NFFTY 2022 LA Pop-Up Guide

Blvd Beverly Hills, CA 90211

From small starts to big screens, we made it! Following the footsteps of many NFFTY alumni across the country and around the world, we have finally made the pilgrimage to LA. We are inspired by each of you and are proud to present our first-ever Pop-Up event!

Creating a Pop-Up has been a goal for many years. We have long wanted to bring the NFFTY experience to those who may not have had the opportunity to attend our annual festival in Seattle. As a hub for film, LA has become home to many of our alumni and upcoming talent alike. It is the dedication to the art of filmmaking from our young filmmakers that drives NFFTY to continue to work towards more equity in our industry.

Uplifting the next generation of creatives is an ongoing adventure we are honored to work towards, so it is with immense gratitude that we begin the first (of hopefully many) Pop-Ups with you. Enjoy the screenings and panels while networking with fellow artists this weekend! Remember to look around the room at the outstanding talent that is yourself and your peers.

As the incoming leadership team at NFFTY, we look forward to meeting many in our community for the first time and reconnecting with familiar faces in a new context. We are elated to share this experience with you!

With gratitude, Krupa Kanaiya, Leomary Rodriguez, Ryan Saunders The NFFTY Leadership Trio

Sponsors

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How Do I Attend the Pop-Up?

You can attend all the screenings and events scheduled for NFFTY’s Pop-Up live in Los Angeles!

The in-person event runs Friday, October 14 - Sunday, October 16, 2022 at Fine Arts Theatre, 8556 Wilshire Blvd Beverly Hills, CA 90211.

To make the Pop-Up as accessible as possible, NFFTY has ‘Pay What You Can’ pricing for individual tickets!

* Individual Tickets are good only on that specific screening of the Pop-Up!

* An All-Access Pass is available for those looking to further support the event and gives you access the entire weekend, in Los Angeles.

Vaccination

We recommend a full vaccination, including at least one booster shot for all attendees of our Pop-Up.

You are considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after completing the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Pfizer or Moderna) or two weeks after receiving a single dose of a one-dose vaccine (e.g., Johnson & Johnson/Janssen).

Mask Policy Masks are encouraged. Attendees will be expected to follow local mask guidelines at the time of the event.

“AFI Ranked

American Film School”

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NFFTY Merch Support NFFTY with

Stickers, Buttons

T Shirts

Whether you’re looking for a classic T or a pop of color, this year’s t-shirts are a must have addition to your closet! Made perfectly for your comfiest NFFTY fit.

Workshops, Panels & Keynotes

Saturday October 15th

MODERATED DISCUSSION

Storytelling as Activism with Kristian Mercado

Fine Arts Theatre, 4:30pm to 5:30pm

Presented by Seed & Spark

Join Kristian Mercado, director of Nuevo Rico & Pa’lante, for a conversation about using storytelling as a tool for activism. His work highlights latinx representation, encompasses diverse casting, and addresses such societal issues as displacement and being unhoused. Kristian will discuss how, through the mediums of animation & music, he gathers collaborators and inspiration to tell impactful stories as a filmmaker.

2022 Pitch Competition

Fine Arts Theatre, 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Co-Presented by Musicbed/Filmsupply

Join us for our second annual Pitch Competition! Filmmakers 24 years old and younger will compete for a chance to win up to $5,000 towards their latest project. This is an opportunity for filmmakers to pitch in front of industry professionals and receive helpful feedback on their work. Up to six finalists will be chosen, and they will be paired with an industry mentor ahead of time to practice their pitches and ensure they’re putting their best foot forward.

October 16th

MODERATED DISCUSSION

LA Alumni Roundtable

Fine Arts Theatre, 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Join a select group of LA-based NFFTY alumni during a roundtable discussion where they discuss their experiences starting out in the industry, finding collaborators in LA, and their experiences with NFFTY! This will be a conversational moment with fellow alumni, both those on stage and with audience members.

