SARA MOZERSKY: "COMMUNICATION IS KEY: SEIZE THE MOMENT, BUILD THE INDUSTRY YOU WANT VIA COLLABORATION”

MARKET MONDAY #8

TRANSCRIPT:

I’m here to talk to you about something Courtney mentioned earlier: the idea of collaboration over competition. Of course, Donny just pointed out that we all compete anyway, which is true. There’s always nuance to everything.

A lot of people will tell you that the film industry is dying. “It’s dead. It’s changing. It’s collapsing.” I’m sure we’re going to have those conversations today and throughout the festival. There’s this idea that we’re in a death spiral and everything is doomed, and we’re all screwed. Very uplifting.

And it’s true to a degree. We’ve all seen the massive shifts and changes happening. That’s undeniable.

But the great thing about everyone in this room is that you see the opportunity in that change. I think we all understand that the industry desperately needs to change in a lot of ways. And the cool thing about NonDe is that its whole purpose is exactly what Ted was talking about earlier: change. That’s what we’re here for.

Part of that change is breaking down barriers, expanding access, and rethinking the way we do things. As Ted and Courtney both said, why are we doing things the way we’re doing them? There’s no reason we have to. Somebody told us, “This is how things are done,” and we accepted it. You’re either in or you’re out, and if you’re out, you’re out forever.

That’s dumb.

So we’re here to do something different.

But what does that actually mean in practice?

The great thing about right now is that this is such a unique moment in history. We have an opportunity to create real change in a way that’s never been possible before.

In the past, there was always one center of filmmaking. If it was New York, you had to be in New York. If it was Los Angeles, you had to be in Los Angeles. If it was London, you had to be in London. You had to be in that central location and have access to the people who could give you permission to do something you probably could have done yourself.

And communication was different. People were siloed. If I wanted to make a movie in Kentucky, that was a very different experience from having access to the people in Los Angeles.

That’s not true anymore.

Now you can go online. You can find information yourself. You can create your own community. You can be in contact with people in London, Los Angeles, New York, Cape Town, and everywhere else simultaneously.

You can collaborate and use your ideas to build something.

Instead of competing by hoarding knowledge and resources, you can create systems that lift everyone up at the same time—and benefit from those systems yourself.

What we’re really doing is creating infrastructure that benefits everyone. That’s a lofty thing to say, though. So let me give you an example.

John Stahl is here, and you’ll hear from him later. A lot of this organization is happening through Film Stack, which is the film community on Substack. It’s a hybrid social and networking platform. I can explain it later if anyone’s interested, but a lot of this organizing is happening there. Pretty much everyone up here is on Film Stack. You can find us there.

John started the Los Angeles meetups. One day he decided he wanted to meet people in real life instead of only interacting with them online. So he started a meetup in LA. That led to meetups in Portland, New York, and London. Each group did things in its own way, which is very NonDe. Everyone did whatever worked for them. In New York, the hosts rotate every month. In LA, John hosted every month. Portland is run by Sasha Santiago. And London decided they didn’t want to be left out just because they’re across the pond. They’ve already had three meetings.

Out of those three meetings, they decided they wanted their own microcinema—a way to screen their own films without asking anyone for permission. Anyone who wanted to participate could participate. Because of those connections made through Film Stack, there’s going to be a microcinema in London very soon. People will be able to screen their work and share it with audiences.

How did they do it?

By reaching out to people online. By making connections. By talking to other people. You don’t have to be in the same room anymore to make things happen. In some ways, it’s actually better when you’re not. You can do things on your own timetable, in your own way, at your own speed. You don’t have to ask anyone for permission anymore. The only permission you need is your own. Whatever you want to do, do it.

Find out what you’re good at. I’m good at cheerleading and connecting people. I can help you find other people who are working on things you’re interested in. That’s my strength. Whatever your strength is, bring that to the table. Say, “This is what I can do. This is how I can help. What do you need?” Think about how you can contribute something that helps other people accomplish their goals.

I don’t know anything about sound—sorry, sound folks—but I know exactly who to point you to on Film Stack. And if you message them, there’s a good chance they’ll respond.

I’m almost out of time, so I’ll leave you with this.

Something amazing is happening right now because Film Stack is wide open. There’s no reason I should be up here speaking. Absolutely none. But Ted sent me a DM and asked me to do it. That’s how open it is. It’s not going to stay that way forever. Just like indie film was wide open in the 1990s, NonDe is wide open right now. If there’s someone you want to reach out to, chances are they’ll respond. But you have to take that first step. You can’t be scared. You can’t stay stuck in old ways of thinking. You have to be open to working with other people.

You can’t just show up and say, “I’m here now.” But if you show up and say, “This is how I work. This is what works for me. How do things work for you?” most people will respond. So figure out what you bring to the table. Then figure out who you need to connect with to fill in the gaps. Collaborate. Work together. Build something new.

Submit to the Slamdance Screenplay Competition HERE

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Slamdance celebrated its 32nd Film Festival February 19–25, 2026, in Los Angeles - its second year in the city - as well as online via the Slamdance Channel.

Notable Slamdance alumni include Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Lynn Shelton (Little Fires Everywhere), Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard), the Safdie Brothers (Uncut Gems), Marina Zenovich (LANCE), Lena Dunham (Girls), Sean Baker (Anora), Rian Johnson (Knives Out), Bong Joon Ho (Parasite), Merawi Gerima (Residue), Andrew Patterson (The Vast of Night), Natasha Ofili (Creed III), and Julio Palacio (Makayla’s Voice: A Letter To The World).

Slamdance’s mission is to serve as an agent of change in filmmaking and digital media, making the creative work of artists with divergent voices accessible to everyone.

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