Fact: the first movies were short documentaries.
At Breakwater Studios, we built our company around a simple belief. Brevity is power.
When we started almost 15 years ago, people laughed at the idea of a high craft short documentary business. We were told to keep our day jobs.
We loved it anyway. So we kept going and, eventually, found our fellow believers (many who have been at it a lot longer than us!) along the way.
Today we are a team of 20 working out of Walt Disney’s original studio in Los Feliz. Every day we try to do right by our storytellers, our partners, and our audience.
And we still love it.
At a moment when the traditional model is failing us, innovation can mean returning to an old idea. Something that has been right in front of us since the first frame.
Link in bio if you are curious why @fastcompany named Breakwater one of the Most Innovative Film and TV Companies in the world this year alongside incredible leaders like @proximitymedia@imax@sonyanimation .
You may have heard, we are raising $15 million for the repair shop!
Our goal is to raise $5 million from grassroots community donations over the next year.
Please go to to donate!
Every bit helps. Spread the word!
Link in bio too.
Excited to share a look at HOME PLATE, our latest from director @loookahs . Beautifully shot by @byronkopman , deftly edited by @autumnhatesburgers , with a stunning score from @katya.richardson this film made in partnership with @McDonalds offers a lot more than just baseball and business. See for yourself this weekend at the @artsemerson world premiere.
BADDEST in the Bay! A huge thank you to the audiences, jurors, @SFFilm team, and the incredible filmmakers @xtinatini and @aliklay we screened alongside for making Dr. Jones’s homecoming screening so memorable.
📹 @theyoungastronauts
Sixty years ago, Dr. Clarence B. Jones helped craft the words that echoed across the National Mall. Now his story returns. THE BADDEST SPEECHWRITER OF ALL screens at DC/DOX on June 14. Tickets on sale now!
Students welcome! Thanks for coming by @socalfilmlabs . It was a real joy showing you around and answering so many thoughtful questions.
And to all the teachers and youth group organizers out there: if you’d like to arrange a tour of our Los Feliz studio for your own students, fill out this form (also linked in bio): bit.ly/4urfsXx
Welcome to: IN SHORT, a new conversation series featuring the wonderful craftspeople behind your favorite Breakwater Studios films.
Following the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, we thought it is a great time to revisit DESERT HOTSPOT as a reminder of all the hardworking folks who call the Coachella Valley their home, and the work storyteller Alejandra Franco is doing to bridge the digital divide. Thanks for stopping by, director @FritzBitsoie ! Watch the film for free now, on YouTube.
#lifeisshort #inshort #shortdocumentary #breakwaterstudios #coachella
The Dallas International Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Documentary Short goes to THE BADDEST SPEACHWRITER OF ALL!
Now 93, Martin Luther King Jr.’s lawyer and speechwriter reflects on the personal cost and surprising truths of making history, offering an intimate insider’s view of the Civil Rights Movement.
#DIFF2026 #DallasFilm #DIFFDallas #DoFilmDIFF