From Vandal to Players with Tony Yacenda + Dan Perrault

Fine Arts Theatre, 5pm to 6pm

Join Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault (creators of American Vandal and Players), for a special moderated discussion on their creative process. Through commitment and perseverance, the duo has moved from YouTube to Television while utilizing comedy towards larger themes. Hear how they build upon past successes, maintain their vision, and find balance with their collaborators.

MODERATED DISCUSSION

Filmmaker Mixer

A NFFTY event wouldn’t be complete without a party meant for our filmmakers! Celebrate our arrival to LA during our Alumni mixer, which will start Thursday October 13th at 6:30pm PT.

RSVP is encouraged for this event.

Date: Thursday October 13th at 6:30pm PT

Location: Second Home Hollywood 1370 N St Andrews Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90028

The Second Annual NFFTY Pitch Competition Co-Presented by Musicbed/Filmsupply

The Pitch Competition is back!

After reviewing a large submission pool of remarkable projects, six finalists have been chosen to compete for cash grants of up to $5,000 for their films!

In 2021, the inaugural NFFTY Pitch Competition helped four productions reach their budget goals and enter into production. This year, six finalists will compete in front of a live judging panel at our LA Pop-Up.

In order to be considered, projects needed to:

– Be eligible to screen in a NFFTY festival, whether they be narrative, documentary, animated, experimental, a music video, or an episodic short.

– Have already completed progress on pre-production, including full outline or screenplay.

– Be represented by pitching filmmakers who are 24-and-under at the time they start production on their film.

Projects were selected on the strength of their CONCEPT (what project they want to make and for whom), BUDGET (what will it take to make the project a reality), and KEY PLAYERS (who is making the project).

For the live pitches in front of our judging panel, the finalists:

– Must keep their pitches 5 minutes long, 8 minutes max.

– Can include visuals such as PowerPoint, images, or videos.

In advance of the competition, finalists are paired with mentors to help them practice and hone their pitch, ensuring that they are putting their best foot forward. Come experience these pitches and gain the bragging rights of hearing about these projects in their early stages!

All finalists will receive prizes from our generous sponsors Musicbed/ Filmsupply, LaCie, and Final Draft.

Mentors

Judges

Satya Bhabha Writer/Director

Amy Lapides Roster Manager at Ghetto Film School

Michael Musante VP of Production and Acquisition at American Zoetrope

Sharon Greene Ronald Hinton Ceci Leon Natasha Lewin Bella Racklin Eric Stumpf

Rosita Lama Muvdi Writer/Director

Nina Reyes Rosenberg Co-Founder and Director, Mala Forever

Opening Night Showcase

Friday October 14th

7.30pm @ Fine Arts Theatre

Come celebrate NFFTY’s first ever Pop-Up with a showcase of standout work from previous festivals, along with some powerful new work from alumni!

Rebels With a Cause

Saturday October 15th 2pm @ Fine Arts Theatre

Busan, 1999 south korea

Thomas Percy Kim - 20

An expecting Korean-American woman returns to her mother’s rustic home. They bathe and scrub each other, searching for reconnection and redemption.

Courtney Barnett “Write a List of Things to Look Forward To” ca usa

Christina Xing

Courtney Barnett’s music video for “Write a List of Things to Look Forward To”.

No Crying at the Dinner Table canada Carol Nguyen 22

Filmmaker Carol Nguyen interviews her own family to craft an emotionally complex and meticulously composed portrait of intergenerational trauma, grief, and secrets in this cathartic documentary about things left unsaid.

Plum Town ca usa Kelly Yu - 19

A young land developer returns to his childhood home in the Chinese countryside for the first time in a decade to convince his stubborn father to finally sell the failing plum orchard. However, when the two find themselves unable to understand each other, they turn to the dusty old karaoke machine in the house to find a common language.

Beneath the Grass ca , usa

William Bermudez - 23, Sam Friedman - 23, Nathan Ginter - 22, Caden Ghen - 22

After going on the run with his mother for her illegal grow operation, Leo yearns for a normal home life and risks their safety by entering a strangers home.

Chico Virtual ny usa

Olivia De Camps - 22, Gabriel Connelly - 24

A teenage boy must come to terms with the harsh reality of his immigrant status when his older brother alarmingly doesn’t come home.

