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A Renaissance of Reclamation - Film, Technology, and the Making of a Global Cinematic Agenda

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Film, Technology, and the Making of a Global Cinematic Agenda   Ent-Tech (Innovation & Discovery Expo) x Afro-Mosaic Cinema Summit Presented by the Alma Film Festival Each year, the Alma Film Festival extends its work across two distinct but interconnected cultural geographies: the Dominican Republic in March and Atlanta in the fall. Together, these gatherings form a year-round platform for cinema, scholarship, cultural diplomacy, and creative economy development. This fall, the festival comes to Atlanta with Ent-Tech (Innovation & Discovery Expo) x Afro-Mosaic Cinema Summit , a four-day convening designed to examine the future of storytelling at the intersection of history, technology, culture, and global systems change. Taking place Wednesday, September 30 through Saturday, October 3, the event positions Atlanta not merely as a host city, but as a strategic site for inquiry, exchange, and institutional imagination. The fall program opens on Wednesday, September 30...

Alma Film Festival Deepens Global South Platform with Nigerian Short Film Showcase Curated by Lesi Nwisagbo

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Atlanta, GA — Alma Film Festival is advancing its global cultural platform with a special curation of Nigerian short films by Lesi Nwisagbo , spotlighting one of the world’s most vital and influential storytelling markets. The showcase will feature short films from Nigerian filmmakers whose work reflects the country’s cultural depth, creative range, and narrative traditions. Home to more than 250 ethnic groups, Nigeria remains one of the most dynamic creative forces in global cinema. The curation will consider films exploring urban life, rural communities, folklore, identity, family, innovation, history, and contemporary Nigerian experience. Nwisagbo, who will lead the special curation, is an industry advocate with a deep understanding of the Nigerian film landscape and the cultural, regional, and creative forces that shape it. Her perspective brings valuable insight to a showcase designed to reflect the complexity, imagination, and lived realities of Nigerian storytellers. “Nigeria p...

The Alma Film Festival Launches Workforce Readiness Initiative Through the Dandelion Institute

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 New Hands-On Training Workshops Aim to Prepare Local Talent for Opportunities Within the Growing Film Industry Across the Samaná Peninsula Para leer esto en español, haga clic aquí. LAS TERRENAS, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC — The Alma Film Festival has officially announced the launch of its Workforce Readiness Initiative , a new professional training platform presented through the Dandelion Institute , the festival’s workforce development and educational division dedicated to expanding pathways into the film, television, and creative industries. Developed in response to the increasing production activity taking place throughout the Dominican Republic and the Samaná Peninsula, the initiative introduces a series of intensive workshops designed to help prepare emerging local talent for entry-level positions within professional film and television productions. The inaugural workshop series will take place in Las Terrenas this July and will focus on two foundational areas of production: P rodu...

Registration Now Open for the First Frame Film Academy — A Free Youth Filmmaking Program in Samaná

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Para leer esto en español, haga clic aquí. Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic — The Alma Film Festiva l is proud to announce that registration is now officially open for the First Frame Film Academy , a free immersive youth filmmaking initiative of the Dandelion Institute designed to introduce young creatives to the world of filmmaking, storytelling, and media production. The First Frame Film Academy is a one-week intensive program where students ages 10–18 will learn the complete filmmaking process — from story development and screenwriting to production, editing, marketing, and final film delivery. The program will take place daily from 12:30 PM to 5:00 PM and will be taught primarily in Spanish, with English curriculum support also available. The First Frame Film Academy will feature guidance from a dynamic network of local and international film professionals, including filmmaker Alfredo J. Williams, who will serve as one of the program’s instructors. Alongside hands-on in-person t...

SignifyTV and the Alma Film Festival Launch Global South Film Partnership, Expanding the Alma Experience

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“We as a people have always been on the cutting edge of culture, and in cinema it’s no different. SignifyTV is proud to be one of the platforms helping those stories reach the audiences they’ve always deserved.” — Alahna Lark, Executive Director, SignifyTV ----------------------------------------------------------------------- A new global partnership centered on the advancement of Global South storytelling is launching through a multi-month collaboration between SignifyTV and the Alma Film Festival . Rather than a traditional screening series, this initiative represents a curated, cross-platform collaboration designed to spotlight filmmakers and cinematic voices from across the Global South while building deeper pathways for cultural exchange, audience engagement, and creative ecosystem development. The partnership is part of the Alma Experience , the global engagement arm of the Alma Film Festival, through which elements of the festival are activated in collaboration with partners ...

The Alma Experience: C-Suite Women’s Salon

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The Alma Experience: C-Suite Women’s Salon An Invite-Only, Intentionally Curated Experience Some films don’t just tell stories—they open doors to deeper understanding. On May 30th, a carefully curated group of women will gather in Atlanta for an intimate salon anchored by a screening of Je Suis Noires (Becoming a Black Woman) , a powerful documentary emerging from Switzerland that explores the lived experience of Black women navigating identity, visibility, and belonging within European society. Recognized for its cultural impact, the film has received multiple honors, including the Best Documentary Award at the inaugural Alma Film Festival , where director Rachel M’Bon was also presented with the Dr. Cornel West Award for Global Truth & Cultural Conscience . Beyond the film itself, Rachel M’Bon has continued to expand this work through her leadership with Now We Are Rising (NWAR) and the Afropea Cultural Cente r—extending the conversation into broader platforms of advocacy, cul...

What We Saw in Samaná Changed Us—Here’s What We’re Doing About It...

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Pictured here: Some of the Alma Film Festival's Community of Stakeholders. (L-R) Anthony R. Page (Festival Director), Perla Janerky Armando Sanchez, Yalonda Lolar-Johnson, Noelle Wright, Mal, Viara, Star, Kurt Wright, Nina Villani, Katrin Kocsis, Alahna Lark, and Leonardo Armando.   A Festival Is Not Enough: Why We’re Investing in Samaná’s Creative Economy We are building a creative and workforce development pipeline in Samaná, Dominican Republic—designed to connect local talent to the global film and television economy. This work is rooted in something simple: presence. During our time in Las Terrenas and the greater Samaná region, we were welcomed with warmth, openness, and generosity—by students, educators, local leaders, and families. What we experienced was real, and it stayed with us. But so did what we observed. Samaná is a place with a rich and layered history—once a quiet fishing and farming community, now evolving into a destination with increasing global visibility. Wit...