<\/p>\n
Filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood is set to keynote the 2025 Film Independent Forum in a conversation moderated by Lena Waithe.<\/p>\n
The two-day forum will take place from Sept. 26-27 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles and will offer candid, topical conversations focusing on current trends in the industry.<\/p>\n
More from Variety<\/strong><\/p>\n Mar\u00eda Raquel Bozzi, Film Independent\u2019s senior director of education and international initiatives, said, \u201cWe\u2019re honored to have Gina Prince-Bythewood as our Centerpiece Keynote. She fully embodies the independent spirit we champion. From \u2018Love & Basketball,\u2019 her influential debut film 25 years ago, to \u2018The Woman King\u2019 epic, she has established herself as a true visionary, working across film and TV, creating compelling work that is both personal and universal.\u201d Bozzi added, \u201cAnd with multitalented Emmy Award winner Lena Waithe joining the conversation with Gina, we\u2019re looking forward to what promises to be an exciting and memorable Keynote.\u201d<\/p>\n The forum features screenings, panels, workshops, one-on-one meetings, receptions, and networking opportunities, all aimed to support and elevate independent storytellers. Sessions will explore best practices for fiction films and documentaries across all platforms, from theatrical screens to television and streaming outlets, while highlighting emerging tools and formats that foster innovation and creative risk-taking. In addition to panels and workshops, Industry Connect, the event\u2019s signature one-on-one meetings with industry leaders and experts, will be held on both days.<\/p>\n The New Wave, presented in partnership with Film Independent, SAGindie, Easterseals Disability Services and Plot Shift Media, returns with a two-part program spotlighting the next generation of artists shaping independent film. Curated with guidance from all three partners, this year\u2019s conversations will highlight both the creative and professional challenges faced by emerging talent across the industry.<\/p>\n The program begins with New Wave Filmmakers, a roundtable exploring filmmakers\u2019 experience with the dual goals of making money while telling stories that can both entertain and inspire transformation. This will be followed by New Wave Actors, featuring a diverse group of talented performers who have broken into the industry and continue to deliver standout performances, including Isabel Deroy-Olson (\u201cFancy Dance\u201d), Jessy Yates (\u201cPulse\u201d), Marissa Bode (\u201cWicked\u201d) and Michael Cimino (\u201cMotorheads). SAGindie executive director Darrien Michele Gipson will moderate the conversation, which aims to look at how the actors are pushing boundaries and fighting for more authentic and inclusive representation onscreen.<\/p>\n Now in its 20th year, the Forum continues to be the perfect space to meet and learn from independent filmmakers and executives who are calling the shots today, and to exchange ideas with peers in a very inclusive, festive and communal setting.<\/p>\n Confirmed speakers include:<\/p>\n Esteban Arango, director, \u201cPonyboi\u201d Best of Variety<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source uk.news.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood is set to keynote the 2025 Film Independent Forum in a conversation moderated by Lena Waithe. The two-day forum will take place from Sept. 26-27 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles and will offer candid, topical conversations focusing on current trends in the industry. More from Variety Mar\u00eda Raquel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[367148,367146,367144,367145,348488,321064,367149,347328,367147],"class_list":["post-2009378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artists","tag-director-of-education","tag-directors-guild-of-america","tag-film-independent","tag-gina-prince-bythewood","tag-independent-film","tag-lena-waithe","tag-marissa-bode","tag-michael-cimino","tag-raquel-bozzi"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2009378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2009378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2009378\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2009378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2009378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2009378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Marissa Bode, actress, \u201cWicked\u201d
Pamala Buzick Kim, founder, mavenverse
Wendy Calhoun, writer\/producer, \u201cEmpire\u201d
Lisa Callif, partner, Donaldson Callif Perez LLP
Daniel Cardone, senior manager nonfiction programs and fiscal sponsorship, Film Independent
Michael Cimino, actor, \u201cMotorheads\u201d
Andrew Corkin, producer, \u201cRosemead\u201d
Deniese Davis, producer, \u201cInsecure\u201d
Isabel Deroy-Olson, actor, \u201cFancy Dance\u201d
Vera Drew, writer\/director\/actor, \u201cThe People\u2019s Joker\u201d
Aaron T. Edmonds, vice president of film, Hartbeat
Darrien Michele Gipson, executive director, SAGindie
Lauren Greenfield, director, social studies, \u201cQueen of Versailles\u201d
Angela C. Lee, director of Artist Development, Film Independent
Zoe Lister-Jones, writer\/director\/producer\/actor, \u201cSlip\u201d
Adam Bhala Lough, director, \u201cTelemarketers\u201d
Lauren Mann, producer, \u201cSwiss Army Man\u201d
Missy Mansour, producer, \u201cLoot\u201d
Josh Mingo, location and permit consultant, Legend Locations LLC
Sam Mirpoorian, director, \u201cGreener Pastures\u201d
Sev Ohanian, producer, \u201cSinners\u201d
Alex Orlovsky, producer, \u201cRoofman\u201d
Shari Page, program director, Half Initiative
Nina Parikh, director, Film Mississippi
Anayansi Prado, director, \u201cUvalde Mom\u201d
Chris Quintos Cathcart, co-CEO, Unapologetic Projects
Brenda Robinson, executive producer, \u201cPassing\u201d
Izzy Shill, writer\/director, \u201cGoing Nowhere\u201d
Annalisa Shoemaker, producer, \u201cTo Kill A Tiger\u201d
Sarah Strunin, producer, \u201cJaripeo, burn, scar\u201d
Steffie van Rhee, producer, \u201cEarth to Michael\u201d
Trevor Wall, producer, \u201cSlanted\u201d
Tre Wesley, video producer, IMDb Originals
Kit Williamson, writer\/director\/actor, Unconventional
Jessy Yates, actor, \u201cPulse\u201d
Ryan Zacarias, producer, \u201cIf I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You\u201d<\/p>\n