Eureka ca usa

Miida Chu - 24

A young indentured Chinese prostitute must overcome her toxic dependency on the brothel madam on the eve of the 1885 antiChinese riot in Eureka, California.

Secret Menu ca , usa

Sean Wang

Three ajummas express their love for LA’s Koreatown through food, poetry and more food.

Team Meryland ca usa

Gabriel Gaurano - 19, Julia Elihu 20, Jason Phillips - 22

Born and raised in the Watts projects of Los Angeles, twelve-year-old female boxer Meryland Gonzalez fights in-andout of the ring for the dream to be crowned the 2019 Junior Olympics champion.

The Headhunters Daughter philippines

Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, Hannah Schierbeek

Lynn an aspiring country singer, and July - her trusty brown horse, endure an arduous descent along the Cordilleran highlands to make it on time to the city for the audition of her dreams.

Her journey leads her on a path where her indigenous identity is confronted by the unseen forces of the landscape’s colonial American past.

INTI: The Sun Rising ca , usa

Mariel Sosa 22

When her older brother falls ill, a young girl seeks the one cure to save him in a seclusive forest, but is nature playing tricks on her?

Pathei Mathos usa / brazil Vitória Vasconcellos - 21, Billy Gould - 20, Evan Siegal 21

Increasingly disturbing flashbacks haunt a grieving girl who struggles to navigate her own pain in a desperate attempt to free herself from the trauma that has taken over her life.

Winter of ‘79 ca usa

Julia Elihu 24, Leslie Susman - 23, Gabe Knows-Newton 23, Alex Joyce - 23

At the onset of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, a Persian-Jewish mother is forced to question her faith in her country.

Witness the displays of endurance and strength in these powerful dramatic shorts, each taking a unique visual approach to characters bearing the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Presented by

Presented by

Musical Interlude

Saturday October 15th

8.30pm @ Fine Arts Theatre

Soak up the sunshine and pump up the volume with these colorful music videos that explore a variety of expressive ways to make a film sing!

Up All Night

Saturday October 15th 9.30pm @ Fine Arts Theatre

Strap yourselves in for a multi course meal of late night delights with these eclectic, spine-tingling, and gonzo exercises in genre filmmaking.

Brumatti “In Shape For Summer” mo , usa

Kaylinn Clotfelter - 20, Andrew Trice - 21, Isaiah Satterfield - 21, Logan Triplett 24

A newspaper boy encounters an obstacle on his journey to making money for the most epic summer ever.

Chappell Roan

“California” ca usa Chappell Roan 21, Ethan Seneker - 23

A lyric video about dreams and missing home.

Equinox canada

Jonah Haber - 23, Sahil Mirchandani - 24, Susannah Haight 24, Patricia Roque 23

Equinox is inspired by the concept of the two faces: the face you show the world and the face of who you truly are.

I Guess I’m in Love ny , usa

Julia Kupiec - 24, Ace Buckley - 25, Jeremy Truong 25

A visual collage of intimacy for Clinton Kane’s “I Guess I’m in Love.”

Chicks ga , usa Geena Marie Hernandez - 22, Chayse Banks - 23, Chris Violette - 23, Sky Theis 21

A bubbly, girly slumber party spirals quickly out of control when a shy teen becomes the center of her friends’ bizarre nighttime rituals.

Hex & Rage ca , usa Sasha Lebedeva - 21, Riel Macklem - 23, Clara McGregor - 24

Two teen witches avenge their stripper friend by hexing the man who assaulted her.

Milk Teeth ca , usa

Felipe Vargas 21, Jamie McNeill - 21, Brendan Bennett 21

An orphanage spirals into mayhem when a boy discovers a shadowy creature who comes to collect more than just the children’s teeth...

Poachers ca , usa Tiffany Lin - 22, Elias Ginsberg 23, Samantha Sadoff - 23

During the summer before they must leave for college, two lifelong best friends come across a unique business opportunity: illegally harvesting and selling succulents from the California coast.

