FilmStack Calendar Table Of Contents
SCREENINGS & PERFORMANCES (IRL & Virtual)
EVENTS
Festivals
MeetUps
Webinars & Workshops
Retreats
Showcases
DEADLINES
Festivals
Grants, Applications & Internships
ACTIONS & PETITIONS
HOUSEKEEPING
1. SCREENINGS & PERFORMANCES
New York
July 20 at 7pm: AMAUTEUR Hour, Vol. 1 - A Movie-Centric Variety Show
Hosted by Adam Kritzer — New York, NY (location revealed upon RSVP)
Adam Kritzer, the filmmaker and writer behind AMAUTEUR, launches a movie-centric variety show featuring films and live performances from an eclectic lineup: Jack Wedge & Will Freudenheim, Sarah Meital Benjamin, Dane Benko, Carlos Valladares, Delilah Napier & Lucy Powers as Mary Harron, and an Andy Warhol & Valerie Solanas program, with more surprises TBA.
Doors at 7pm, show at 8pm. Seating is limited. Arrive early.
Free with RSVP; donate what you choose via Venmo.
(SS)
National
Now – January 2027: Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour provides a curated glimpse into the Festival’s selections, highlighting the depth of narrative possibilities explored in the short film format. The tour invites audiences across the world to experience a collection of resonant, provocative, tender, and human-centered fiction, nonfiction, and animated shorts that showcase truly dynamic independent storytelling and offers a mix of stories that highlight bold perspectives and next-gen storytellers.
The program includes jury winners The Boys and the Bees (Nonfiction), Crisis Actor (U.S. Fiction), and Living with a Visionary (Animation), alongside Marga en el DF, Pankaja, and Sauna Sickness. For booking inquiries, contact Mike Plante.
Tour dates and venues:June 11–14: Bijou Theater, Mount Vernon, IAJune 18–20: Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael, CA
June 19: Austin Film Society, Austin, TXJune 19–28: Cincinnati World Cinema, Cincinnati, OH
June 28–29: Art House Cinema & Pub, Billings, MT
July 3–9: SBIFF Riviera, Santa Barbara, CA
July 4: Images Cinema, Williamstown, MA
July 6: Bear Tooth Cinema, Anchorage, AK
July 30: Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH
August 16: Space Gallery, Portland, ME
August 28–30: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
September 1: Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH
November 13–14: 815HORTS, Rockford, IL
December 12: Erie Community Library, Erie, CO
January 4, 2027: Enzian Theater, Orlando, FL
More info: https://www.sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film-festival/program/short-film-tour/
(TH)
2. EVENTS
Festivals
Los Angeles
July 20–23, 2026: Getting Real ‘26 (IDA)
A biennial conference held in Little Tokyo for and by documentary practitioners, focused on storytelling. This 4-day hybrid event features constructive conversations, relationship-building, and discussions of ethical and creative challenges facing the field.
Register: https://www.documentary.org/gettingreal26
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)
Showcases
July 16–22: Hollywood Cinema Arts Auction Preview | Bid by 7/22
Hollywood Cinema Arts Inc. — 8110 Webb Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91605
Hollywood Cinema Arts has been a trusted art and prop provider to the motion picture, television, and commercial industries since 1988. With over 55,000 paintings, pictures, and props, their facility is one of the largest of its kind. Preview items July 16, 17, 20, 21, and 22 from 8am–4pm. Pick up winning items July 23, 24, 27, and 28 from 8am–4pm.
(TH)
Meet Ups & Meetings
FilmStack
Other Meetups
All
Webinars & Workshops
All
July 9 at 9am PT: DAWG Global South Series, Part 1
Documentary Association of Women Globally (DAWG) | Online
DAWG launches its Global South Series—a program lifting up independent filmmakers working under authoritarian governments who use storytelling as an act of resistance. Part 1 features award-winning filmmaker and Harvard Shorenstein Fellow Shirley Abraham, who will speak on the landscape for the independent voice within India’s socio-political context. A rare opportunity to hear from a filmmaker finding fugitive space to tell and archive the truth where truth is under siege. Register via Zoom.
