About Us
Makazan Films is a full-service production company headed by Writer-Director-Producer-Actor, Paige Morrow Kimball. As a multi-hyphenate with 25 years of production experience, Paige has a 360 degree view of the entertainment industry from both sides of the camera and the creative eye to lead her team from concept to final delivery. Makazan Films (named after her daughters Mak & Zan) is committed to creating uplifting stories and hiring women and other under-represented artists in as many key positions as possible. Paige and her team of creative collaborators firmly believe, if girls can see it, they can be it!
Our Projects
PLAY DATE – SHORT FILM
ENDING UP – SHORT FILM
EXILED OUT EAST – PILOT
LEMONADE: WINNING – WEBISODE
POWERS - TRAILER - 2023
OFF THE WALL: LOS ANGELES PBS 2022
ANA GUERERRO - CHIEF OF STAFF LA CITY TV 2018
Sesame Street Films: Originals
SESAME STREET LETTER FILM:
R IS FOR REUSE
SESAME STREET NUMBER FILM: THE AMAZING NUMBER 9
SESAME STREET LETTER FILM: D IS FOR DOG
Sesame Street Films: Scripted Series
SESAME STREET MONSTER FOODIES: PICKLES
SESAME STREET MONSTER FOODIES: PLUMS
SESAME STREET MONSTER FOODIES: AVOCADOS
SESAME STREET MONSTER FOODIES: GARLIC
SESAME STREET MONSTER FOODIES: ONIONS
SESAME STREET ELMO'S WORLD: CELEBRATIONS
SESAME STREET MONSTER FOODIES: CELERY
SESAME STREET MONSTER FOODIES: ARTICHOKES
SESAME STREET ELMO'S WORLD: THANKSGIVING
SESAME STREET MONSTER FOODIES: CACTUS
SESAME STREET MONSTER FOODIES: SALT
ACCOLADES
Our Projects Have Received Many Honors and Awards:
- Cleveland Int’l Film Festival: Best Women’s Short Film
- Outshine Film Festival: Best Short Film
- Wicked Queer Film Festival: Best in Show
- Cordillera Film Festival: Special Jury Nominee
- Woods Hole Film Festival: Runner Up: Best Short Documentary
- Downtown LA Film Festival: Best Short Documentary
- Port Townsend Film Festival: Best Short Documentary
- Ojai Film Festival: Best Short Documentary
- Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival: Best Short Doctumentary
- Vero Beach Best Short Documentary Jury Award
- Vero Beach Best Short Documentary Audience Award
- Next Generation Indie Film Award: Best Short Documentary
- Napa Valley Film Festival: Audience Favorite
- Boston Kids Int’l Film Festival: Best Short Film
- International Family Film Festival: Best Short Film
- Moondance Int’l Film Festival: Best Short & Best Child Actor
- San Jose Shorts Int’l Film Festival: Audience Favorite
- Park City Int’l Film Festival: Best Short Finalist
- Hendricks Foundation: Quarter Finalist Prize Winner
- Coverfly: Top 1% & Top 20 of the Month
- ScreenCraft Film Fund: Finalist
- Atlanta Film Festival Script Competition: Quarter Finalist
- The Writers Lab: Semi-Finalist
- Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition: Second Rounder
- Launch Pad Competition: Second Rounder
- Screen Craft Drama Competition: Semi Finalist
- Nichol: Top 15%
- Sundance Writers Lab: Final Rounder
THE MAKAZAN FILMS DIRECTING PROGRAM
History has shown that projects traditionally hire the people they know, which makes it difficult for new and diverse talents to receive that first big break. Founded in 2023 by Paige Morrow Kimball, The Makazan Films Directors Program is designed to lend a hand in overcoming this obstacle.
We believe that Diversity matters. There are many talented, qualified directors who may need a leg up to be able to build their ‘evidence of greatness’ to get to the next step of their directing career.
This is not a school or a shadowing program. We look for directors who have started to create a body of work and are working to build their reel and credits. The selected director is hired for a Makazan Films Production and is paid a fair, appropriate fee for independent short filmmaking, specific to the budget. In 2023 the award was to direct a live action short film for Sesame Street.
We hope to help move the needle for someone with this opportunity. In 2023, we received 167 strong applications and after careful consideration, our Selection Committee awarded the job to Bat-Sheva Guez. With so many standout and talented applicants we created additional awards: The Industry Access/Collaboration Award presented to Radha Mehta and Shayna Strype and The Mentorship Award presented to Asha Boston.
“Climbing the director ladder ain’t easy. Now I want to pay it forward and give the same opportunity to someone who could benefit from having more content on their reel and an HBO credit on an iconic show. It’s important for me that directing this film will help move the needle for another qualified director. ” –Paige Morrow Kimball
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LEARN MORE ABOUT @BESTDIRECTHER – THE WOMAN DIRECTOR ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION I CO-FOUNDED.
Our Collective of 200 Women DGA members formed in 2018 after yet again, no female directors were nominated for DGA awards in the Best Feature and Best First Time Feature categories. BestDirectHER’s mission is to create more opportunities for Women Directors in a male-dominated industry.