About — Amanda Sweikow

I believe….

that cinema should make you feel above all else, character and emotion come first
that the plot is not the story
that cinema should express humanity as authentically as possible
that form and style should serve the narrative, cinema should show not tell, and every choice should serve the narrative
that the why of the film is most important, there should be intention in every choice; camera angle, misc-en-scene, sound elements, editing, all should serve and reinforce the why
that cinema should express personal voice, without fear or apology
that cinema should have an impact (but not be didactic), that it should create empathy and unite us
that cinema should trust its audience and not pander to it
that cinema should leave room for interpretation, it should ask questions not shove answers down our throats
that cinema is not ‘content’
that cinema should be experienced in a theater with an audience

I believe that as cinema-makers….

we should focus on people over profit, treating everyone with dignity and respect
we should realize that collaboration is key, and be open to new ideas at every stage
we should build community, sharing information and resources with one another
we should act with integrity, do what we say we’ll do and own up to mistakes
we should admit that we do not know everything, and always be asking questions, especially “how can we make or do this better?
we should work to sustain a theatrical ecosystem, because shared viewing is essential to cinema’s power to inspire culture and empathy.

My Cinematic Manifesto

Read My Substack

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash ‍

Amanda Sweikow is an award-winning writer/director and producer who graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Cinema from San Francisco State University. She began her career with Filmmakers Alliance, rising to Executive Director, and has since worked across the industry in various capacities, including roles at Light Iron Digital and HotHouse Productions.

Her work includes award-winning films such as Plus or Minus: A Few Things I Thought I Should Consider and That’s Not My Mother, along with producing credits like Melancholy Baby and Quetzal. She is currently developing the omnibus project Red, White, and Blue, recently completed her third feature script Unclaimed, and writes the Substack newsletter Talk Cinema, Save Cinema.

I believe….

that cinema should make you feel above all else, character and emotion come first

that the plot is not the story

that cinema should express humanity as authentically as possible

that form and style should serve the narrative, cinema should show not tell, and every choice should serve the narrative

that the why of the film is most important, there should be intention in every choice; camera angle, misc-en-scene, sound elements, editing, all should serve and reinforce the why

that cinema should express personal voice, without fear or apology

that cinema should have an impact (but not be didactic), that it should create empathy and unite us

that cinema should trust its audience and not pander to it

that cinema should leave room for interpretation, it should ask questions not shove answers down our throats

that cinema is not ‘content’

that cinema should be experienced in a theater with an audience

I believe that as cinema-makers….

we should focus on people over profit, treating everyone with dignity and respect

we should realize that collaboration is key, and be open to new ideas at every stage

we should build community, sharing information and resources with one another

we should act with integrity, do what we say we’ll do and own up to mistakes

we should admit that we do not know everything, and always be asking questions, especially “how can we make or do this better?

we should work to sustain a theatrical ecosystem, because shared viewing is essential to cinema’s power to inspire culture and empathy.

My Cinematic Manifesto