The Film Independent Forum is back, with so much to offer.

In addition to screenings, panels, workshops, one-on-one meetings and networking receptions, take part in conversations with a stellar lineup of panelists who will give you the expert advice you need to move your career as a filmmaker forward. All of this and much more, September 25 & 26 at the DGA in Los Angeles.

Peruse the program below, stay tuned here for additions and updates, and – if you haven’t already – grab your Forum pass today!
 

FREE for Arts Circle and Fellows*

$165 Member Pass

$220 Non-Member Pass

 
Film Independent Members receive a significant discount on passes, which are free for Arts Circle Members and Film Independent Fellows (* w/ an active Membership).
 
Not a Member? Join now.

Accessibility

Film Independent is committed to hosting events that are accessible. For inquiries regarding accessibility, or to request an accommodation, please contact us at [email protected] or 323 556 9305.

Jump to: SATURDAY

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

Forum Check-In Opens

12:00 pm

Keynote Conversation: HIKARI

2:00 pm (DGA 1)

From her debut short film, Tsuyako, which traveled the world to great acclaim in 2011, to 37 Seconds and Rental Family, Japanese filmmaker HIKARI has touched us with stories of love, family, personal freedom and human relationships. Connecting people across different walks of life, her films transcend social barriers and national borders, rooted in local specificity while resonating with universal empathy.

In addition to her acclaimed films, HIKARI has made her mark in television, directing the pilot episode of the Emmy-winning series Beef, as well as episodes of HBO’s Tokyo Vice. We are honored to have been a part of HIKARI’s journey through Project Involve, and the Film Independent Screenwriting and Directing Labs, and are thrilled to welcome her back to share her insight and experience in forging a unique artistic path across film and television.

Moderated by Ron Najor (Producer; Lucky Lu, Short Term 12)

OR

Industry Connect at the Forum

2:00–4:00 pm (DGA Lobby)

Industry Connect is a unique opportunity to meet one-on-one with agents, casting directors, distributors, film festivals, funding organizations, production companies, and other industry professionals. Each of these general, introductory meetings lasts 12 minutes and can yield important insights into your career and projects, or provide the spark for an important professional relationship.

Forum attendees interested in participating can initially sign up for one meeting. Arts Circle, as well as Filmmaker Pro and Secret Member passholders receive priority registration windows, followed by general registration. After general registration is complete, all attendees can sign up for additional meetings, pending availability.

Industry Connect key dates:

September 15: Priority sign-ups for Arts Circle passholders begin
September 16: Sign-ups for Filmmaker Pro and Secret Member passholders begin
September 17: General sign-ups for all Forum passholders begin (12:30 pm PT)

Stay tuned for additional Industry Connect details.
 

Special Presentation: Wrapbook

2:30 pm (DGA 3)

Payroll has a lot of moving parts… this demo shows how they fit together. Wrapbook is where production teams run payroll, expenses and accounting in one place. Join us for a live Payroll 101 walkthrough covering a project from the ground up: managing people, onboarding, startwork, timecards and batching timecards to run payroll.

With Quinn Moran (VP Sales, Wrapbook)
 

The Future of Independent Film & The Creative Economy

3:15 pm (DGA 1)

Los Angeles remains one of the world’s great filmmaking capitals, and independent film has long been the research and development engine of cinema, discovering new voices, launching careers, and feeding talent, ideas and innovation into the broader entertainment ecosystem. But while we understand its artistic and cultural value, do we fully understand its economic impact?

This roundtable brings together policymakers and industry leaders to examine the health of Los Angeles’ independent film ecosystem. Together, they will explore where independent filmmakers may be overlooked in current public policy discussions, and continue to define a policy agenda that ensures Los Angeles remains a home for independent storytelling, not only as a cultural force, but a vital driver of the city’s creative economy.

