Alma Film Festival’s Bridge-Building Speaker Series connects First Frame Film Academy students in the Dominican Republic with Ian Elmore Moore of The King Center.

Across Borders, Toward a Beloved Community

Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic — Alma Film Festival will welcome Ian Elmore Moore, Director of the Beloved Community Leadership Academy at The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, for a virtual conversation with students of First Frame Film Academy in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic, on Friday, November 6, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Presented through Alma’s Bridge-Building Speaker Series, the gathering will connect young storytellers with a leader whose work centers on youth empowerment, nonviolence, and the enduring vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Beloved Community.

For Alma, the conversation is also a practical step toward a larger ambition: building bridges across countries, continents, and cultures by connecting the people within its growing international ecosystem.

Over the past three and a half years, Alma Film Festival’s executive team has developed relationships across 42 countries. The next chapter is about bringing those relationships into conversation with one another—creating opportunities for students, artists, educators, entrepreneurs, and institutions to exchange ideas, share resources, and discover what they can accomplish together.

A Conversation That Opens Possibilities

Moore will speak with students participating in First Frame Film Academy, a program of the Dandelion Institute, a division of Alma Film Festival. Launched in July in Las Terrenas, the academy planned for 15 students; 47 showed up. Their enthusiasm affirmed the appetite for opportunities to explore filmmaking, develop creative confidence, and tell stories rooted in their own experiences.

This gathering extends that work, giving students an opportunity to consider how their voices can foster understanding and connection beyond their immediate community.

“As Director of the Beloved Community Leadership Academy, I believe one of our greatest responsibilities is helping young people recognize the power of their own voice. I'm excited to connect with young people in the Dominican Republic through First Frame Film Academy and experience how storytelling can build bridges across cultures, communities, and generations.”

— Ian Elmore Moore

From Conversation to Collective Purpose

The encounter reflects Alma’s Pillars of Purpose, which recognizes conversation as a pathway to collective purpose. By making room for people to listen, exchange perspectives, and recognize shared aspirations, Alma seeks to create the conditions for meaningful collaboration.

For the festival’s leadership, connecting an international ecosystem begins with intentional encounters like this one. A conversation between students in Las Terrenas and an educator working to advance the Beloved Community can introduce new perspectives, deepen relationships, and open possibilities for future collaboration.

Each connection is part of the larger work: ensuring that Alma’s reach across 42 countries becomes an interconnected community in which knowledge, opportunity, and support can move in many directions.

About Ian Elmore Moore

Ian Elmore Moore is a youth development leader, educator, and social entrepreneur committed to advancing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the Beloved Community.

Through his work with The King Center’s Beloved Community Leadership Academy, Moore empowers young people to embrace nonviolence, develop leadership skills, and become agents of positive social change. He brings more than 13 years of experience in education, violence prevention, and community engagement, with a focus on equipping young people to lead meaningful change.

Moore is also the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Noble Truth Project, where he advances youth empowerment through education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship.

Event Details

Alma Film Festival presents: Bridge-Building Speaker Series
Guest speaker: Ian Elmore Moore
With: First Frame Film Academy students in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
Date: Friday, November 6, 2026
Time: 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time / 4:30 p.m. in the Dominican Republic
Format: Virtual · Google Meet Link

About Alma Film Festival

Alma Film Festival is an audience-focused, research-centered, tech-forward festival building bridges across countries, continents, and cultures. With relationships spanning 42 countries, Alma brings together filmmakers, artists, educators, entrepreneurs, and cultural stakeholders to build community and create opportunities across the Global South and beyond.

Through film, education, technology, and cultural exchange, Alma supports people reclaiming ownership of their stories, images, and heritage—a movement it calls the Renaissance of Reclamation

Alma’s work is guided by six Pillars of Purpose: Conversation, Connection, Community, Collaboration, Cultural Diplomacy, and Collective Growth.

These pillars reflect a shared conviction: conversation opens the door to connection; connection builds community; and through collaboration and cultural diplomacy, communities turn shared aspirations into collective purpose and collective growth.

In 2027, Alma’s programming will include:

• Alma Film Festival - March 12–27
• Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. July

• The Dandelion Institute - Workforce Readiness Initiative and First Frame Film Academy Summer Program
• Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic.

• Ent-Tech (Innovation and Discovery Expo) - October 13–17.
• Bringing entertainment, technology, and storytelling into conversation to spark discovery, collaboration, and new possibilities.

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