Equity Films was born from an unexpected encounter in a movie theater. It began with a conversation about hope.

A young man working at the theater was struggling with depression, frustrated with his life, and uncertain about his future. During a conversation about prayer and what it means to hold on when life feels hopeless, he said something that would become the beginning of Equity Films:

“If you want to build hope in the lives of people, put it in a movie.”

It was an unexpected answer, but a powerful one. He understood that movies reach people. They enter homes, theaters, classrooms, and lives. They can meet someone in a moment of despair, change the way a person sees the world, or leave behind one thought that gives them a reason to keep going.

At that moment, there was no thought of starting a film festival or building an organization. The thought was much simpler: find the filmmakers.

Were there filmmakers in my underresourced community light-years from Hollywood and other creative centers. And if I could find them, perhaps I could sit down with them and share what that young man had shared with me, that regardless of the genre, somewhere in their storytelling there could be a moment that encouraged someone, lifted someone, or simply reminded someone not to give up.

So the search began. And Equity Films began to take shape.

Welcome! I’m Dr. Patricia Ferguson, Founder and President of Equity Films, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2022. Inspired by a random movie encounter, my sons, Daniel and Joshua, friends Susan, Erica and Sheila, and a colleague Patrick, to go for it, Equity Films was born from a vision to create opportunities in film and creative media for communities and storytellers too often overlooked.

Our mission is to help build a film ecosystem in rural and under sourced spaces  that have historically been overlooked and create pathways into film, media, the arts, and entertainment through education, storytelling, leadership,  community engagement and economic opportunity.

As an International Anthem Award Silver Winner, Equity Films is home to SWIFT! – Students Working in Film Today!, Stories from the Porch, and the 1317South Film Festival, formerly the Pecan Pickling Film Festival.

Through SWIFT! – Students Working in Film Today!, we envision the next generation of creative talent by building a pipeline from education to real-world experience in film and media.

Through Stories from the Porch, Equity Films has expanded its work into original storytelling.

Our first Equity Films Original, Stories from the Porch: Shifting the Lens, was directed by our own award-winning filmmaker James Jones Jr. The documentary follows three generations of a family in rural Northeastern North Carolina, preserving stories of family, community, resilience, and change.

It represents another part of our mission: using film to preserve stories, develop creative talent, and bring voices and experiences to the screen that might otherwise go unseen.

And through the 1317South Film Festival, formerly the Pecan Pickling Film Festival, independent filmmakers have something that was never part of that first conversation in the movie theater, but grew naturally from it: a screen.

Now an International Anthem Award Silver Winner, Equity Films continues to grow, but the heart of the work remains connected to that first unexpected conversation.

Film reaches people. Stories matter. Talent exists everywhere. And opportunity can change what is possible.

I am a proud product of the Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I studied under the legendary John Allen and Bob Leslie. Their mentorship helped shape my lifelong belief in the transformative power of the arts and the importance of giving people a place to discover, develop, and share their gifts.

I know that extraordinary talent exists far beyond traditional industry centers. Rural and underrepresented communities are filled with creativity, vision, faith, and heart. Where you begin should never determine how far your gifts can take you.

That belief is also behind the next chapter of our film festival. Formerly the Pecan Pickling Film Festival, the 1317South Film Festival honors where we began while expanding where we are going. The name represents the power of starting small and growing with purpose. It speaks to independent filmmakers who may not have every resource, connection, or open door, but who have the vision, talent, and determination to move their work forward.

Through Equity Films, we are creating more than programs. We are creating screens, developing talent, opening pathways, and helping people and communities see themselves as part of the larger creative economy.

I invite you to be part of what comes next as we continue changing what the world sees, one story at a time.