Calendar Update #30
Lots of Opportunities and Fun Stuff to Do! Make sure to check it out!
FilmStack Calendar Table Of Contents
Screenings & Performances (IRL & Virtual)
Events (Festivals; MeetUps; Classes/Labs, Webinars & Panels; Retreats; Showcases)
Deadlines (Festivals, Grants, Internships)
Actions & Petitions
Housekeeping
1. Screenings & Performances:
Cannes:
NOW - May 31: creative force streams worldwide as part of Cannes International Film Week
FilmStack is going to Cannes!! Huge congratulations to Alex LeMay and Maris Lidaka whose documentary creative force will screen as part of Cannes International Film Week!
creative force is “about the birth of the Ukrainian resistance and one man’s journey across the war zone to deliver a ballistic vest and some homemade cookies to his friend on the front lines”. According to Alex, they shot 140 hours of raw footage in Ukraine.
Stay tuned for details on how to watch.
(SS)
London:
May 24th at 6:15 PM (18:15) GMT: MicroCinemaOne Screening
That’s right, the brand new London microcinema has a name, just in time for their second ever screening!
Seating is limited, so make sure to get your tickets ASAP! But tickets are free and it’s BYOB.
Where: Pelican House 144 Cambridge Heath Road (nearest stations: Whitechapel, Bethnal Green)
Tickets: https://luma.com/iakb0qje
Message James McLoughlin with questions.
(SS)
June 4th: Cannes Dogs 2: The Poo Edition Tour
Join stupid co on June 4th at the Rio Cinema in Dalston for Cannes Dogs 2, which will include a dog-friendly London premiere of the feature film The Woman Who Can Read the Minds of Dogs.
Tickets and more info:
https://riocinema.org.uk/Rio.dll/WhatsOn?f=2511374
(SS)
New York (NYC):
Current - May 26: Sophie Letourneur series at Cinema at L’Alliance
lallianceny.org/event/the-films-of-sophie-letourneur
Opening with the US premiere of her new film L’Aventura on April 21, with a Q&A with the director following the 7pm screening. It’s a beautifully observed, almost diaristic portrait of a family vacation; full of small, hyper-relatable moments. lallianceny.org/event/laventura
June 11th at dusk/7:30 PM Eastern: The Inaugural Screening of the WTF-Stop LES Microcinema, the brand new New York FilmStack Pop-Up Microcinema!
Alan McIntyre is launching a brand new microcinema for New Yorkers/New York FilmStack to call their own! Inspired by the great work of jake S. weisman and Coffeehouse Cinema, Alan has decided to bring the party to New York and will be holding pop up screenings at a community garden on the Lower East Side (LES). How cool is that?!
To kick things off, Adam Kritzer, the original host of the New York FilmStack meetups, will cohost the first ever screening.
There will be a “garden hang” at dusk followed by a screening “as soon as it’s dark enough.” It’s recommended to arrive no later than 7:30 PM, though.
Space is limited, so reserve your spot ASAP! BYOB (and a folding chair, if you have one).
RSVP: https://partiful.com/e/MAHnDC0ph1WM6T3Op7MN
Happy screening!
(SS)
June 11th: Cannes Dogs 2: The Poo Edition Tour
New Yorkers can join stupid co on June 11th at Posteritati for the New York leg of Cannes Dogs 2. This event will feature “an all dog-movie-poster gallery and more soon to be announced”.
Tickets and more info:
https://posteritati.com/cannes-dogs-2
(SS)
Elsewhere:
NOW- May 24th: INVISIBLE NATION’s PBS Schedule
Sat, May 16
• Columbus (ET) – 9:00 PM (WOUB)
Sun, May 17
• Atlanta (ET) – 10:00 PM (WABE)
• Baltimore (ET) – 4:30 PM (MPT)
• Columbus (ET) – 1:00 PM (WOUB)
• DC/Maryland (ET) – 4:30 PM (WMPT)
Mon, May 18
• Los Angeles (PT) – 12:00 PM (SoCal Plus)
• San Francisco (PT) – 9:00 PM (KQED)
Wed, May 20
• New York (ET) – 9:00 PM (WLIW)
Thu, May 21
• Denver (MT) – 8:00 PM (PBS12)
Sun, May 24
• Columbus (ET) – 4:00 PM (WOUB)
Check your local PBS listings for additional airtimes.