July 9 at 1pm PT: Fundraising, Unfiltered — Real Strategies, Real Results with the Nonfiction Hotlist
Show&Tell: Online | Free Public Webinar
Most filmmakers are pitching the same over-saturated channels and wondering why the money isn’t coming. In this free public webinar, Keith from Show&Tell joins the Nonfiction Hotlist to reveal the non-traditional approaches behind $25 million raised in their filmmaker community — then puts them to work live with a real filmmaker case study. Watch him map out funding opportunities, aligned philanthropies, and strategic partners on the spot, and leave with a roadmap you can adapt for your own film. Whether you’re in production or heading into distribution, you’ll leave with concrete next steps on where to look and how to pitch.
July 16 at 1pm PT: Fundraising Speed Date — Submit Your Logline & Trailer for a Live Strategy Session
Show&Tell: Online | Members + Guest Pass
Submit your logline, trailer, and a short list of audiences before this members-only workshop, and Show&Tell’s Keith will break down select submissions live — identifying your best target audiences, the funders most likely to align with your film, and a concrete fundraising strategy in real time. No matter what stage your film is in, this is live coaching using proven approaches that have helped filmmakers in the community raise millions. Attend via free guest pass, $25 paid webinar pass, or Show&Tell membership.
This webinar is exclusively for Show&Tell members but you can attend by requesting one Free Guest pass (if you haven’t already), purchasing a Paid Webinar pass for $25, or joining Show&Tell.
Retreats
July 2026: ACA x NFH Residency - Submissions Open
A nonfiction storytelling residency in partnership with the Atlantic Center for the Arts, taking place February 7–27, 2027 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Submissions open in July.
(TH)
3. DEADLINES
Festivals
July 6: 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
July 31: Porto/Post/Doc 2026 Film Submissions (Final Deadline)
Extended Deadline: July 31
August 15: LdnDocs Festival (Late Deadline)
Late deadline: August 15th, 2026
September 15: Liminal Archive Documentary & Experimental Film Festival
Deadline: September 15th, 2026
A no-fee submission opportunity for emerging and established filmmakers, with selected works offered international screening opportunities plus potential collaboration and distribution support. The festival itself takes place in Tokyo around November 2026.
Submit: https://expcinema.org/site/en/call/liminal-archive-2026
Grants, Applications & Internships
July 6: Slamdance Film Festival 2027 (Early Bird Deadline)
Since 1995, Slamdance has been the festival where first-time directors break through. Christopher Nolan, Bong Joon Ho, Lena Dunham, and Sean Baker all premiered here. The 2027 festival takes place February 18–24 in Los Angeles, and submissions are now open. The main competition accepts narrative and documentary features by first-time directors with budgets under $1M; the Breakouts program is open to non-debut directors with no budget cap. Shorts, Episodes, and DIG (Digital/Interactive/Gaming) are also accepted.
Early Bird Deadline: July 6, 2026 — Features $70 | Shorts/Episodes/DIG $50 | 99 Special $9.99
Regular Deadline: August 10, 2026 — Features $90 | Shorts $60
Late Deadline: September 14, 2026 — Features $110 | Shorts $70
Extended Deadline: October 6, 2026 — Features $130 | Shorts $90
(TH)
July 7: The 8 Above Distribution Lab with Jon Reiss (Deadline to Sign Up)
Jon Reiss-8Above—author of Think Outside the Box Office, and one of the most practical voices in indie distribution—is opening the next cohort of his Distribution Lab this summer. It’s a weekly immersive program that walks filmmakers through building a real distribution and marketing plan for their current project, with guest workshops from industry experts and a collaborative cohort of peers doing the same work alongside you. The Lab is built on a core premise: most filmmakers are never taught distribution basics and assume they need gatekeepers to release their work. This is the antidote. By the end, participants leave with a full distribution and marketing plan and budget, a new framework for approaching the industry, and a community of filmmakers for ongoing support. Sign up to meet Jon, tell him about your project, and learn more.
What you’ll leave with: A distribution and marketing plan and budget for your film, a new framework for tackling release strategy, connections with industry experts, and a filmmaker community you can lean on now and in the future.
Deadline to sign up: July 7, 2026
July 13: Film Independent - Project Involve 2027 (Non-Member Deadline)
Applications Open Now
For 30 years, Project Involve has been Film Independent’s flagship program for emerging filmmakers from underrepresented communities—pairing fellows with top-tier mentors, funding short films from development through completion, and providing access to Fi’s full slate of events and education programs. 30 filmmakers are selected each year across tracks including writing, directing, producing, cinematography, editing, and animation. Fellows must be LA-based for the duration of the program.