I Like the Look of Today

ca , usa

Brian Niles 20, Will Noyce - 19, Shane Bagwell - 22, Teddy Nissen 20

A child’s lemonade stand becomes the target of an IRS sting operation.

Jany Green “Lost in Love” Directors Cut ca , usa

Dan Lesser 23, Autumn Griffin 23, Neema Sadeghi - 24, Karl Junguist - 24

Lost in Love by Jany Green Directors Cut. Jany puts the green in Jany’s green gardening services.

Mia Gladstone “Food” nj , usa

Zac Dov Wiesel - 21, Sophia Loren Heriveaux - 20, Shane Bagwell - 21

Food is Mia Gladstone a single from her EP CYCLE/S. The video explores Mia’s relationship with her body, food and the world, as she deals with being sexualized as women from a young age, and eventually what it means to take control of the narrative.

The Heroes of Baseball

oh , usa

Jack Campise 23, Steph Jacqlin23, Andrew Jacobson - 23, Jack Massura - 22

Two childhood friends freely explore their suburban town until a bizarre and unsettling encounter fractures the duo, leaving them alone to cope in dissonant ways.

Proto ca , usa Cal J.T. Moreno 24

A young couple discovers their smart devices are listening a little too closely.

The Girl in the Woods ca , usa

Laura Kulik - 23, Logan Fulton - 24

A woman meets a terrible fate after she gets into a car accident on an isolated forest road.

The Painted ca , usa

Sasha Sibley - 22, Thomas George - 21, Donovan Sierra - 22

A man undertakes a dangerous ritual in an attempt to save his ailing wife.

Wolf in Dude’s Clothing canada

Solmund MacPherson - 22

A starving wolf finds a suit of human skin, crawls inside, and becomes a man.

Presented by

A Splash of Color

Sunday October 16th 11am

Fine Arts Theatre

Transcend time and space with these playful animations, each with their own unique style and sense of wonder.

3:45 PM ca usa

Alisha Liu - 21

A girl sinks into contemplation during a picnic at a park.

About A Bat ca , usa

Jules Chin Greene - 24

A filmmaker is told by a six yearold that she is, against all odds, her favorite childhood superhero. This spawns an identity crisis of race and gender in this personal narrative based on a true story.

Afro Algorithms ny , usa

Anatola Araba - 23

In a distant future, an artificial intelligence named Aero is inaugurated as the first AI ruler of Earth. However, she soon finds important worldviews are missing from her databank, including the stories of the historically marginalized and oppressed.

Black Metal ca , usa

Riley Street - 21, Janice Wu - 21, Danielle Mullins - 21, Evan O’brien - 22

Rebekah, a twelve year old, defiant little girl, loves a black metal band called Cosmophobia. But when her overly religious parents forbid her from going to the Cosmophobia concert, Rebekah decides to sneak out herself, causing her parents to run after her, not only to find their daughter but also a better understanding of family.

Interdimensional Pizza Pushers ny , usa Lije Morgan - 21

Follow Honeybear and Fishlips as they race through dimensions to make all of their deliveries in time!

Introducing iScreen Pro china Jiaxin (Lydia) Wang - 24

A fictional old commercial promoting a digital mask called ‘iScreen Pro’ implies people’s insane life under the worldwide pandemic.

Knife Hanging from a Tree ca , usa Jihee Nam - 24

Sour grapes.

Silvering united kingdom Eilidh Nicoll - 21

Upon discovering a grey hair, a woman becomes entangled in insecurity and fear of the future. The sanctuary of the bathroom takes a turn for the sinister as she spirals into a panic – and the hair becomes her tormentor.

Ciervo ri , usa

Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma 21

An emotionally haunting and visually beautiful experience, ‘Ciervo’ tells the story of a young girl who holds violence, submission, and independence in an uneasy balance as one morphs into the other.

Dead Meat canada

Adnan Peer Mohamed - 21

A hungry seagull struggles to find something to eat.

Grey ca , usa

Vasilina Mikhaylova - 23, Sarah Casey - 22, Anastasia

Mikhaylova - 25, Royal Dean - 24

Taken in by a burly lumberjack, a young orphaned wolf pup must choose between his human companion and the call of the wild.