#InvisibleNation #PBS #Documentary
(TH)
NOW- May 20th: COUP 53 is back in theaters!
If you’re in Hudson, New York, Seattle, LA, the UK, or Ireland… you’re invited to see Coup 53! From the COUP 53 team:
The acclaimed documentary COUP 53, edited by Academy Award-winner Walter Murch and featuring a mesmerising performance by Ralph Fiennes, is set for a new theatrical release in the UK, Ireland, and US responding to a surge of public interest driven by current geopolitical events.
Read more details here:
Find times in your city & get tix: https://www.coup53.com/#screenings
2. Events
Festivals:
June 12: Tribeca Film Festival Storytelling Summit:
FSDD’s own Ted Hope will be sharing his vision of the coming future of film (and how we got in this situation). There’s a great list of others participating in the same “Luminaries” section as Ted: Rebecca Miller and Josh Safdie, Zach Woods, Zach Braff, Myha’la, Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater, Philip Barantini, Ron Perlman and Willie Morris, Dan Houser, Michael Sarnoski
You can read more about it here.
October 24: The NonDe Shorts Festival (NSF)
Okay, okay, so this one might feel a little far in advance, but you’re gonna blink and it’s gonna be October, so you better start planning now!
Submit: https://filmfreeway.com/NonDeShortsFestival
Location: Reading Biscuit Factory, Reading-UK
Subscribe and keep up-to-date on all the latest developments!
(SS)
Meet Ups & Meetings
FilmStack Meetups IRL:
Los Angeles: May 17 (THIS SUNDAY!)
RSVP here: https://luma.com/1u28e9d9
Reach out to Jon Stahl with questions.
(SS)
Labs & Classes
Labs
TOMORROW! May 16 at 9:30 AM Pacific/11:30 AM Central/12:30 PM Eastern: NonDē Creative Development: Projects in Motion Reading Workshop
Two scripts will be read, including one by NonDē Creative Development founder Gitanjali Kapila and another by Andrea DeGette, followed by discussions on each script.
Shahjehan Khan of Deli Boys (Hulu) and Succession (HBO) will be one of the readers participating. Yours truly will be there, too, and I’d love to see you!
Sign up to read here
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/5204839433?pwd=UIvLMclx7CqEaW8rPAkRgk7as5aXmb.1&omn=88374616551
Reach out to Gitanjali Kapila with questions.
(SS)
Discussions
May 19 at 2 PM (14:00) Local Time (Cannes): Stupid Chats 8: The Cannes Edition
For one day only, Stupid Chats will be live and in person, only at Cannes! Stupid Chats 8, brought to you by stupid co and hosted by Quinnipiac University, will feature special guest Sam Pressman.
Sign up today!
https://stupidco.gumroad.com/l/stupidchats8
(SS)
Webinars
New Rules of Engagement Event: How to grow audiences and win funding in a changed landscape
JUNE 10, 2026
12:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM PT
ONLINE, FREE, AND OPEN TO ALL
We’ll cover:
Why reach and awareness metrics no longer satisfy funders
The 5 questions to answer before spending a dollar on distribution
What the competitive landscape looks like in 2026
Real campaign data showing what engagement architecture actually produces
A practical framework for your next move, regardless of budget, stage, or team size
BONUS: Live Q&A, bring your current project
Can’t join live? Register anyway. Every registrant receives the full recording and a post-webinar resource guide automatically after the event.
This is the roadmap for what’s next. I’d love to see you there.
