Accessible hands-on filmmaking education and consultation for rural, remote, and underserved communities.
Ota Film Group envisions a landscape where every community, (no matter how small, distant, or overlooked), has the tools, confidence, and creative space to share its own stories. A future where filmmaking is not limited by geography, income, or access, but grows from the ground up: voice to voice, story to story, community to community.
What We Offer
Custom Course Development
Collaborate with us to design one-of-a-kind programs that respond directly to your community’s needs, goals & skill level.
Instructor-Led Workshops
In-person and on-line interactive sessions that focus on immediate skill application, creative expression, and team collaboration.
Consultation
Consultation across every stage of production from script-writing, editing, to filmmaking infrastructure and Train-the Trainer programs.
Production
Collaborate with our team to professionally develop, produce, create and deliver your story.
Our Story
For many of us, when we began our careers in the film industry, it felt like another world. Filmmaking was defined by expensive equipment, movie stars, and experts with years of training telling stories we could only imagine. It felt magical, but it also seemed out of reach. The idea that we could make our own films was so foreign that it hardly felt like a possibility. It seemed like filmmaking was reserved for the few who had the resources, connections, or confidence to pursue it, while the rest of us experienced stories from our seats in the theatre.
Over the past 25 years, filmmaking has changed dramatically. Digital cameras and affordable editing software have made the technical side of filmmaking more accessible than ever before. Today, almost anyone can create a film. The challenge is no longer access to the tools, it is knowing where to begin and having opportunities to learn. While film education programs exist, they are often concentrated in urban centres, leaving many people in rural and remote communities without practical access to training, mentorship, or industry knowledge.
Ota Film Group is a team of experienced filmmakers dedicated to bringing accessible and inclusive film education directly to underserved communities. With decades of industry experience and a history of teaching in professional film programs across British Columbia, we remove barriers to arts education by providing practical filmmaking skills that empower people to tell their own stories. Through hands-on training, we foster creative expression, technical confidence, and community storytelling.
The Team
Sano, Founder/ Executive Director
Sano is a first generation Japanese Canadian, raised outside of Toronto. He attended post secondary for aerospace engineering and has worked as a labour organizer for 19 years. Sano moved to BC in 2012 and has since delved into the world of production by getting a continuity role in the first season of Shogun. As a result, Sano continued his organzing with IATSE 891 and in the burgeoning film communities across BC.
Stephanie Rossel, Co-founder/ Instructor/ Curriculum
Stephanie Rossel is a 40-year filmmaker and script supervisor whose credits include Juno, 50/50, Tully, When We Rise, and collaborations with Robert Altman and Gus Van Sant. She has written & directed award-winning shorts and co-founded the Comox Valley International Film Festival. A dedicated educator, she delivers accessible, practical training that empowers rural and emerging filmmakers to tell their stories confidently.
Fredrik Thorsen, Instructor/ Curriculum
Fredrik Throsen is a veteran film editor and educator with 25+ years in BC’s film industry. He has edited 12 features and hundreds of digital projects, specializing in simplifying creative-tech workflows. After 15 years teaching underserved youth, he now leads accessible, tech-agnostic training and train-the-trainer programs that build digital capacity in rural, remote, and under represented BC communities.
Workshops
Script to Screen Level 1
3 day in-person (16 hours)
A hands on step-by step course taking participants through the process of making a narrative short film from writing a script to the final finished film.
Participants learn the basic fundamentals by writing the script, filming the story and editing the final product collectively. A fun, beginner-friendly workshop that’s collaborative and engaging, without overwhelming with too much information.
Accessible / User-friendly / Collaborative
Script to Screen Level 2
7 days in-person (28 hours)
A hands on interactive course that takes a deeper dive into the art of storytelling and short-film production.
Participants lean into the craft(s) of screenwriting, production design, camera, and editing and learn the what it takes to launch a production.
Working together, they create a short film from script to screen.
Adaptable / Skills development / Teamwork
Dear Younger Me
4 week on-line or in-person (16 hours)
Engaging and full of insight. Each participant creates a personal short film while learning essential filmmaking skills. Using low-barrier tools like smart phones and home computers, participants bring their stories to life on screen.
This program supports real project development and includes a Train-the-Trainer component to build long-term local capacity.
Approachable / Personal / Storytelling