Tom Butterfield (Producer; The Critic, Cellar Door)
Adam Fowler (Economist & Founding Partner, CVL Economic)
Steve Kang (President and Chief Film Liaison, City of Los Angeles)
John Lang (Producer/Partner, The Ranch Productions)
Denise Gutches (CEO, FilmLA)

Moderated by Juan Devis (President, Film Independent)

OR

Special Presentation: Shamel Studio

3:45 pm (DGA 3)

Shamel Studio is an all-in-one film production platform that connects scheduling, budgeting, call sheets and production reports into one connected workflow. Built for producers, assistant directors and production teams, Shamel Studio automates time-consuming production tasks while keeping filmmakers in control of creative and logistical decisions. From breaking down a script to building a schedule and budget and managing production, Shamel Studio helps filmmakers work faster and more accurately, with tools designed around how film and television productions actually operate. Filmmakers can create production schedules, budgets, call sheets and production reports 12x faster.

With Feras Alfuqaha (CEO and Co-Founder, Shamel Studio)
 

The New Wave Actors: Changing the Narrative

4:45 pm (DGA 1)

This roundtable brings together a diverse group of talented voices who have broken into the industry and continue to deliver standout performances. These actors will discuss how they push boundaries and fight for more authentic and inclusive representation onscreen, while offering insight and advice to filmmakers and fellow actors navigating the industry.

The New Wave is curated by Film Independent in partnership with SAGindie.

Tal Anderson (The Pitt)
Myra Molloy (Girls Like Girls)
Saagar Shaikh (Deli Boys)
Luke Tennie (Shrinking, The Pitt)

Moderated by Darrien Michele Gipson (Executive Director, SAGindie)
 

Welcome Reception

6:00 pm

A chance to meet fellow Forum attendees and participants, while enjoying refreshments and tasty bites in the DGA Atrium and Courtyard.
 

Opening Night Screening: Atonement

7:30 pm (DGA 1)

Displaced from their home by U.S. military action during the early days of the Iraq War, the Khachaturian family finds refuge with relatives, gathering their three generations together under one roof. But when another bombing erupts nearby, they decide to return to their home across the city. As they navigate the war-torn streets of Baghdad, the family is trapped in a firefight between U.S. Marines and insurgents, and one Marine’s split-second decision devastates the family. Years later, haunted by his time in Iraq and aided by a New Yorker journalist, the Marine seeks to reconcile with the Khachaturian matriarch and her surviving family members. Anchored by moving, unforgettable performances from Boyd Holbrook, Hiam Abbass and Kenneth Branagh, Atonement is a powerfully human story about the immeasurable costs of war, exploring universal questions about guilt, redemption and the nature of forgiveness.

Hiam Abbass (Actor, Atonement)
Steven Demmler (Producer, Atonement)
Boyd Holbrook (Actor, Atonement)
Reed Van Dyk (Writer/Director, Atonement)
Trevor White (Producer, Atonement)

Moderated by Lorraine Ali (News and Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times)
 
All Film Independent Members are invited to this screening of Atonement.
Forum pass holders do not need to register separately to attend.
 

BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

Shopping Your Project: A Pitching Clinic

10:00 am (DGA 1)

A panel of producers, financiers and industry experts will provide a snapshot of financing today and offer feedback to a group of Film Independent Fellows as they pitch their projects in front of an audience. Whether you’re preparing to pitch your own project or simply trying to understand the process, this session will deliver practical strategies and tips you can apply to your own work.

Rebecca Green (Discipline Head, Producing – AFI Conservatory)
Kyle Greenberg (Head of Marketing and Distribution, Utopia)
Ryan Parker (Production and Workforce Manager, Film Mississippi)
Tristen Tuckfield (Agent, UTA)
Lucas Wiesendanger (SVP, Motion Pictures at FilmNation Entertainment)

With pitches from:
Tomás Fleck (Writer/Director, The Other America)
Megan Leonard (Producer, Call Cutters)
Fisnik Maxville (Writer/Director, Reel Skin)

Moderated by Angela Lee (Director of Artist Development, Film Independent)

Shopping Your Project: A Pitching Clinic is supported by Film Mississippi

OR

New Indie TV Series: Hal & Harper and The Screener Case Studies

10:00 am (DGA 2)

Are you about to give yourself a green light for that TV show you have been pitching around town? Before you take the plunge, hear from creators who did exactly that. Cooper Raiff and Jim Cummings will share insights from making series outside the traditional studio system. What does it really mean to make a series independently? How do you finance a show on your own? What are the challenges of producing it outside the system? And most importantly, once it is completed, how do you get it sold and seen? Join us for this candid conversation about the challenges and opportunities of making TV independently.