Reserve your free spot: https://hub.plusmedia.solutions/Rules-of-Engagement-Webinar
(SG)
Shore Scripts FREE Event
JUNE 16: BREAKING INTO TV WRITING: INSIDER ADVICE FROM SHOWRUNNER BETH SCHWARTZ (ARROW, SWEET TOOTH)
JUNE 16 at 10 AM Pacific/1 PM Eastern/6 PM (18:00) GMT
Ready to break into TV? Join Shore Scripts in a conversation with showrunner Beth Schwartz (ARROW, SWEET TOOTH) for an inside look at how the industry really works: what it takes to get staffed, stand out, and build a lasting career in television.
Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_e5O9DHXQRY2dJ-N4xG_unQ
Anyone who registers gets access to the recording, even if you can’t attend the event live, so make sure to register if you’re at all interested!
(SS)
Panels
May 27 at 9:30 AM Eastern: Lights, Camera, Community Miami Film Industry Roundtable from Miami Film Lab
“[A]n in depth conversation about the opportunities and challenges of our local film industry.”
Only a few spots left! RSVP now!
Location: Coral Gables Art Cinema 260 Aragon Avenue
RSVP: https://gibdcllqcsp.typeform.com/to/LYOTynAl
(SS)
Retreats
September 15: Miami Film Lab’s brand new writers retreat, Lab Results: Writers Retreat
Apply now through June 15th for Miami Film Lab’s brand new writers’ retreat, Lab Results: Writers Retreat, which will take place at the historic Palm Lodge.
Four lucky screenwriters will be chosen for the retreat and will receive a $500 honorarium!
Submit the first 15 pages of your screenplay. 10 finalists will submit their full screenplays.
The application fee is only $10!
Apply: https://tally.so/r/Medqe8
Good luck!
(SS)
Showcases
Actors Showcases
June 3: Miami Film Lab’s Actor Showcase
Location: the Coral Gables Art Cinema
Apply: https://tally.so/r/Medqe8
(SS)
3. Deadlines
Festival Deadlines:
LdnDocs
Regular deadline: 15th June, 2026
Late deadline: 15th August, 2026
Notifications: 15th September
Woodstock Film Festival
Late Deadline: June 5
FilmFreeway Final Deadline: June 12
Bend Film Festival
Extended Deadline: May 22, 2026
Event Dates: Oct. 7 to 11, 2026
Oak Cliff Film Festival
Event Dates: July 30 to Aug. 2, 2026
HollyShorts Film Festival
Extended Deadline: Jun. 1, 2026
Event Dates: Aug. 13 to 23, 2026
TODAY! May 15: Shore Scripts TV Writer Mentorship Program REGULAR DEADLINE
FINAL DEADLINE – JUNE 29TH
EMMY & Golden Globe Winning Judges will choose this year’s winners.
Break into TV writing faster with the Shore Scripts TV Writer Mentorship Program—an exclusive opportunity designed to help you get staffed or sell your pilot.
Only SIX writers will be selected for this 8-week intensive mentorship, where you’ll:
Learn directly from top industry professionals
Get insider access to how hit shows are made
Build real connections with decision-makers
You’ll work with: showrunners from BRIDGERTON and ARROW, development executives at Universal Pictures, plus top agents, managers, and more.
Announcement Dates:
QUARTER-FINALISTS – AUG 26TH
SEMI-FINALISTS – SEPT 10TH
FINALISTS & WINNERS – OCT 7TH
More info: https://www.shorescripts.com/tv-pilot-contest/
Enter 1/2 Hour: https://scrybe.to/competitions/tv-writer-mentorship-program
Enter 1 Hour: https://scrybe.to/competitions/tv-writer-mentorship-program
(SS)
May 24: FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER ANNOUNCES 64th NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL CALL FOR SHORT FILM SUBMISSIONS
Short film submissions will be accepted via FilmFreeway through May 24. The entry fee is $50 through April 5, and $60 from April 6 through May 4. This fee will contribute to funds for a seasonal staff of short film submissions screeners as well as additional festival operations, including artist support. NYFF64 is noncompetitive, and all sections are curated by the selection committee with support from an international roster of programming advisors and screeners. Only short films (40 minutes or less) are accepted through FilmFreeway.
