As filmmakers, we know how to tell a story on screen. Far fewer know how to tell our stories—as filmmakers, as local economic engines, as creative leaders—to policymakers. In the past eighteen months, independent film has done something it hasn't managed to do together in decades: Filmmakers have gathered testimony for federal antitrust regulators, joined a public membership coalition, and testified before U.S. Senators.
What did it take to get there, and what comes next? This working session with Future Film Coalition begins with a report from the field on where the Block the Merger campaign stands, and what the push for a first national economic impact study of U.S. independent film production would mean for how our sector argues for itself in budget negotiations, legislative testimony, the press, and to the public. The session then shifts to a practical toolkit, covering how to find your entry point (antitrust enforcement, public funding, tax incentive structures), how to translate your experience into policy language, and how to show up effectively—in a hearing, a coalition meeting, or an op-ed—without losing your voice in the process. Come ready to use it.
This session is focused on filmmakers working in the U.S. ecosystem. Co-presented by Future Film Coalition
Facilitators: Jax Deluca, Jes Vesconte, Marjan Safinia, and Sanjay Sharma (Future Film Coalition)
Biographies:
Jax Deluca is a cultural strategist with more than two decades of leadership across public service and nonprofit arts organizations. She currently serves as Interim Executive Director of the Future Film Coalition (FFC), a newly established coalition advocating for funding, resources, and policy protections for the indie film sector by uniting thousands of filmmakers, cultural workers, and organizations. From 2016 to 2025, Jax served as Director of Film & Media Arts at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), where she oversaw a federal funding portfolio and led national initiatives addressing the structural challenges facing independent film. Her work included launching the Independent Media Arts Group (IMAG) in partnership with Sundance Institute and BAVC Media, as well as producing field-leading research on infrastructure, creative technology, and the sustainability of the independent film sector. She is a Documentary Film in the Public Interest Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy (2025–2026).
Marjan Safinia is an Iranian documentary filmmaker whose films examine identity, community, and social justice. Most recently, with Grace Lee, she produced and directed AND SHE COULD BE NEXT (POV’s first series) about women of color transforming American politics. Until 2018, Marjan was the longest-serving President of the International Documentary Association. She serves on the Boards of Chicken & Egg Pictures, Color Congress, and the Academy’s Documentary Branch. She is a Filmmaker Branch organizer for the Future of Film Coalition, a co-founder of Beyond Inclusion and a co-host of The D-Word. She considers herself a good troublemaker, and is a regular juror, programmer, speaker and connector of all things documentary.
Arushi Khare has worked with literary magazines and film nonprofits in roles spanning marketing, membership development, research, and editorial work. She is a recent graduate of Wesleyan University, where she studied in the College of Letters and minored in Film Studies. Her interests lie at the intersection of these fields, focusing on the cultural and institutional dimensions of storytelling and the role of media in shaping public discourse. She is a Coordinator at Future Film Coalition.
Jes is an impact filmmaker, climate activist and movement organizer. On Future Film Coalition’s #BlockTheMerger campaign they’re organizing, and designing social media and communications, to defend artistic freedom and build a Hollywood that works for workers. A member of The Committee for the First Amendment, Jes holds a BFA from CalArts, an MA from Columbia University’s Climate School, and was a Fulbright Scholar. Jes is passionate about engaging art to cultivate community, build coalitions, and spark collective liberation for a thriving world.
Sanjay Sharma is the founder and CEO of MARGINAL, an indie studio focused on popular storytelling genres from underrepresented voices in film, television, audio and animation. The fast-growing US-based company has produced 15 films, including 3 documentaries, sold its first two TV series, sold its first audio series, and is developing a slate of international fiction and nonfiction films. Its film, “Cypher,” won the Jury Prize at Tribeca. "She Taught Love" premiered at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival and won the AAFCA's Indie Film of the Year. The studio has won or been nominated for Gotham, NAACP, Indie Spirit, Imagen, and GLAAD Awards. Its most recent film "The Rose," is a documentary about a Korean rock band that premiered at Tribeca and was just released theatrically by CJ. Sharma previously helped found and lead two digital media companies, ALL DEF (focused on hip hop and comedy), and MACHINIMA, the first YouTube MCN, instrumental in launching "the creator economy" (focused on video gaming; acquired by Warner Bros). Sharma is a co-founder and Board Member of The Future Film Coalition, co-founder and Board Member of Gold House; Board Chair of CAPE; and adjunct lecturer at Stanford Law School.
