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.
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.
