Tuesday, August 19, 2025. The Genesis House, Manhattan, New York. — The Gotham Film & Media Institute, popularly known as ‘The Gotham’, based in New York, hosted an Independent Film Maker Mixer at The Genesis House in Manhattan. If you’re new to Gotham Film and Media Institute, the organization, formerly known as Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), was formed as a nonprofit, membership-based organization in 1979 as an effort to champion and support independent filmmakers. With over 5,000 members across the U.S., The Gotham serves as a major hub that backs indie film creators.
Independent film and media creators align with The Gotham because its mission celebrates and nurtures their emerging talent,” providing them with industry connections, career-building programs, and broader visibility for underrepresented voices; and the organization plays an instrumental role in supporting the production of their films. ‘The Gotham’ is a striking component in the fabric of the indie film industry supporting the production of thousands of films and empowering tens of thousands of filmmakers.
On Tuesday, myself and a guest flaunted our way into The Genesis House, and made our way to the restaurant level, where The Gotham hosted its cocktail party to celebrate the kickoff to the Gotham Week Project Market line up. Project Market is the longest-running event of its kind in the United States, a meetings-driven forum connecting new fiction and documentary projects in development with industry executives. Taking place at 26 Bridge in DUMBO, Brooklyn, the invitation-only market will host 800 filmmakers and industry professionals over five intensive days of project meetings and networking. The Series Creators to Watch Pitch Event (September 29), will highlight rising voices shaping the future of television and pushing boundaries of serialized fiction storytelling. During the invitation-only event at Soho Works, creators will pitch projects to industry leaders and potential collaborators. The U.S. Shorts to Features projects (October 1) will have a dedicated screening at Nitehawk Prospect Park, showcasing proof-of-concept short films ready for feature-length development.
Gotham Week Expo, builds on three years of success, bringing together partners from The Gotham’s Expanding Communities initiative to provide community and thought leadership on topics pertinent to film and media creators as well as resources for nonprofit media organizations. Additionally The Expo will also include a showcase of nonprofit partners, colleges and universities as well as film offices. More information forthcoming in a future press release.
Gotham Week Honors, the second year of the official lead-in to The Gotham Awards and the centerpiece of Gotham Week’s forty-sixth edition. Taking place Tuesday, September 30 at 26 Bridge in DUMBO following the close of the Project Market, this invitation-only event honors breakout narrative feature, documentary, and short film creators while bestowing honors upon iconic industry leaders and filmmakers.
In attendance at the cocktail party were creators, producers and industry leaders, adorned in festive attire, mingling and dining on light refreshments and cocktails; sharing their upcoming or recently released film projects. Many shared tidbits of wisdom as light as ‘attracting viewmanship of your film by adding a dog or a child’ to attract interests from viewers; to others who found their cinematic voice in sharing stories of transgender men, women and minors who’ve suffered social and public abuse due to their option to transition.
The Gotham Film & Media Institute and its awards prides itself in embodying a commitment to independent, distinctive storytelling. Unlike mainstream awards ceremonies, the Gothams provides a platform to celebrate bravery and originality in film, beyond the commercial constraints of larger studios; early recognition and exposure for emerging filmmakers; opportunities for career development through programs like Gotham Week, Gotham EDU, Owning It, and Expanding Communities.
The Gotham Project Market Highlights of 2025 include: The U.S. Features in Development section includes new work from producer Andrew Ahn (The Wedding Banquet) presenting A World of My Own, Didi’s producers Valerie Bush presenting The Last Supper with Carlos Lopez Estrada (Raya and the Last Dragon) and Josh Peters presenting Someday, producers Gina Gammell (War Pony) and Sacha Ben Harroche (Sound of Metal) presenting The Dispute, producer Gerry Kim (I’m No Longer Here) presenting The Camford Experiment, and producer Jane Zheng (The Farewell) presenting Naked in Glendale. It also features Homestalker by director Olivia Jampol and executive produced by Mike Blizzard (Hit Man), and Little Phnom Penh by director Chheangkea, executive produced by Ian Bricke.
The Gotham is also highlighting U.S. Shorts to Features projects for the second year, with a dedicated section of feature-length films based on shorts and proof of concepts of a variety of genres. It includes works in development from actress Margaret Cho producing Seoul Switch, Emily McCann Lesser (How to Shoot a Ghost) presenting If I Die in America, Tory Lenosky (Resurrection) presenting V is for Victoria, and Alexander Stegmaier (Mutt) presenting Work. It also features The Third Kind by director Àlex Lora based on the 2024 Sundance winner The Masterpiece
This year’s Documentaries section includes Strip, Strike, Unite! from producer Sean Baker (Anora). It also includes The Social Dilemma’s Jeff Orlowski-Yang, Larissa Rhodes and Stacey Piculell presenting #WhileBlack, and producer Julie Parker Benello (American Factory) presenting Queen’s Castle from director Katie Dellamaggiore (Brooklyn Castle) as well as Meant to be Maddie. It also features Kinfolk, executive produced by actors Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, and two nonfiction projects presented in partnership with the Gotham’s Global Producers Hub: Age of Loneliness produced by Leslie Norville (The First Wave) and a new nonfiction work from directors-producers Elegance Bratton and Chester Algernal Gordon (The Inspection).
The Gotham’s Global Producers Hub, made possible thanks to The Gotham’s International partnerships and activations, features new projects from U.S. producers Joe Pirro (The Wedding Banquet), Sally Oh (Blue Sun Palace), Ani Schroeter (Bunnylovr), and Daniel Tantalean (In the Summers). International work at different stages of development, production and distribution include Dirty by director Devon Graye and producer Jordan Gavaris, The Other by Alexandre Franchi, and TIFF selection 100 Sunset by Kunsang Kyirong, as well as award-winning projects such as Cold Ashes Can Cause Forest Fires by director Ashmita Guha Neogi, Corte Culebra by director Ana Elena Tejera and Inbetween Worlds by director Diana Cam Van Nguyen presented for the first time in the domestic market. Finally, The Gotham/VIPO Film Frontier Fellowship selects Minami Iizuka to present her debut feature project to potential producers and creative partners.