In Passing canada

Esther Cheung - 21

A portrait of seventies Hong Kong as my parents remember it.

The Kitchlets ca , usa Clarisse Chua

Mina lives alone in her apartment accompanied by three little house spirits, the Kitchlets, who feed off her positive emotions and take care of her negative ones.

The Peach Scarf il usa Del Sego - 22

While browsing in the market, Daisy is distracted by a bird who has stolen a scarf from a pretty stranger, Camille and though she hops to action to help reclaim the scarf for her, she runs into trouble along the way. Undeterred, Daisy finds her own way to restore the beloved peach scarf to Camille.

This is Why Girls Go to the Bathroom Together united kingdom Lydia Reid - 24

Ever wondered why girls never seem to go to the toilet on their own in the club? This film shows why you always need another girl with you to go for a piss.

Ways of Seeing

Sunday October 16th

1.30pm @ Fine Arts Theatre

The short documentaries in this program challenge our perspectives of the world, encouraging us to relearn how we understand the people and places around us.

Come As You Are

Sunday October 16th

7pm @ Fine Arts Theatre

Utilizing documentary, narrative, formal experimentation, and everything in between, these shorts collectively celebrate the way people navigate and express their identities to the world.

Bug Farm oh usa

Lydia Cornett - 25

Four distinct women in Central Florida bond over crickets, superworms and cockroaches on an insect farm in the small town of LaBelle.

did i look cuban then?

ca usa

María Alvarez - 24

“did look cuban then?” is an exploration into the intersectionalities of my Cuban-American upbringing and multigenerational womanhood through the lens of poetry, photography, cinematography, screen-printing, and found family footage.

Long Line of Ladies ca usa

Rayka Zehtabchi, Shaandiin Tome

A girl and her community prepare for her Ihuk, the once-dormant coming of age ceremony of the Karuk tribes of Northern California.

Mawhialeo Ote Alowha (Our Love) new zealand , ukraine Valeriya Golovina 23, Niamh Swannack 22, Morgan Hopkins22, Cameron Cook 22

Meli and her husband Avito reflect on the pivotal decision of their lives. With much trepidation they left the tiny atoll of Tokelau for New Zealand seeking a better life for their son. 43 years on, they find themselves pulled between family and a longing for home.

Girls & the Party france

Paloma Lopez - 24

A group of girlfriends prepare for the anticipated summer party in a cramped bathroom. Between boy talk and makeup, Mercedes navigates her blossoming attraction for her friend Julia.

Half ny , usa

Jacob Roberts - 24

Half-Jewish, bisexual Jonah Dorman comes out to his girlfriend, shaking the foundation of their relationship and launching a tragicomic exploration of love and religion in New York City.

How To Raise A Black Boy ny , usa

Justice Jamal Jones - 20

An experimental fairytale dedicated to the modern black boy, in which four boys disappear one night, as many black boys do, and find themselves on a fantastical journey to break the curses of black boyhood.

Joychild ca , usa Aurora Brachman 24

A young child tells their mother “I’m not a girl” for the first time.

One Day You’ll Go Blind

ca usa

Leo Pfeifer - 23

At age 25, Justin Bishop lost his sight — and his skateboarding career. Three years later he set out to learn, again.

We Are Like Waves

sri lanka , usa

Jordyn Romero - 22, Leah de Leon - 23

We Are Like Waves is an intimate look into how surfing changes Sanu’s life, documenting the struggles and breakthroughs of becoming a female Sri Lankan surfer.

What We See in the Clouds wa , usa

Barb Hoffman - 21

A lonely animator seeks companionship through asking her friends to tell her what they see in cloud pictures. She then proceeds to animate their visions.

Novena ca , usa

Fernando Lopez - 24

Set in South East Los Angeles, two estranged highschool bestfriends reunite at the novenario ceremony for one of their deceased mothers.

Pure ny , usa

Natalie Jasmine Harris - 23

On the eve of her cotillion ball, Celeste, a seventeen-year-old closeted poet, experiences an unexpected new love that shifts her role in the traditional rite of passage ceremony.

