Mu Films
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The mission is to produce and distribute documentaries and educational media about social, political and cultural issues with a focus on untold stories from under represented communities. The goal is to use media to bring about social justice, promote cultural understanding and encourage positive social change.
- Income
- $41,624
- Spending
- $66,450
- Reserves
- 2.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 66%
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 29 out of 100. Higher than 8% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.7 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 30% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 60% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $62,061 spent. MU FILMSPROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2024In 2024, Mu Films continued distribution of its films to educational institutions throughout the U.S., and continued production on our newest documentaries, Relative Strangers and Viviens Wild Ride. Our activities are described below.Crossings DistributionCrossings tells the story of international women including Nobel Peace Prize winners who are working for peace on the Korean peninsula. In 2024, Crossings was made available on the PBS channel and on Amazon Prime. The film also screened at UC Berkeleys Center for Korean Studies and continues to be made available to colleges and universities through the educational distributor Collective Eye.Geographies of Kinship Exhibition Geographies of Kinship looks at the history of international adoption from Korea through the eyes of people who have been adopted to the U.S. and Europe. The film screened as part of "70 Years of Korean Adoption: Wandering Memory, Traces Beyond," at the Seoul Int'l Cinema & Media Festival (Nemaf 2024). Geographies of Kinship also screened in The Netherlands as part of a week-long program about adoption called Far From Here.Relative Strangers ProductionMu Films continued production on this film about a group of mixed race adopted Koreans on their journeys to find their roots and relatives. In 2024, we completed filming key scenes with a Dutch Korean adoptee meeting her African American cousin, as well as footage with her adoptive family members in Amersfoort, Netherlands. Viviens Wild Ride Post ProductionMu Films continued work with filmmaker, Vivien Hillgrove, on her documentary, Viviens Wild Ride, about her decades of work as a film editor and her encroaching blindness due to macular degeneration. Off-line editing of the film was completed in December 2024, with sound mix and color grading scheduled for first quarter of 2025.Educational DistributionGeographies of Kinship, First Person Plural and In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee continue to be distributed to colleges, universities, libraries, and K-12 schools through New Day Films and are all available to the public for free at public libraries through Kanopy. Memory of Forgotten War is also available to educational institutions and the general public through Kanopy.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since January 2008.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.