Drawing on Giloo's experience in Taiwan, where a diverse and inclusive civil society embraces issue-driven film, this session looks beyond festivals and streamers to today's fast-moving distribution landscape. We explore how independent films and documentaries find audiences, unlock value and knowledge, and drive impact through new models, new technologies, and a growing impact network. Sponsored by Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles Moderator: Abby Sun (IDA)Panelists: Ben Tsiang, James Teng, and Ruru Shih (Giloo) Biographies: <a href="https://abbysun.com/" target="_blank">Abby Sun</a> is IDA’s Director of Programs and Editor of Documentary magazine and oversees all conference planning for Getting Real. Ben Tsiang is a documentary producer and co-founder of CNEX, an organization dedicated to advancing documentary filmmaking across Asia. His recent productions include the Oscar-nominated Island in Between and A Chip Odyssey, a feature documentary on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. He is also the founder and Chairman of Giloo, where he explores AI-powered approaches to audience discovery, documentary distribution, and impact. James TENG is a founding member and the Director of Giloo, a Taiwan-based, globally accessible distribution platform for independent and auteur cinema. Launched in 2018 as Asia's first documentary streaming service, Giloo has grown into a genre-agnostic home for independent work spanning documentary, narrative, shorts, animation, and experimental film, reaching audiences worldwide while giving filmmakers broad freedom to shape their own distribution strategies. TENG oversees Giloo's entire operation and leads product and engineering, including an upcoming suite of AI-native tools that help filmmakers take greater ownership over the value creation and distribution of their work. Ruru Shih is Director of Programming and Marketing at Giloo Group, the leading independent film streaming platform across Asia and the Asian diaspora. With a background in brand strategy, film curation, and cultural partnerships, she leads editorial curation, audience development, and global partnerships, working to connect Asian filmmakers with audiences worldwide. Her work centers on cross-border collaborations with cultural institutions, festivals, and market partners, building pathways for independent and social-issue films to reach new communities. She is currently focused on bringing these Asian stories to North American audiences and deepening Giloo's relationships across the global film ecosystem.

Beyond Festivals and Streamers: How Films Find Audiences, Unlock Values, and Drive Impact

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Getting Real is a biennial conference designed for and by documentary practitioners and focused on the business and art of nonfiction storytelling. The sixth edition of Getting Real will celebrate a decade of what is now the largest peer-to-peer gathering of its kind in North America.

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