Introducing Our New Staff Members: Zachary Epcar and Ashley Rose Tacheira
Posted December 6th, 2024 in Announcements, News / Events
Canyon Cinema is thrilled to announce the addition of two new staff members: Zachary Epcar, as Distribution & Collections Manager, and Ashley Rose Tacheira, as Distribution Assistant.
Zachary Epcar is an accomplished filmmaker working across platforms using 16mm and digital technologies. His award-winning films have been included in the international film festivals of Toronto, New York, Rotterdam, San Francisco, Edinburgh, and Melbourne; Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, SF Cinematheque’s Crossroads, Media City Film Festival, IndieLisboa, European Media Art Festival, Black Canvas Festival de Cine Contemporáneo, EXiS, and 25 FPS; in solo screenings at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Museum of the Moving Image in New York, and Black Hole Cinematheque; and online streaming sites MUBI, Le Cinéma Club, and Ecstatic Static. His work has been written about in Cinema Scope, Film Comment, and MUBI Notebook, and he was featured in Filmmaker Magazine’s 2023 list of “25 New Faces of Independent Film.”
Born and raised in San Francisco, Epcar has worked over the years as an educator, editor, artist assistant, and film programmer. He received his BA from Bard College and MFA in Cinema Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is a member of the film collective Light Field and has collaborated with Bay Area organizations and venues such as The Lab, Canyon Cinema, Roxie Theater, Artists’ Television Access, San Francisco Cinematheque, Pro Arts Gallery, and NIAD Art Center.
Well-known to the local, national, and international experimental film communities alike, Epcar also has a long history with Canyon Cinema, having interned at Canyon in 2008. His deep knowledge of the Canyon community and collection will be a benefit to the artist membership. As a practicing filmmaker he is well-versed in the ways artist’s films and media are made, circulated, and presented today, with broad experience in all aspects of media production, post-production, and exhibition; from 16mm film handling to hybrid work flows to digital asset management and screening formats.
Ashley Rose Tacheira is an interdisciplinary artist and library worker with a passion for moving images, expanding access to knowledge, and preserving the cultural production of diverse communities. She holds a BA in Art from UC Santa Cruz and a Certificate of Achievement in Library Information Technology from City College of San Francisco.
Drawing on two decades of experience in photography, Tacheira has developed a deep expertise in imaging and visual preservation. Her work in digitization labs at UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley involved handling and photographing a vast array of materials, including glass plate aerial photographs and 17th-century Italian pocket librettos. This and her public-facing roles at City College of San Francisco Library and San Francisco Public Library reflect her commitment to community service and the stewardship of cultural heritage.
Tacheira’s work bridges artistry and archival practice, driven by her dedication to safeguarding cultural materials and ensuring their accessibility for future generations. As a 2023 Pathways Fellow with the Association of Moving Image Archivists, she trained in film preservation at Prelinger Archives. Her main project focused on processing, researching, cataloging, and scanning The Archives Project Collection, which primarily includes outtakes from The Atomic Café. This experience furthered her interest in the history of non-theatrical film. Tacheria’s skills and experience in collection management, motion picture film inspection and preparation, and digitization, will be a tremendous asset to Canyon’s artist members.
We are very excited to welcome Zachary and Ashley aboard!