Searching For The Wave

ny usa

Chelsea Muscat - 24, Sasha Perez - 24

Faye, heartbroken and confused, recalls her memories of her recent relationship with Ava in hopes to understand what went wrong. This leads Faye to a speculative dark realization about her former partner’s childhood.

Winter Insect, Summer Flower ca usa Tee Jaehyung Park 21, Gbenga Komolafe - 21

A trans woman’s journey through the changing seasons as she breaks out of her physical mold.

Screening Committee & NFFTY Team

Podcast Producer

Robert Bojorquez

2022 Summer Interns

Ruby Lee, Kenny Abe, Iiona Dunkley

NFFTY LA Pop-Up Taskforce and Steering Committee

NFFTY is a program of The Talented Youth, a 501c3 non-profit

Griffith Gustafson

Karen Bennett

Anita M. Cal

Frankie Rubio

NFFTY LA Pop-Up Staff

Vitória Vasconcellos

Benjamin Wiessner

Adam Hersko-RonaTas

Tiffany Lin

Krupa Kanaiya Marketing Director

Robert Bojorquez

President Media Producer

Frances Rubio

Vice President Film Producer & Data-Driven Marketer

Alex Johnston

Secretary Filmmaker, Scholar & Media Educator, Seattle University

Additional NFFTY Production Team

Designers

Lizzie Frost & Todd Atticus

Trailer Editor

Ryan Saunders

Board of Directors

Griffith Gustafson

Treasurer Development Finance @ Amazon Studios

Kim Schwarzkopf Filmmaker, Producer

Ogugua Agu Finance & Strategy, Biotech Specialist

Board Emeritus

LA Pop-Up Photographer Po Wei Su

LA Pop-Up Videographer

Will Streissguth

Jesse Harris Founder

Pranay Patwardhan

President Creative Director at Animal, New Delhi, India

Noah Wagner

Vice-President Director & Filmmaker

Dennis Kim Filmmaker

Jocelyn R.C. Co-Founder

Alumni Advisory Board

Christina Xing Director & Creative Director

Morgana McKenzie Director & Filmmaker

Tiffany Lin Filmmaker

Alexander Zorn Filmmaker

Industry Advisory Board

Ben Kadie Filmmaker

Karen Bennett Filmmaker, Media Educator

Frank Clark

Creative Director @ Square Tomato

Anita M. Cal

Film Producer, Media Educator

Kyle Seago Co-Founder

Adam Hersko-RonaTas

Filmmaker

Leo Pfeifer Director

Barb Hoffman Filmmaker Lindsay Sunada Director/Designer

Vitória Vasconcellos Filmmaker/Actor

Philip Alvy

Executive Director | Arts Integrated

Anna Proulx

Visual and Performing Arts Program

Director | Syracuse University Los Angeles Semester (SULA)

Bri Castellini

Film Community Manager | Seed&Spark

MarBelle

Co-Founder/Editor-in-Chief | Directors Notes

Noel Goodwin

Venue Education Manager | BFI

Benjamin Wiessner

Producer // VP of Sales & Distribution | Vanishing Angle

Kendra Ann Sherrill

Festival Director of Children’s Film

Festival Seattle | Northwest Film Forum

Sean Wiener

Director of Programs, Media Arts

Lab | Jacob Burns Film Center

Alex Rose

Creative Economy Advocate | City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture and Office of Economic Development

Toby Brooks

Senior Manager, Ignite | Sundance Institute

Azul Quetzalli

Academy Manager & Mentor | BAYCAT

Matt Cici

Founder | A Creative Megan Garbayo-López

Education Manager | SIFF

Leomary Rodriguez Program Director

Ryan Saunders Managing Director

Nathan Xia LA Pop-Up Production Coordinator

Dan Hudson Outgoing Executive Director

Story of NFFTY

2007

Jesse Harris realizes the need for an organization to support young filmmakers and joins with Jocelyn R.C. and Kyle Seago to launch NFFTY as a one-night festival with 14 films, and to form a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, The Talented Youth.

