Fox Maxy is a filmmaker known for her kaleidoscopic and thrilling films. Maxy’s films push the genre of horror and documentary, creating deeply personal and biographical reflections on survival, joy, and pleasure. Her 2022–2024 Borderlands Fellowship project is a film about portals and mental health. Maxy’s belief is that anyone and everyone can be a filmmaker. Wrapping up her 2022–2024 VLC Borderlands Fellowship, Maxy hosts a filmmaking workshop inspired by releasing heaviness through storytelling and mental wellness.  

Bringing this workshop to New York City, where her feature film will be set, Maxy invites participants to learn and create a short film with her over the course of several weeks. The workshop begins with introductory meetings that will be hosted on Zoom, where participants will create storyboards for their short-films. Participants have an opportunity to meet in person and film together late in the evening across New York City, with the city’s after hours as its backdrop. Finally, participants learn simple video-editing techniques from Maxy and screen their short films to the public.  Information and registration for the public screening at UnionDocs on June 9th is available here. 

Participants do not need prior knowledge or experience of filmmaking. Owning an iPhone or iPad is a plus, but not necessary. The workshop is limited to 15 participants, with priority given to Native and First Nations applicants. Participants must be located in New York City.  Participants attending all sessions will receive a small honorarium for their participation. The workshop will be documented. Applications will open on March 25 and close on April 15. Participants will be notified by early May.

Workshop schedule:

Thursday, May 23, online
Introductory meeting with Fox Maxy
12–1:30 pm EDT
*Open only to workshop participants

Thursday, May 30, online
Introduction to storyboarding
12–1:30 pm EDT
*Open only to workshop participants

Saturday, June 8, in person in New York City
Filming and editing
Hosted at Relative Arts
5–10 pm EDT
*Open only to workshop participants

Sunday, June 9, in person in New York City
Screening and celebration
Hosted at UnionDocs
6–8:30 pm EDT
*Open to the public

This workshop is part of Fox Maxy’s 2022–2024 Vera List Center Borderlands Fellowship and is organized by Camila Palomino, Curatorial Assistant. This program is co-hosted with Relative Arts and UnionDocs,  and is co-sponsored by the Center for Imagination in the Borderlands at Arizona State University. For any questions relating to the application, please email vlc@newschool.edu

Fox Maxy is a Payómkawish and Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians filmmaker based in San Diego, CA. Her first feature length film, Gush, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023. She is a 2022–2024 Borderlands Fellow at the Vera List Center for Art and Politics (VLC) at The New School in New York City and the Center for Imagination in the Borderlands (CIB) at Arizona State University. In 2022, Fox was awarded the opportunity to be the Sundance Institute’s Merata Mita Fellow. In 2020, COUSIN Collective supported the director with her first grant. Fox’s work has screened at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NY, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), ImagineNative Film Festival, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), BlackStar Film Festival and Lincoln Center among other places. Currently, she is working on her second feature film about mental health.