This October, twenty adults who have never made a film will make one. Over three weekends in Asheville, North Carolina, they will write, light, shoot, record, and finish Why We Made It, a 45–60 minute film — working real crew positions and earning screen credit for every position they work. Demetris A. Jones, founder of Ndovu Films, teaches the program start to finish. His time is donated. The venue is donated.

What your gift does

The program costs about $8,200 to run: actors, a stills photographer, post-production, and materials. Tuition is $600 per student and covers that cost when all twenty seats are filled. A $600 gift is a scholarship seat. It holds one of the twenty places for a student who cannot pay, and it keeps the cohort full with the people the program exists for. The goal on this page is twenty seats: $12,000. Gifts to this campaign are used only for scholarship seats in the First-Time Filmmakers Intensive.

Dates: October 10–11, October 24–25, and November 7–8, 2026. Students are adults 21 and older. No experience required. Twenty students, one film. Program details are at ndovufilms.org/intensive.

What we will not tell you

Ndovu Films was founded in 2024. This is its first production. There is no track record yet, only the plan, the instructor, and the students. We do not present planned programs, projected revenue, or hoped-for partnerships as results already achieved. When the film is finished in December, we will show it to you.

Ndovu Films is a South Carolina nonprofit corporation recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a public charity exempt under Section 501(c)(3) (EIN 33-1348717). Its purpose is to educate and train first-time and aspiring filmmakers, to award scholarships and other assistance for film education, and to produce original film and media work that advances those charitable and educational purposes.

Registered with the Secretary of State as required by law. Registration does not imply endorsement. SC Charity Public ID P102391.

Scholarship Seats — First-Time Filmmakers Intensive

Twenty adults who have never made a film will make one this fall. A $600 gift holds a seat for a student who cannot pay.

Team Members