2008–2009

NFFTY expands to a three-day event, screening 113 films with over 4,000 in attendance, and launches year-round programming, NFFTY 365. In 2009, NFFTY begins accepting international films.

2016

The 10th anniversary festival includes 227 films from 24 countries, as well as an inaugural screenwriting competition: Story Starts Here. NFFTY takes its first steps into VR/360° with a panel and product demos. Starting to be recognized as one of the leaders in the film festival world, NFFTY is named “One of the 50 Best Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by MovieMaker Magazine, TeenTix Best Film Organization, and one of FilmFreeway’s Top 100 Rated Festivals.

2017

NFFTY forges into its second decade with the largest festival yet, featuring 257 films from around the world. NFFTYX launches with a full VR/360° event featuring a boot camp and screening gallery. The Story Starts Here Screenplay Competition and Works In Progress round out a wildly successful year!

2010

NFFTY expands again to become a four-day festival, featuring 190 films from 33 states and 16 countries and additional networking opportunities for filmmakers. A 48-Hour Film Contest is added to the festival weekend.

2011

Now the world’s largest film festival for emerging filmmakers, NFFTY 2011 screens 225 films, adds even more programming and opportunities, and is attended by over 200 filmmakers and an audience of 8,500.

2018

The four-day festival moves to October, and after receiving over 1,300 submissions, NFFTY screens 266 films from 24 countries and 24 U.S. States. In partnership with Oculus, NFFTYX creates an entire VR/360° gallery with NFFTY Official Selections from filmmakers and creators 24 and under. Over 50% of NFFTY 2018’s Official Selections are directed by female or non-binary identifying filmmakers!

2012

NFFTY adds the Future of Film Expo trade show to the festival and features eight panels, 14 workshops, and over 30 exhibitors. Festival attendance exceeds 10,000.

2013

NFFTY features 215 films from around over 30 countries and launches NFFTY Creative, connecting brands with NFFTY alumni to work on original projects. NFFTY alumni are now working for prestigious companies such as Pixar and HBO.

2020–2021

2014

NFFTY launches a Young Women in Film initiative, a year-round effort to support young female filmmakers. Of the 214 films that screen, over 40% are directed by women. NFFTY alumni produce both an original documentary and a national televised commercial for NFFTY Creative partners, garnering both ADDY and Telly Awards.

2015

NFFTY features a record 248 films from 30 states and 25 countries, with over 12,000 in attendance and 48% female-directed films. The festival adds its WorksIn-Progress event and launches the NFFTY Alumni Advisory Board.

NFFTY 2020 was considered by the majority of attendees as the best virtual festival experience of 2020. The 14th NFFTY expanded to a 10-day festival, to include all of the livestreamed and ondemand programming, as well as an inaugural virtual Filmmaker Summit with two full days of professional development programming. For the third year running, 50%+ of official selected films were by female/non-binary filmmakers, and over 40% of films were by non-white filmmakers. Our juried competitions expanded from 9 to 11 categories, with 40 top industry professional jurors, and $7,500 in cash was distributed to NFFTY 2020 award winners. 2021 saw the launch of a number of new programs and initiatives, including a five-week inaugural National Youth Filmmaker Summit, and a reimagined 3rd edition of Film Career Day as our first hybrid event.

2019

NFFTY more than doubles the number of professional development events offered at the festival, and co-produces the 2nd Annual Film Career Day with the City of Seattle, including a keynote from Oscarwinning NFFTY alumna Rayka Zehtabchi. Producing partners of the 13th festival include Seed&Spark, NowThis, Sundance Institute, and Vimeo. Now 13 years strong, NFFTY has developed robust juries across eight competitions, with 31 jurors from film studios, festivals, and other positions of influence in the industry.

2022

NFFTY returned to an in-person festival for its 15th edition, welcoming over 4,000 attendees back to the cinema in Seattle for screenings, mixers, and panels. The 15th edition was more global than ever, showcasing the work from 39 different countries (along with 30 different states).