Short films submitted via FilmFreeway are considered primarily for NYFF’s Currents section, though selected titles may also be invited to screen in other sections of the festival, including the New York Shorts program within Spotlight. A complement to the NYFF's Main Slate, Currents presents a diverse offering of short-, medium-, and feature-length work by filmmakers and artists working at the vanguard of narrative, documentary, and experimental modes.
NYFF’s call for short film submissions provides an opportunity for new and emerging filmmakers to share their work. In addition to short film submissions collected via FilmFreeway, the NYFF64 selection committee considers recommendations from alumni and industry colleagues, as well as work that has premiered in international festivals and galleries since the previous edition of NYFF. Submitted films will be evaluated by NYFF64 programming staff and considered equally with all other prospective entrants. All films submitted through FilmFreeway will be notified of their status by August 17.
(TH)
May 29: Shore Scripts Feature Contest EARLY DEADLINE
REGULAR DEADLINE – JULY 14TH
FINAL DEADLINE – AUG 28TH
Announcement Dates:
QUARTER-FINALISTS – OCT 6TH
SEMI-FINALISTS – NOV 13TH
FINALISTS & WINNERS – DEC 9TH
More info: https://www.shorescripts.com/feature-contest/
Enter: https://scrybe.to/competitions/shore-scripts-feature-screenplay
(SS)
Square Peg Social Application REGULAR Deadline
Regular Deadline: July 6, 2026
Extended Deadline: August 7, 2026
Notification Date: October 5, 2026
Event Dates: November 5-9, 2026
(TH)
Grant, Application, & Internship Deadlines:
Application window now open: Film Independent Fiction Producing Lab 2026
https://www.filmindependent.org/programs/artist-development/fiction-producing-lab/
Non-Member Deadline: May 4, 2026
Film Independent Member Extended Deadline: May 18, 2026
More Information • Applications OPEN
Also their Documentary Producing Lab application is open!
Film Independent Documentary Producing Lab 2026
Non-Member Deadline: May 4, 2026
Film Independent Member Extended Deadline: May 18, 2026
More Information • Applications OPEN
2026 Slamdance Screenplay Competition
Submit here: https://slamdance.com/screenplay-submit/
New Grant! IDA Emergency Assistance Grant
More info here: https://www.documentary.org/ida-emergency-assistance-program
Are you a collaborative, expansive, imaginative, generative creative interested in making new immersive storyworlds?
Although no deadline is specified, the application window is limited for the Culture House Talent Pool Open Call.
More info here: https://culture.house/open-call
June 1st Deadline: Miami-Dade (& Beyond) Filmmakers MMFM 16 Call for Submissions
Awards & Cash Prizes for Top Projects at Stake for Inaugural Global Creator Pipeline!
June 1st deadline to submit your screen projects to the inaugural Global Creator Pipeline for MMFM 16.
This innovative competition is a forward-looking response to current industry conditions and designed to ensure that Miami-Dade’s creative professionals remain competitive, visible, and connected to global opportunities. Learn all about the rules, important dates, awards, and prizes as well as how to register and submit here.
**Be sure to follow us @MiamiFilmMarket on FB, IG and X for additional updates.
June 3rd: The Inspired Screenwriting Competition (Regular Deadline)
Now in our second year, the Inspired Screenwriting Competition is doubling down on our mission to amplify bold and unique new voices and disrupt the status quo of the film industry.
So, send us your best. Send us your personal. Send us the crazy out-there ideas that could have only come from (insert your name here).
You only need the first 20 pages of your screenplay to submit for the first round. Feature screenplays only.
REGULAR DEADLINE: 6/03/26 - $30
LATE DEADLINE: 7/01/26 - $35
https://www.inspiredscreenwriting.com
(AS) (SS)
NOW - May 31: The Rideback RISE Fellowship (Application Window)
The RISE Fellowship each year selects a cohort of best-in-class, mid-career Fellows who are supported financially, creatively, and entrepreneurially in a rigorous 12-month program to make commercial film and television that can propel narrative change. Fellows are experienced writers or writer-directors who will develop an original pilot or feature as part of the Fellowship in addition to being supported in their directing endeavors.
