About
Our Story
The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers West (BADWest) was formed in July of 2003 by iconic filmmaker St. Clair Bourne as a collective of documentary filmmakers of African descendant working and residing on the West Coast. Since its inception we have continually held monthly general meeting providing industry speakers, information on resources for production, funding sources, festivals and distribution; as well as screening works-in-progress and completed docs for feedback and discussion. Our members are diverse in experience, and range from recent film-school grads to to experience documentary filmmakers with award winning features produced for major broadcast outlets.
2007, unexpectedly became a watershed for the organization, for Decembers marked the sudden, untimely death of our co-founder St. Clair Bourne. As we strive to continue the goals of our mission, we are proud to further the legacy of St. Clair Bourne by living up to our commitment to assist documentarians, and increase the impact of documentary filmmaking within our community.
Our Mission
BADWest champions and further advances the art of Black documentary filmmakers across the Diaspora. We maintain our commitment to promote and increase the impact of documentary filmmaking within Southern California.
Co-Chairs
Nicole Johnson
Co-Chair
Nicole Johnson holds a degree in Theater and brings over 15 years of experience as an accomplished administrative professional. Her passion for well-told stories, particularly in the documentary genre, has driven her to continuously refine her craft. Over the years, she has pursued ongoing education, taking various writing classes to enhance her storytelling skills. An active member of BADWest for ten years, she is now preparing to work in the documentary space. Her educational background, work experience, and deep appreciation for compelling narratives make her a great addition to the team.
Tiffany Judkins
Co-Chair
TIFFANY JUDKINS is an accomplished producer and filmmaker whose work has appeared on PBS, Discovery and ABC. She is currently directing and producing the Pros and Cons of comedy where a group of ex-lifers are spurred by a stand-up comedy class to realize their voice, similar to the filmmaker.
Other current projects include Urban Food Chain, the reboot, a series traveling the country probing ways Black and Brown communities address the urgency of sustainability. Their approaches to economic prosperity, a healthy environment and social justice are very different from what we commonly think of as going “Green”.
Tiffany is a 2016 Black Public Media fellow, 2018 Arts for Los Angeles fellow, curator for the Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers West, former Juror for International Documentary Association and Pan African Film festival. Tiffany is the founder of Kinship Filmworks, a production company specializing in socially impactful branded films and documentaries.
Joyce Guy
Co-Chair
is a filmmaker, actress, playwright, and choreographer. Joyce is a founding member, and an officer and treasurer of the Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers West (BADWest) in Los Angeles She is director / producer / writer of the documentary film Dancing Like Home. She is the creator / writer / performer and co-producer of the digital series, Racism Never Sleeps: Kitchen Series and Kitchen Conversation. Joyce was nominated for an Ovation, Stage Raw and NAACP Award for choreographing Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs and won the NAACP award for Best Choreographer in 2019. She has choreographed A Raisin in the Sun, Gem of the Ocean, Seven Guitars and Much Ado About Nothing at A Noise Within in Pasadena and Choir Boy at Dezart Performs in Palm Springs, CA..