Specials Thanks

NFFTY is grateful to the following persons who have contributed this year, without whom we would not be able to produce our LA Pop-Up:

Xi Tian and Jonathan Shakes

Camilo Diaz Caro

John Alexander MacLeod

Robert Bojorquez

Monique Courcy

Lorrie Harrison

Gaelle Bara

Jennifer Barker

Pranay Patwardhan

Kate Becker

Helen Valkavitch

Karen Bennett

Sharon Friedland

Cheri Gaulke

Catherine McCord

Bonnie Trueman

Donna Brown

Ashraf Hasham

Caelin Homola

Chris Newell

Philip Alvy

Wistar Kay

Anita M. Cal Romain Vakilitabar

Ron Klein

Alex Beresniewicz

Susan Buster Thomas Anne Bobroff Boie

Dawson Taylor

Vicky Lee

Nanci Vaeth and Carl Kadie Dennis Sungmin Kim Ben Kadie

Amit Awaghade

Stefanie Malone Iona Brindle

Sydney Jarol

Tiffany Lin

Alex Emerson Mark & Jane Eisner

Steven Crespo

Emilio Torres

Bryan Roth

Jacob Alberts

Naomi West

Adam Hersko-RonaTas

Melissa Jurcan

Linda Bumgardner

Beth Barrett

Alfredo Jiminez

Kim Schwarzkopf

Sarah Read

Lesley Pfeifer

Brain Alter

Phillipa Gustafson

Alexander Carrigan

Leo Pfeifer

John Platt

Caroline Rensel

Ariel Glassman

Griffith Gustafson

Al Hillel & Sue Wiedenfeld

Erin Katz

Peter Barnes

Liv Faris

Frankie Rubio Karen Bystrom

Lori Seago

Dan Lesser

Alexander Johnston Maureen Gans

Maja Gans

Jocelyn R.C.

Arielle Friedman

Frank Clark

Rachel Noll James

Frank Harris

Mark Kilcollin

Additionally, we would like to thank the following funders and agencies who have given support to our 2022-23 Programming Seaon, including necessary relief funding due to the economic impacts of COVID-19:

Scan Design Foundation

City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

4Culture

Washington State Arts Commission

National Endowment for the Arts

SITY Foundation

Harley Soltes Charitable Fund

ArtsFund

James D. Scheinfeld Family Foundation

Film Index

Lastly, we are grateful to the contributions of the following individuals and organizations who are making this Pop-Up possible:

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3:45 PM 20

About a Bat 20

Afro Algorithms 20

Beneath The Grass 17

Black Metal 20

Brumatti “In Shape For Summer” 18

Bug Farm 22

Busan, 1999 16

Chappell Roan “California” 18

Chicks 19 Chico Virtual 17 Ciervo 20

Courtney Barnett “Write a List of Things to Look Forward To” 16

Dead Meat 20 did I look cuban then? 22 Equinox 18 Eureka 17

Girls & the Party 23

Grey 20

HALF 23

HOW TO RAISE A BLACK BOY 23

Hex & Rage 19

I Guess I’m in Love 18

Knife Hanging from a Tree 21

LONG LINE OF LADIES 22

Mawhialeo Ote Alowha (Our Love) 22

Mia Gladstone “Food” 18

Milk Teeth 19

NOVENA 23

No Crying at the Dinner Table 16

One Day You’ll Go Blind 22

Pathei Mathos 17

Plum Town 16

Poachers 19

Proto 19 Pure 23

SECRET MENU 16

Searching for the Wave 23

Silvering 21

Team Meryland 16

The Girl in the Woods 19

The Headhunters Daughter 16

The Heroes of Baseball 18

The Kitchlets 21

The Painted 19

The Peach Scarf 21

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Partners

I Like the Look of Today 18

INTI: The Sun Rising 17

In Passing 20

Interdimensional Pizza Pushers 21

Introducing iScreen Pro 21

Jany Green “Lost in Love” 18

Joychild 23

This is Why Girls Go to the Bathroom Together 21

We Are Like Waves 22

What We See in the Clouds 22

Winter Insect, Summer Flower 23

Winter of ‘79 17

Wolf in Dude’s Clothing 19

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