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.
A note and instructions on how to watch, from Alex:
“Creative Force is streaming at Cannes is NOW LIVE TO VIEW. Here’s exactly how to watch — and why it matters.
The Ukrainians who made this film with me are still living this war every single day. Help us keep this historic fight for democracy and dignity in the forefront. Help them see that the America still cares even if our politicians don’t.
Here’s how:
Step 1 — Go to whush(.) com ➡ bit.ly/4u5hM6Z create a free account. Two minutes. Credit card required but you will not be charged. A $1 hold appears and reverses within 24 hours. **So sorry for this, but this is how the festival set it up. You can watch it by staying on Whush which is a a bit better viewing experience.
Step 2 — You can go to cannesfilmweek.com and find Creative Force in the documentary features section. Hit watch if you want to watch it on the festival site.
Step 3 — You have 14 free days. Cancel anytime if you don’t want to continue. Set a reminder now.
Step 4 — Share this note. Every view counts toward the Audience Choice Award. Should we win it, every dollar goes to the pylyporlykfoundation.or… — creative education and emotional support for Ukrainian children living inside the war.
Streaming May 12-31. Free. Every device.”
(SS)
London:
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)
Los Angeles:
May 29 -31st: UCLA’s Festival of Preservation
Free tickets, great theater, underscreened films. What’s not to love?! Check out the awesome list of films and go park yourself at The Hammer for the weekend. Who needs the present when we get such gifts from the past?
https://cinema.ucla.edu/series/2026-ucla-festival-of-preservation
(TH)
New York (NYC):
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)
Virtual:
June 4th: The Anxiety of Ambition | Kinsley Vs. Live Screening Event and Filmmaker Q&A
It’s never easy to be an artist, but being an artist in the 2020s is a particularly heinous uphill battle. The inner voices are real and they’re not always nice. You’re invited to a free screening of Kinsley Vs., a series about one writer’s battle with her anxious thoughts as they anthropomorphize into living, breathing characters and try to take her down with every word she writes.
After the screening, join Diliana Deltcheva (director of upcoming Please Stay) and Courtney Romano (writer/director of Kinsley Vs.) to unpack the mental health realities of the creative process and have a conversation about the things we often feel all alone.
WHEN: June 4th, 5p PST / 8p EST
Tix: Free!
REGISTER HERE: https://kinema.com/events/Kinsley-Vs.-b5ougm
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:
New York: June 6th from 1:30 - 4:30 PM Eastern in TRIBECA
From Adam: “Filmstack X Tribeca Meet-Up, NYC, 1:30-4:30pm (location revealed after RSVP)
The goal of this meet-up is to build bridges between filmstackers and like-minded film people not (yet) on the ‘stack.
The space is wheelchair accessible, with no steps and a large bathroom on the ground floor.
Free with RSVP (donate what you choose)
Hosted by AMAUTEUR
RSVP: https://partiful.com/e/zaKKKWCdhbkQXniQkdnC?c=IpGU5kmL
Reach out to Adam Kritzer with any questions.”
(SS)
May 28: Block The Merger Emmys Demonstration - Doc Night
4:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET - Free, In Person
Join fellow film workers outside the Documentary Emmys to raise awareness around blocking the Paramount-WBD merger and support press freedom, free expression, and indie film workers.
Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th Street, New York City.
(News Night was May 27 - Doc Night is the 28th.)
(TH)
June 6: Main Street vs. The Merger // LA Town Hall
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM PT — Free, In Person
A town hall organized by the American Economic Liberties Project, the Committee for the First Amendment, Democracy Defenders Action, the Future Film Coalition, and the Writers Guild of America to document the economic damage the Paramount/WBD merger could inflict on film workers, small theaters, and independent businesses. Whether you’re a writer, gaffer, caterer, PA, or propmaster — your testimony matters. Speakers include actor and writer Adam Conover, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, and WGA West President Michele Mulroney.
Lumiere Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA.
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/main-street-vs-the-merger-la-town-hall-tickets-1990117840032
June 13: Main Street vs. The Merger // NY Roundtable
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET — Free, In Person (Space Limited)
An on-the-record roundtable hosted at the Writers Guild of America East, organized by the American Economic Liberties Project and coalition partners to hear directly from film workers and small business owners about what the Paramount/WBD merger will cost them. Participants include Sen. Cory Booker, screenwriter and producer James Schamus, and WGAE Executive Director Sam Wheeler.
Writers Guild of America East, 250 Hudson Street, New York, NY.
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/main-street-vs-the-merger-ny-roundtable-tickets-1990121682525
Labs & Classes
Webinars
May 28th: Theatrical Windows Rule! A Conversation on Why Theatrical Still Matters 4:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM ET — Free, Online
The Alliance of Women Directors is hosting a virtual panel around Theatrical Windows Rule! — the advocacy effort Amy DePaola launched at Sundance in collaboration with Art House Convergence — bringing together filmmakers, producers, exhibitors, and distribution experts to make the case for protecting theatrical windows in today’s landscape.
