cultivating underserved filmmakers and storytellers in Minnesota.
Through financial support, community engagement, and mentorship, our programs support filmmakers and their communities to engage in a transformative film process that fosters deep connections, skill development, and meaningful relationships.
The visionary fellows in our programs are supported to create groundbreaking narrative short films and scripts. Their projects create ripple effects in our communities and cultures.
Mamá Papaya fellowships cared for emerging voices, helping to launch sustainable, long-term careers in film. We believe storytelling is an ancestral tool for preservation and healing.
Our values are care, joy, community, solidarity, and cultivating long-lasting relationships. Whether it is on a film set or organizing an event, our priority is for people to feel safe, seen, nourished, connected with each other and their own selves.
Mamá Papaya is proud to co-present Cinefilmu Film Festival.
Mama Papaya Community Annual Gathering 2023
MAMÁ PAPAYA TEAM
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tahiel Jimenez Medina
Nicole Donoso Sanchez
Ryan Stopera
Nicole Donoso Sanchez
Ryan Stopera
Mary Anne Quiroz
Reyna Rios-Starr
Mamá Papaya honors my migrant mama’s creative spirit and recognizes the need for everyone to receive the skills, tools, and resources to feel powerful in their creative expression and craft.
Everyone deserves the chance to tell their story in vibrant and beautiful mediums such as film.”
- Tahiel Jimenez Medina
Founder & Executive Director of Mamá Papaya
Founder & Executive Director of Mamá Papaya