Robert Hope

I am a documentary filmmaker and producer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Austin, and Tbilisi, Georgia. Originally from Northern California and raised by hardcore gardeners, my work explores memory, community, and the concept of home. My passion for stories from Post-Soviet States began at age 9 when my family hosted an exchange student from Belarus. I am currently working on both a short and feature-length documentary in the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia, supported by grants from the Austin Film Society, the Center for Eastern European Studies, the Center for the Art of Medicine, and a year-long fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin. My short documentary, Heaven on Earth, about an ex-commune in Los Angeles, played at multiple Oscar-qualifying festivals throughout the U.S. and was released online through Directors Notes in 2022. I was the lead producer a queer film about AI, Amanda_Test 1, which premiered at HBOs Outfest and found a large online audience on the sci-fi channel Dust. I am passionate about creating content for organizations and brands that connects with audiences on a visceral level. For the past two years, I have shot and edited video content for Mountainfilm Festival, North America's most prestigious mountain and nature-focused festival. I recently completed my MFA in Film Production at UT Austin.