The New Orleans Film Society announced the program for South Summit 2021, which will take place virtually on March 3 – 4, 2021.

Local, regional, and national media makers, arts funders, and institutional stakeholders will convene with the intent of seeding conversations and actions around creating, resourcing, and amplifying film and media content that shapes how the U.S. sees the South, and how the South sees itself. Participation is free and open to the public. South Summit 2021 is made possible with generous support from JustFilms at Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The 2021 South Summit will be the third iteration, following 2018’s focus on envisioning what it means for southern filmmaking to thrive, and 2019’s focus on contextualizing and curating film at the intersection of social justice and southern identity for the cinema, gallery and museum space. This year’s event extends the conversation to feature sessions examining how we share power, build mutually beneficial relationships in our region, and mobilize and develop creative leadership and dynamic storytelling within broader power dynamics in film and media that tend to center power on the East and West Coasts, and with those who benefit from socioeconomic power.

Executive Director Fallon Young of the New Orleans Film Society said “South Summit 2021 passes the mic to artists and thought-leaders who root their creative journeys in the American South to envision the future of southern storytelling. We hope South Summit provides a space for deep questioning, bold visioning, and robust dialog that challenges oversimplified narratives about the character and potential of our region, connects artists, and envisions a thriving ecosystem for southern storytelling.”

The New Orleans Film Society discovers, cultivates, and amplifies diverse voices of filmmakers who tell the stories of our time. Founded in 1989, the New Orleans Film Society produces the Oscar-qualifying New Orleans Film Festival annually and invests year-round in building a vibrant film culture in the South to share transformative cinematic experiences with audiences, and connect dynamic filmmakers to career-advancing resources. Year-round programming includes free and low-cost screenings for members and the broader community of cinephiles in New Orleans, a 20-year running French Film Festival featuring contemporary and classic French cinema, and filmmaker professional development programs created to nurture diverse voices in filmmaking in the American South.

To see the South Summit 2021 schedule, click here. Participation is free and open to the public. Click here to learn more and register.