Panelists include Timothy Petryni & Annapurna Sriram (Fucktoys), Annalisa Shoemaker (Suncatcher Productions), and Lela Meadow-Conner (Art House Convergence), moderated by Amy DePaola (Pink Among Men). Practical and actionable — whether you’re planning your first theatrical run or trying to make sense of the current distribution moment.
Open to the public, so feel free to bring a friend along.
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/hGghTwzwSXyBs3nwhCh17g
(TH) (SG)
June 3rd: 2pm ET / 11A PT: How the Campaign to Buy Letterboxd Aims To Save Independent Cinema
I have no interest in bringing back the zombie corpse of independent cinema. Those aren’t my words. But I do want to keep Private Equity’s enshitification of the only global community of cinema lovers, and yeah, I think all business should work for all stakeholders (aka not shareholders).
(TH)
June 10th: New Rules of Engagement Event: How to grow audiences and win funding in a changed landscape
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
(TH) (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)
July 1st 2026. 8pm UK/3pm ET /12pm PT - YOUR FAT FRIEND Distribution Case Study Webinar
We’re going to share the questions we asked, the experiments we tried, what did and didn’t work for us, and the value of keeping your rights. We want to instill in other filmmakers and creators the sheer joy and satisfaction in the storytelling of your films continuing out into the world. In this moment of industry uncertainty, building your own road feels like a pretty good way to spend you time.
And as a subscriber to Glimmers, you get a $5 discount.
Use this link to book, discount automatically applied.
60 min presentation
30 min Q&A
Join live or access recording for a limited time
$20 (full price)
Workshops
June 20 at 11 AM PACIFIC/ 2 PM EASTERN: Virtual Entertainment Industry Workshop
Dorez Douglas will be hosting the Virtual Entertainment Industry Workshop along with her producing partner, 2x Oscar winner Willie Burton.
More Info and Register: https://dorezdouglas.com/workshop
(SS)
Panels
June 3 from 2 - 3:30 PM EASTERN/ 11 AM - 12:30 PM PACIFIC: Letterboxd Community Takeover
Want to learn more about buying Letterboxd?
Elizabeth Joyce, FSDD’s own Ted Hope, and Amy Hobby will join Jon Reiss-8Above for an 8 Above Conversation, Letterboxd Community Takeover: How the Campaign to Buy Letterboxd Aims to Save Independent Cinema. (Not a lofty goal or anything, guys 😅)
It’s on Zoom, so anyone can attend and since the opportunity to buy Letterboxd is global, if you’re interested, check it out, no matter where you’re located.
Register for the Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/4J60iN-BQHClNrmt8oKuXQ#/registration
(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
June 29: Shore Scripts TV Writer Mentorship Program FINAL DEADLINE
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)
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:
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.
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)
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)
CinemaStreet Women’s Short Screenplay Competition
Women screenwriters: CinemaStreet Pictures is accepting short dramatic scripts of any genre (20 minutes and under) for production consideration — with the winning writer receiving a $1,000 option. Scripts from anywhere in the world are eligible, as long as they’re in English.
Past winning scripts have made it to distribution (Love From Friends, 8:16 to Omaha), with two more currently in preproduction — so this one has real follow-through behind it. The competition is managed by Terry Lawler, former Executive Director of New York Women in Film & Television. Check the FilmFreeway page for available discounts.
Regular Deadline June 15 / Late Deadline July 15
Submit: FilmFreeway.com/CinemaStreet
(TH) (SG)
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)
Save the Date: Porto/Post/Doc: Film & Media Festival, November 19–28, 2026
Six months out, Porto/Post/Doc has announced its 13th edition. The festival runs ten days in Porto, Portugal, bringing together filmmakers, audiences, researchers and industry professionals around documentary and non-fiction cinema. This year’s thematic programme, In The Land Of Others, closes a trilogy on displacement and belonging — with screenings including Matteo Garrone’s Io Capitano, Kieślowski’s The Double Life of Véronique, Kalatozov’s I Am Cuba, and Vojtěch Jasný’s All Good Countrymen.
Key dates:
Festival: November 19–28, 2026
Porto Industry Days: November 23–26, 2026
Film submission deadline: July 31, 2026
Industry open calls (Industry Screenings, Co-Production Meetings, Arché Porto): May 15 – July 15, 2026
If you’re a filmmaker with a documentary or hybrid project, the submission window is open now. Industry accreditations and passes to be announced.
More info: portopostdoc.com
(SG)
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
Sign the Pledge to Buy Letterboxd!
It’s go time in a big way friends! Intrinsic Entertainment Collaborative, run by Elizabeth Joyce and advised by Ted Hope is running a campaign to buy Letterboxd and run it for the people and by the people.
All the details about the how, what, why, and again, HOW, lie within this piece:
But the action you can take now is to pledge $4 of support to the campaign and support the coalition here:
(CR)
Petitions
EU-based FilmStack Cinemakers & Film Lovers should please sign this OPEN LETTER to #BlockThe Merger
Sign it today. Don’t delay!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVd0wLH9Nr_O7JDnMvD5TaT7wTTV5LaG66s3IySLPeknoUIw/viewform
Americans! 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
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