Making It: Our Mission

A 30-minute documentary and community storytelling campaign, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, centered on the people, organizations, and cultural movements working to preserve the soul of San Francisco’s Mission District.

The film highlights culture keepers, immigrant entrepreneurs, artists, neighborhood organizers, and community leaders who are using culture, storytelling, and collective care as tools for resilience, civic engagement, and neighborhood vitality.

Rather than focusing on narratives of decline often associated with San Francisco, the project was intentionally designed as a solutions-forward portrait of the Mission — exploring how identity, art, food, intergenerational leadership, and local business ecosystems shape the emotional and cultural fabric of a city.

The project extended beyond film into a live community experience, including a sold-out premiere screening, public conversations, and community activations that brought together residents, artists, nonprofit leaders, and local organizations around a shared sense of belonging and cultural pride.

As Creative Director and filmmaker, Molly helped shape the project from concept through execution — leading narrative development, interview direction, visual storytelling, production, and audience experience. Her role focused on building an emotional and cinematic language that honored the complexity, warmth, and living spirit of the Mission while creating a campaign that felt both intimate and civic in scale.