Film Independent Member Extended Deadline: July 27, 2026
(TH)
July 15: CinemaStreet Women’s Short Screenplay Competition (Late Deadline)
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.
Late Deadline: July 15
July 15: Porto Industry Days 2026 Open Calls
Porto/Post/Doc: Film & Media Festival — Porto, Portugal | November 23–26, 2026
Three programs are open for applications through July 15 as part of Porto Industry Days 2026, running November 23–26 within the 13th edition of Porto/Post/Doc (November 19–28).
Industry Screenings presents rough cut and work-in-progress projects from European territory to programmers, sales agents, distributors, and broadcasters in a restricted professional setting with personalized one-to-one meetings.
Co-Production Meetings connects projects in development or pre-production with producers, funds, and international professionals for financing and co-production strategy.
Arché Porto is a development workshop for filmmakers from Ibermedia Programme member countries, with tutoring sessions and presentation to industry and an international jury during the festival.
Apply by July 15, 2026
July 20 (or when 2,000 slots are filled): Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting
One of the most prestigious fellowships in screenwriting just opened a public submissions pathway through the Writers Guild Foundation. Each year the Academy awards up to five $35,000 Nicholl Fellowships to emerging screenwriters, and this year WGF is serving as an official public submissions partner — accepting up to 2,000 feature screenplays for evaluation and referral to the Academy. Fellows receive mentorship from Academy members and are expected to complete an original feature during their fellowship year. Submissions are open now and close July 20 — or earlier if the 2,000-script cap is reached first. Don’t wait.
Eligibility: Original, unproduced feature screenplay, written in English, 80–125 pages. Lifetime earnings from film/TV writing must be under $25,000. No AI-generated scripts. One entry per writer.
Submission Fee: $100 for the first 750 submissions | $120 after that, until cap is reached
Deadline: July 20, 2026 at 5 PM PT—or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first
July 20: Slamdance Screenplay Competition (Late Deadline)
The Slamdance Screenplay Competition has been championing new voices since 1995, with alumni going on to agency signings, produced features, and Hollywood careers. Open to emerging writers only—no established writers with screenwriting as a primary income source. Categories include Feature (41–140 pages), TV Pilot (up to 80 pages), Horror/Thriller, and Short (up to 40 pages). Every entrant receives reader feedback including a logline, genre note, and paragraph of strengths/weaknesses. The regular deadline passed June 22; the late and final deadlines remain open. AI-written scripts are not accepted.
Late Deadline: July 20 - Features $85–$105 | TV Pilot $65–$75 | Short $50–$65
Final Deadline: August 3 - Fatures $95–$120 | TV Pilot $70–$85 | Short $55–$70
(TH)
July 31: Armed with a Camera Fellowship 2026–2027 (Final Deadline)
Final Deadline: July 31 at 10 PM PST
October 1: Pandora Film Grant (Deadline)
A nonprofit prize awarding $30,000 in cash, equipment, and services across one winner and three finalists — early-career filmmakers producing short films. The 2026 package includes a $12,000 cash grant, a $15,000 PANAVISION Gold Package, a $1,000 KODAK grant, mentorship from an acclaimed filmmaker, discounted ATHOS production insurance, and fiscal sponsorship. Open to projects at script stage or finished projects seeking finishing funds.
Apply: https://pandora.org/
(TH)
Dec 4: NRDC's Rewrite the Future $20,000 Fellowship x 3
NRDC’s 2026 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.
(TH)
November 19–28, 2026: Porto/Post/Doc — Film & Media Festival
Save the Date!
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
(TH)
Rolling: IDA Emergency Assistance Grant (New)
More info here: https://www.documentary.org/ida-emergency-assistance-program
Rolling: Culture House Talent Pool Open Call
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
Rolling Deadline: Impact Partners Development Fund - Grants Up to $100,000
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)
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
BLOCK THE MERGER
1. For US FilmStack: Urge Attorneys General to Stop Paramount’s Mega-Media Monopoly
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.
2. For US FilmStack: Sign the Free Press Block the Merger Petition
III. For EU FilmStack: Sign this OPEN LETTER to #BlockTheMerger
Don’t delay! Sign it today.
IV. 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!
(TH)
5. HOUSEKEEPING
Barnes & Nobles Criterion Collection Sale Through July 26
50% off the Criterion Collection through July 26. Does not combine with the Premium Member discount.
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
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