The Alma Experience - Building Community Through Conversation, Connection & Collaboration
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| Ciara A. Shaw moved throughout the audience during her performance of an excerpt from Ain’t But a Few of Us Left, creating a rare, intimate immersion that pulled each guest into the emotional core of the work. |
The Alma Experience
Building Community Through Conversation, Connection & Collaboration
On November 9, our community of stakeholders in Atlanta gathered for an evening designed with intention—The Alma Experience—where art, culture, and thoughtful conversation converged in an atmosphere of elegance and purpose.
To capture the spirit of the night, we partnered with SWSH, whose latest AI-driven photo technology created a dynamic, living album—one that moves beyond documentation to memory, allowing moments to be revisited, felt, and shared. As a key collaborator of the Alma Film Festival, SWSH helps us reimagine how discerning audiences engage with storytelling in meaningful, modern ways.
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| Alongside her director, Maya Lawrence, Ciara engaged the audience in a post-performance dialogue that extended well beyond the allotted time, as guests—deeply moved by Ain’t But a Few of Us Left—shared personal reflections and recognized powerful parallels within their own lives and communities. |
Featured Moments
The evening opened with a powerful excerpt from Ain’t But A Few of Us Left, performed by acclaimed artist Ciara A. Shaw. A Penn-trained actress with an MFA in Acting, Shaw’s work lives at the intersection of story, performance, and healing—a layered meditation on grief, sisterhood, and time, told through the inner life of a young Black woman navigating loss while holding onto hope. Presented in partnership with the G.L.O.W. Syndicate, this moving work will be featured at the Alma Film Festival.
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| This is a screenshot from the film. |
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| Through the platform of the Alma Film Festival, we are intentional about strengthening the cultural institutions that anchor and sustain our communities. This gathering was hosted at the APEX Museum in that spirit. The evening welcomed a capacity crowd that remained attentive and engaged throughout the entire experience. |
Our Global Council of Culture
We are deeply grateful to the thought leaders, creatives, and partners who joined us with intention, discernment, and belief in what we are building:
- Dr. Latangela Crossfield, Executive Producer
- Demetric Hillman, Founder – The G.L.O.W. Syndicate
- Bernette Sherman, The Money Mojo Mentor
- Andre Neal - Actor / Ambassador
- Alahna Lark-Outlaw, CEO – Lark Media & Executive Director, Signify TV
- Dan Moore, Jr., President – APEX Museum (and his team, including BI'Anca Williams-Moller)
- Shate L. Hayes, CEO – The Purpose Post
- Niah Humphrey, Producer at CNN International – Dandelion Institute Documentary Project Producer
- Matthew Lolar, Actor / Brand Ambassador
- Angel L. Henderson, Actress / Producer (Part of the Actique - Global Performance Circle)
- Cheryl Evette Booker, Actress / Producer (Part of the Actique - Global Performance Circle)
- Catina Bryant, CEO – Dai Moda
- Dwight McQueen, CEO – ATL Tours
- Shamica Davis, CEO – JTS Vacations
- Yalonda Lolar, CEO – Brand Vision One
- Studio Blue Acting Conservatory
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| Andre Neal—actor, writer, and director—served as host of the evening, heightening the experience with laughter and a conversational style that brought warmth and flow to the room. |
With Thanks to Our Extended Community of Stakeholders in Atlanta
- Terri Stephenson - Publisher - Impact Atlanta International Magazine
- Sydney Taylor - Director/Producer - Shades of Cinema
- JoAnn Starks - Creative Consulting & Partnerships
- Leland & Phaedra Benford - Owners of Cupcake Rapture Studios
- Glenn Callwood - Producer and Industry Advocate
- Alicia Godmasch-Elliot - Producer and CEO - Adelheide Pictures LLC
- Dr. Sam Livingston - Chair of the Africana Studies Department at Morehouse College
- Brian Owens & Brandon Rochon - Co-Founders of The Fluent Group
- Heidi B. Fuller - Cultural Consultant and Experiences
- Mark Lannaman - Media and Journalism
- Bob McNeil - Marketing, Media & Partnerships Consulting
SAVE-THE-DATE
Alma Film Festival | March 17 – 22, 2026 (Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic)
As a next-gen, research-centered film festival, we are audience-focused, aggressively tech-forward, and have an extraordinary commitment to presenting a collection of truly compelling works from some of the most interesting and visionary filmmakers across the globe.
Our lens is deeply attuned to the cultural explosion emerging throughout the Global South, including countries such as Fiji, Honduras, South Africa, Lesotho, the Solomon Islands, and Jamaica, coupled with future-focused, disruptive filmworks from across the Global North.
We have built a community of stakeholders in 50 cities across 34 countries—each helping us refine, expand, and elevate the Alma cultural experience.
Our Six Pillars of Purpose
Conversation | Connection | Community | Collaboration | Cultural Diplomacy | Collective Growth
“In everything we do, we aim to spark conversations that cultivate meaningful connections and strengthen our sense of community. From this shared foundation, we hope to inspire greater collaboration, leading to cultural diplomacy and collective growth.” ~ Anthony R. Page
Our Six Pillars of Purpose
Conversation | Connection | Community | Collaboration | Cultural Diplomacy | Collective Growth
“In everything we do, we aim to spark conversations that cultivate meaningful connections and strengthen our sense of community. From this shared foundation, we hope to inspire greater collaboration, leading to cultural diplomacy and collective growth.” ~ Anthony R. Page
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A Complete Look at Anthony's Background
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Advocacy Pages
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Blue Bistro Creative - Company Pages
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Social Media Handles
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The ALMA EXPERIENCE is epic! This conversation of the various intellects in film, theater, media, technology, arts, and fashion continue to manifest into a global movement that has not yet been done. I am honored to be a part of this journey and to support this movement.
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