Hal & Harper (2025) Created by Cooper Raiff
Hal and Harper, two codependent siblings living in L.A., are doing their best to navigate long term relationships, friendships and situationships. When their dad announces he’s having a new baby with his girlfriend, Kate, the two are forced to consider the current state of their lives, as well as their complicated childhood.

The Screener (2026) Created by Jim Cummings
An independent filmmaker’s movie leaks online after a private screening at a talent agency, sparking a frantic cover-up before the district attorney decides to prosecute the agency as a white-collar crime syndicate.

Moderated by Avril Speaks (Producer; Jinn, Uprooted)
 

Keynote: Elegance Bratton and Chester Algernal Gordon

11:30 am (DGA 1)

Filmmaking duo Elegance Bratton and Chester Algernal Gordon’s career spans documentary and fiction. From the queer and trans world of young street kids in the documentary Pier Kids, to the military locker rooms of the “don’t ask don’t tell” era in the deeply personal The Inspection, they have taken us inside communities we seldom “see”, making them visible while engaging us viscerally with their lives.

More recently, they have expanded their canvas, bringing a distinctive visual flair and sensibility to the documentary Move Ya Body: The Birth of House and the recently released studio film By Any Means.

With their talent, fueled by a healthy dose of ambition and immense resilience, these Film Independent Fellows have propelled themselves to this moment. We are proud to have been a part of their journey through Fast Track and the Film Independent Producing Lab, and thrilled to welcome them back to share their experience and their perspective on navigating the film industry today.

Moderated by Effie T. Brown (CEO, Gamechanger Films)
 

Reality Check: AI in the Workplace

12:45 pm (DGA 2)

Is AI triggering mass professional displacement, or is it reshaping the nature of creative work rather than replacing the people behind it? This panel brings together perspectives from across the filmmaking and AI ecosystems, from independent storytellers and post-production professionals to tech innovators and institutional experts, to explore the latest economic data on AI’s impact across creative fields such as writing, VFX and animation. Together, they’ll examine the broader industry trends, the practical realities of navigating shifting workplace expectations, and the human impact on the creators caught in the middle.

Patrick Adler (Founding Partner, Westwood Economics)
Mathew Cullen (Founder Mirada Studios, Motion Theory)
Ruth Fowler (Writer; Rules of the Game, Little Disasters)
Jim Geduldick (VFX Supervisor & Co-Founder, CCAI)
Harry Yoon (Editor; Michael, Beef, Minari)

Moderated by Carolyn Giardina (​​Crafts and Entertainment Technology Journalist)
 

Made in California: Lurker and Didi Case Studies

2:00 pm (DGA 1)

Shot in LA and Fremont, Lurker and Didi made major waves over the past two years at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, with each winning Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay. Join us as directors Alex Russell and Sean Wong reveal in a candid conversation their journeys from script to the screen, sharing what it took to develop, produce, release and ultimately find an audience for their debut features.

Lurker (2025) Written and directed by Alex Russell; Produced by Galen Core
A retail employee infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom. As he gets closer to the budding music star, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.

Didi (2024) Written and directed by Sean Wang
In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.

Moderated by Valerie Martinez (Senior Manager of Artist Development, Film Independent)

OR

Crossing Borders: The International Landscape for Indies

2:00 pm (DGA 2)

Although the US does not have a formal co-production treaty with any other country in the world, the globalization of our industry is creating a more fertile environment for filmmakers to expand their horizons, find international partners and reach global audiences. As film and TV productions are increasingly unearthing funding, talent, financial incentives and shooting locations, we explore with filmmakers and production companies the international landscape through their experiences collaborating across borders.