More here: https://www.ridebackrise.org/our-program
(AV)
May 27: Late Deadline for Austin Film Festival’s Script Competition
From AFF:
AFF values a great story above all else. As a bonus, AFF winners receive much more than our coveted bronze typewriter award, as our Festival team works hard to curate opportunities and experiences to catapult writers into life-changing careers. AFF competitions seek to do much more than honor winners but increase the visibility of the visionary writers and filmmakers just on the cusp of a breakthrough. See more about our industry fellowships here.
SUBMIT by 5/27: https://austinfilmfestival.com/about-aff-script-competitions/
(CR)
Dec 4, 2026 Deadline: NRDC’s Rewrite the Future $20,000 Fellowship x 3
NRDC’s Rewrite the Future, in partnership with the Black List, CAA Community + Impact, NBCUniversal, and the Redford Center, invites writers to apply for the NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship, now open for submissions.
The annual fellowship encourages climate storytelling by supporting the revision of screenplays or pilots that engage with climate change in a meaningful way, through events, actions, character, emotions, plot, and/or setting.
The fellowship awards three recipients with $20,000 each and six months of mentorship with industry professionals and climate storytelling experts to provide creative support for their original script. At the conclusion of the fellowship, revised scripts will be hosted on the Black List website and may be reviewed for development by prominent studios, agencies, and/or production companies. Writers will retain all rights to their scripts.
The 2027 fellowship cycle is now open for submissions through December 4, 2026. Reach out to rewritethefuture@nrdc.org with any questions.
Apply here: https://blcklst.com/programs/2027-nrdc-climate-storytelling-fellowship
(TH)
Impact Partners Development Fund—Grants up to $100,000, ROLLING DEADLINE
This grant is GLOBAL/international, so if you have a project that you think might fit, definitely look into it, even if you’re not in the US!
For more info, follow spike_Johnson on Instagram.
Or, for those of us not on IG, here is the website: http://impactpartnersfilm.com/
(SS)
Internships
Intern for Ava DuVernay’s company, ARRAY, in LA!
Don’t miss your opportunity to intern for Ava DuVernay’s company, ARRAY, in LA! They are looking for interns across several departments. You must be a current undergrad or grad student. Open internships:
Social Media Intern
Digital Content Intern
Social Impact & Film Education Intern
Media Events Intern
Apply: joinhandshake.com
If your school doesn’t use Handshake, email your resume, cover letter and desired position to info@arraynow.com
(SS)
4. Actions & Petitions
Actions
Petitions
Sign This Petition to tell the state attorney generals to #BlockTheMerger!
We ARE going to #BlockTheMerger. It is NOT a done deal. The State Attorney Generals will pick up the fight -- provided you sign this petition that Robert Reich has launched. Sign today! I did.
(TH)
Stop The Warners / Paramount Merger:
Sign here: https://act.freepress.net/sign/block-paramount-warner-bros-merger
Also, please visit Blockthemerger.com
where Future Film Coalition is collecting short, first-hand accounts from across the industry - including exhibitors - to document how media consolidation is affecting the film ecosystem. Use your voice and share your story!
Urge Attorneys General to Stop Paramount’s Mega-Media Monopoly
This one courtesy of the awesomeness that is Robert Reich.
Add your name in support here: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stop-paramount-mega-media-monopoly/
5. Housekeeping
Who’s sharing what, you ask?
ARB= Alex Rollins Berg AS= Amanda Sweikow AV = Ami Vora CR= Courtney Romano DS= Danielle A. Scruggs SS= Sara's Soliloquies TH= Ted Hope SG= Sam Gallen
And please remember:
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Email us general info, questions, suggestions: filmstackdailydigest@gmail.com
Email us events for the weekly calendar update: filmstackcalendar@gmail.com
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