, graphic design, and filmmaking. I received a trio of associate degrees in Art History, Graphic Design, and Studio Art from ELAC. I am currently the Visual Communications Manager at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and I work part-time at El Pueblo LA. In 2020 I founded my very own media production company, Herdz Media. 

  • Mayra Cortez is a passionate boudoir and portrait photographer, producer, pleasure organizer, and film student. Born in Montebello, with significant ties to the IE, Dallas, and Chicago. Mayra advocates for inclusivity and self-expression, striving to redefine beauty standards and empower individuals through her photography and community initiatives. 

    Mayra is also a pleasure organizers and co founded a collective, House of Huitlacooch thatsupports Black and brown queer/trans individuals practicing non-monogamy, kink, by curatingevents, workshops and also produces erotic films.

  • Phoenix Ocean is a VFX, Post and Production Associate Producer with 8 years of experience in  high-end Episodic TV, Feature Film, Commercial, Integrated and Experiential Production. Key  Episodic and Long Form credits include: Russian Doll S2 (Netflix), Don’t Worry Darling (New  Line Cinema/Warner Bros), Dexter: New Blood (Showtime). 

    Phoenix is also a visual archivist, making films documenting moments of joy amidst  gentrification, queering the ocean, restituting the coast to Indigenous communities, and other  topics close to their heart as a non-binary, queer Caribbean diaspora and immigrant. Their work  is focused on their own healing and the healing of communities who question dominant  narratives which perpetuate resilience.

  • My name is Sage, I am a Black queer non-binary person interested in utilizing film and media to share stories, experiences, and perspectives that center women, trans/non-binary, queer, disabled, Black and Indigenous people from a diverse set of backgrounds. I have a particular interest in  producing horror movies and animated films. Ideally, I would love to create a horror movie that centers my community of BIPOC from South Central. I believe that film has the ability to influence, inspire, and create community that transcends barriers. I also believe in reclaiming space and genres that have historically excluded and exploited marginalized communities and using these spaces/genres to tell our own stories.

  • Sahrenah Watkins (she/they) is an LA based visual artist and writer passionate about science fiction and black queer stories. Currently working towards their degree in Film Studies, Watkins is a screenwriter drawing from her background as a queer black person producing festivals, panels, and youth groups in Leimert Park. Having attended the BIPOC Lab with JFMS, Sahrenah is currently developing their screenplay Ancestral Way. 

    She hopes to work in writing and film production that expands the lens on experiences in adolescence and exploring self identity.

    They are excited to be a part of the JFMS PA Certification Program!

  • I am Samantha Tabares, an aspiring story artist based in LA. Throughout my work, I actively look for ways to cultivate a diverse and impactful environment in the entertainment industry. I enjoy working with large studios such as Disney, as well as enjoy smaller nonprofit organizations who pride themselves on being forces of active change. I love to support organizations that boost POC voices, such as Rise Up Animation and the Center for Restorative Justice Works. I pride myself as a storyteller, creative, and advocate for social change.

  • Umbrae Phantom (they/he) is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a  bachelor’s degree in English, as well as a minor in media and entertainment. He is an  aspiring filmmaker and musician who takes pride in utilizing his queer, Latinx  background to fuel his endeavors. While living in Los Angeles, they have interned with  Highland Film Group, Morningstar Entertainment, and Dark Matter Entertainment. They  have assisted on music video sets as a P.A., and completed P.A. training with the Los  Angeles P.A. Bootcamp. They are grateful to be a part of JFMS’s PA certification  program as it seeks to uplift biopic voices.

Interested in hosting sponsored PAs or applying to an upcoming cohort? Visit the Applications page to get started, or email info@justiceformysister.org for details.