Artist-centered organizations take the stage as living examples of what’s possible—sharing how they build resilient, imaginative infrastructures that support artists and move the field forward. Join us for an intimate conversation between two visionary leaders who have spent the past decade creating bold possibility models for independent storytellers, filmmakers, and creators to thrive.
This panel explores how shifting policies across labor, technology, funding, and distribution are reshaping independent documentary filmmaking. Panelists will examine the regulatory changes affecting creators, the opportunities and constraints they introduce, and how filmmakers and cultural organizations are responding through collective strategies and documentaries that engage policy and narrative change to navigate an evolving and uncertain industry landscape.
A grounded, hopeful, and candid discussion about navigating increased political backlash while still pushing creative boundaries.
This panel explores new approaches to funding culture change, bringing together funders, artists, and cultural strategists who are reshaping how resources flow toward narrative power, community-led storytelling, and long-term cultural impact. Together, panelists will examine what it takes to invest in artistic work that shifts systems and how innovative funding models can fuel lasting, justice-centered transformation.
A dynamic, multi-disciplinary panel exploring how artists today can protect their safety, strengthen their security, and build sustainable practices amid an evolving creative and cultural landscape.
In an era of media consolidation, cultural erasure, and accelerating crises, building real power demands a new national narrative capable of holding the weight of both our history and our future. This conversation brings together leading storytellers, filmmakers, cultural strategists, and organizers who are shaping some of the most crucial solidarity stories of the 21st century.
Entertainment-industry jobs have a reputation for being demanding and unpredictable—especially for independent creators—yet filmmakers are finding innovative ways to make filmmaking more accessible and approachable. This panel will explore opportunities to improve working conditions through labor-, family-, and care-centered practices that are compatible with current systems, as well as through collective action to support industry and policy changes that benefit all creators.
As technology increasingly mediates how we fund our work, tell our stories, and reach our audiences, are we building systems that expand human agency—or erode it? This panel explores how the platforms we use and the stories we tell about technology shape both our power as artists and our audiences' sense of control over their own futures.