Applications for the AFF Documentary Pitch Program Are Open Through December 8

View this email in your browserDear AFF Friends, Applications for Athena Film Festival’s annual AFF Documentary Pitch Program are open – but not for long! Submit an application before Monday, December 8 to be considered for the program.  The AFF Documentary Pitch Program is an intensive, one-of-a-kind pitch training and storytelling strengthening opportunity that will take place during January and February 2026. Each filmmaking team will work with Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, teacher, and Co-Founder of Chicken & Egg Films, Judith Helfand, culminating in a pitch during the Festival held on March 6-8, 2026.  More details on submitting an application can be found here. Don’t miss out on the chance to learn from the best and tell stories that matter. We want to thank Secret Sauce Media, founded by Julie Parker Benello (‘92), for their sponsorship of this program. To learn more about the Athena Film Festival, please visit us at https://athenafilmfestival.com/ In other AFF news, participants in the Athena Film Festival Writers Lab – a workshop for emerging writers that provides storytellers with creative guidance, writing training, industry access, and a supportive network – are hard at work on their projects. Phase Two, the “Rewrite Period,” ends on December 1, after which a select group of writers will be invited back to participate in the feedback sessions, pitch workshop, and mock writers room involved in Phase Three.  Here are the talented writers participating in the 2025-2026 Lab: Lauren Loesberg: “The Dark Lady” Cephra Stuart: “Spirit Lines”Susannah Ward: “Risk”Fenton E. Queens: “Porridge” Grace Zhou: “Sunflower” Peyton Flake: “Cowgirl Fever”Tra Nguyen: “DRIFT”Esther Ouyang: “The Late Goodbye” Lisa Wills: “Lost Dogs Don’t Bark” Aliza Brugger: “Lullaby” Talena Sanders: “Milkmaid/Solider” Kathy Li: “Refuge” Mashael Alqahtani: “Sila” Tamika Lamison: “Superman Doesn’t Steal”Tamar Feinkind: “The Syndrome” Patricia Marte: “6 Block City” Hallie Stephenson: “Abel’s Baby: Precious Cargo”Sydney Blackburn: “The Attendant” Irina C. Rodriguez: “Committed” Megan Green: “Danni’s Hard Drive”Kai Valenta Dorsey: “Just Keep S*******”Mayanka Goel: “Lady Doctor” Mia Volta: “Malkie’s Galaxy”Emma Fiske-Dobell: “Shakespeare’s Sister”Kirsten Cornay: “St. Castro St.”Alice Charles: “SUAVE”Makisa Francis: “Unfluence”  Stay tuned for information about passes for the 2026 Athena Film Festival and mark your calendars for March 6, 2026 to March 8, 2026.Copyright © 2025 The Athena Center for Leadership, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: The Athena Center for Leadership3009 Broadway # 4Floor – Milstein CenterNew York, NY 10027-6909Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.