Great stories come from all walks of life. Helping those stories get told is part of our mission. Through a variety of initiatives, we promote, advocate, and encourage cultural diversity both within our organization and throughout the filmmaking community at large. At Film Independent, we support diversity in a number of tangible and innovative ways:
Talent Development
- Project:Involve — an educational program for filmmakers from diverse backgrounds. Project:Involve offers mentorships with industry professionals, filmmaking workshops, and job placement opportunities.
- Filmmaker Labs — The Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers Labs give filmmakers the unique opportunity to polish their projects and improve their crafts while giving them unprecedented access to industry professionals.
- Community Screenings — Through Project:Involve, Film Independent brings independent feature films directly to underserved communities in the form of free community screenings. These screenings showcase the work of talented filmmakers of color and offer the community the chance to discuss the film and meet the filmmaker.
- Los Angeles Film Festival — The annual Los Angeles Film Festival showcases the best of American and International independent cinema. It's a world-class event, uniting new filmmakers from all walks of life with critics, scholars, film masters, and the movie-loving public.
- Diversity Expo — Held during the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Diversity Expo gives filmmakers, industry professionals, and non-profit media organizations the opportunity to meet, share resources, and discuss the various facets of diversity in the industry. Though panel discussions, special events, and a job fair, access and opportunity are key themes for this major diversity event.
Diversity Circle
The Diversity Circle at Film Independent was created to support talented diverse filmmakers and broaden the cultural diversity reflected in feature films. For a minimum annual contribution of $2,500, Diversity Circle members can demonstrate their commitment to diversifying the images, voices, and decision makers in the film industry. Plus, your contribution lets you receive access and recognition across Film Independent programs year-round.