Munir Atalla (Head of Production & Acquisitions, Watermelon Pictures)
Claire Brooks (Executive Director, Association of Film Commissioners International)
Miura Kite (President of Global Content, Maria Farinha Films)
Anna Różalska (EP, Who Will Write Our History; Co-Producer, Arbitrage)
Shih-Ching Tsou (Director/Producer, Left-Handed Girl)

Moderated by Tatiana Kelly (Producer; The Catcher Was a Spy, Cut Throat City, The Words)

Crossing Borders: The International Landscape for Indies is supported by Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles, Ministry of Culture, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
 

Industry Connect at the Forum

2:30–5:30 pm (DGA Lobby)

See Industry Connect listing above (Friday) for details.
 

Reframing the Narrative: Vertical Storytelling

3:15 pm (DGA 1)

The hook. The cliffhanger. 90 seconds elapsing one single story beat at a time, all within a vertical frame made for mobile screens and consumption on the go. Welcome to the world of microdrama; a simple format that is generating billions of dollars worldwide and providing the grounds for filmmakers of all walks to experiment and engage with audiences through addictive serialized narratives.

We bring together creators and representatives from different platforms to explore business models, narrative structures, production flows and exciting new opportunities in vertical storytelling.

Tiffany Yvonne Cox (Writer/Director, Leaving Mr. Wrong for Mr. Right; Actor, Reasonable Doubt)
Elizabeth Dell (Producer, Screen Time)
Hernan Lopez (Executive Producer; Dying for Sex, WeCrashed)
Vivian “Anan” Wang (Writer; Sleeping With My Billionaire Enemy, Alpha King’s Mistake)
Dawn Yang (Global Head of Entertainment & Micro-series, TikTok)

Moderated by Wendy Calhoun (Executive Producer; The Rookie Feds, Empire)

OR

Documentary Case Studies: Cookie Queens and Mistress Dispeller

3:15 pm (DGA 2)

Cookie Queens and Mistress Dispeller filmmakers Alysa Nahmias and Elizabeth Lo, share their journeys making their acclaimed documentaries, from inception and development through production, release and distribution.

Cookie Queens (2026) Directed by Alysa Nahmias
Cookie Queens follows four tenacious girls across the US during Girl Scouts cookie season, while they strive to be a top-selling “Cookie Queen,” navigating an 800 million dollar business in which innocence and ambition collide. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2026 and was released in theaters on August 7, 2026.

Mistress Dispeller (2024) Directed by Elizabeth Lo
A woman in China hires a professional to go undercover and break up her husband’s affair. With strikingly intimate access, Lo follows this unfolding family drama from all corners of a love triangle. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2024 and was released in theaters on October 22, 2025.

Moderated by Daniel Cardone (Senior Manager Nonfiction Programs and Fiscal Sponsorship, Film Independent)
 

Breaking the Big Screen: The YouTube Generation Comes of Age

4:30 pm (DGA 1)

On the heels of the 25th anniversary of YouTube, a vibrant generation of creators who grew up immersed in this “new” medium have broken through to the big screen and made a splash. Audiences are flocking back to the theaters and studios are taking note. Hear from this new generation of filmmakers who were afforded opportunities to learn, experiment and publish in real time, as they share how they carved a path into the mainstream.

Katy Fishell (Comedy Writer, Cartoonist)
Caleb Phillips (Writer/Director; Imposters, Other Side of The Box)
Nicolas Curcio (Writer; Play House, GOAT)
Alexander Ullom (Director, It Ends)

Moderated by Missy Laney (Film & TV producer)
 

Closing Reception + Happy Hour

5:45 pm

Sponsored by Front Row Insurance
 

Closing Night Screening: Doc Meets World

7:30 pm (DGA 1)

Thirty years after Boy Meets World made them teen idols, Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Rider Strong reunite for a wildly popular rewatch podcast and national tour. Funny, candid and unexpectedly emotional, their tour becomes a nostalgic ride through fame, friendship and the messy reality of growing up on screen and off.

Alexandra Baretto (Producer; Doc Meets World, Late Bloomers, The Fosters)
Chris Levitus (Director, Doc Meets World)
Zane Rubin (Director, Doc Meets World)
Rider Strong (Actor/Cast; Boy Meets World, Doc Meets World)

Moderated by Jeremy Aguilera-Gaudette (Project Manager, Film Independent)
 
All Film Independent Members are invited to this screening of Doc Meets World.
Forum pass holders do not need to register separately to attend.
 

BACK TO TOP