As filmmakers, we know how to tell a story on screen. Far fewer know how to tell our stories—as filmmakers, as local economic engines, as creative leaders—to policymakers. In the past eighteen months, independent film has done something it hasn't managed to do together in decades: Filmmakers have gathered testimony for federal antitrust regulators, joined a public membership coalition, and testified before U.S. Senators.
What did it take to get there, and what comes next? This working session with Future Film Coalition begins with a report from the field on where the Block the Merger campaign stands, and what the push for a first national economic impact study of U.S. independent film production would mean for how our sector argues for itself in budget negotiations, legislative testimony, the press, and to the public. The session then shifts to a practical toolkit, covering how to find your entry point (antitrust enforcement, public funding, tax incentive structures), how to translate your experience into policy language, and how to show up effectively—in a hearing, a coalition meeting, or an op-ed—without losing your voice in the process. Come ready to use it.
This session is focused on filmmakers working in the U.S. ecosystem. Co-presented by Future Film Coalition
Facilitators: Jax Deluca, Jes Vesconte, Marjan Safinia, and Sanjay Sharma (Future Film Coalition)
Biographies:
Jax Deluca is a cultural strategist with more than two decades of leadership across public service and nonprofit arts organizations. She currently serves as Interim Executive Director of the Future Film Coalition (FFC), a newly established coalition advocating for funding, resources, and policy protections for the indie film sector by uniting thousands of filmmakers, cultural workers, and organizations. From 2016 to 2025, Jax served as Director of Film & Media Arts at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), where she oversaw a federal funding portfolio and led national initiatives addressing the structural challenges facing independent film. Her work included launching the Independent Media Arts Group (IMAG) in partnership with Sundance Institute and BAVC Media, as well as producing field-leading research on infrastructure, creative technology, and the sustainability of the independent film sector. She is a Documentary Film in the Public Interest Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy (2025–2026).
Marjan Safinia is an Iranian documentary filmmaker whose films examine identity, community, and social justice. Most recently, with Grace Lee, she produced and directed AND SHE COULD BE NEXT (POV’s first series) about women of color transforming American politics. Until 2018, Marjan was the longest-serving President of the International Documentary Association. She serves on the Boards of Chicken & Egg Pictures, Color Congress, and the Academy’s Documentary Branch. She is a Filmmaker Branch organizer for the Future of Film Coalition, a co-founder of Beyond Inclusion and a co-host of The D-Word. She considers herself a good troublemaker, and is a regular juror, programmer, speaker and connector of all things documentary.
Arushi Khare has worked with literary magazines and film nonprofits in roles spanning marketing, membership development, research, and editorial work. She is a recent graduate of Wesleyan University, where she studied in the College of Letters and minored in Film Studies. Her interests lie at the intersection of these fields, focusing on the cultural and institutional dimensions of storytelling and the role of media in shaping public discourse. She is a Coordinator at Future Film Coalition.
Jes is an impact filmmaker, climate activist and movement organizer. On Future Film Coalition’s #BlockTheMerger campaign they’re organizing, and designing social media and communications, to defend artistic freedom and build a Hollywood that works for workers. A member of The Committee for the First Amendment, Jes holds a BFA from CalArts, an MA from Columbia University’s Climate School, and was a Fulbright Scholar. Jes is passionate about engaging art to cultivate community, build coalitions, and spark collective liberation for a thriving world.
Sanjay Sharma is the founder and CEO of MARGINAL, an indie studio focused on popular storytelling genres from underrepresented voices in film, television, audio and animation. The fast-growing US-based company has produced 15 films, including 3 documentaries, sold its first two TV series, sold its first audio series, and is developing a slate of international fiction and nonfiction films. Its film, “Cypher,” won the Jury Prize at Tribeca. "She Taught Love" premiered at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival and won the AAFCA's Indie Film of the Year. The studio has won or been nominated for Gotham, NAACP, Indie Spirit, Imagen, and GLAAD Awards. Its most recent film "The Rose," is a documentary about a Korean rock band that premiered at Tribeca and was just released theatrically by CJ. Sharma previously helped found and lead two digital media companies, ALL DEF (focused on hip hop and comedy), and MACHINIMA, the first YouTube MCN, instrumental in launching "the creator economy" (focused on video gaming; acquired by Warner Bros). Sharma is a co-founder and Board Member of The Future Film Coalition, co-founder and Board Member of Gold House; Board Chair of CAPE; and adjunct lecturer at Stanford Law School.
