December 2025

Hi

I'm writing this from my Brooklyn studio, looking back at what we built together in 2025, and I'm still processing it.

Looking back it turned out to be one of the wildest years for MiFILM. Five years ago, we started as a group of friends making films together without bias, and despite setback or hurdles. We hated the “starving artist” trope, so we built opportunities for our community to eat.

Now? We're 150+ filmmakers across NYC, Atlanta, LA—and next year, Berlin and Rome.

This year proved we were right to build this.

What We Built in 2025

We Took "Visions of The Future" to Los Angeles

In November, we screened our film showcase, Make News, Make Noise — a curated slate of thematic shorts with impact focus — at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles, one of the most respected independent film venues in the country. Filmmakers from NYC, Atlanta, and LA came together. We filled seats. We celebrated stories about futures where we're not just surviving, but thriving.

But beyond the big moments, 2025 was about showing up in person. After launching during a pandemic, we finally got to build community face-to-face—hosting events with The Double Down in NYC, Colour Co in Atlanta, partnering with The Gotham Film and Media Institute, KINEMA, Ten To One Rum—all organizations that believe in what we're building.

We also kept pushing our Branded Lab experiment—in 2021 - 2023 connected two cohorts of filmmakers like Okema T. Moore, Ricardo Betancourt, Abe Felix, Luis G. Santos, Cidney Hue, and more with agencies and production companies to get diverse talent into commercial and brand work. We're working hard to bring that program back because those first two cohorts proved something: when you remove barriers, our community shows up and delivers.

What 2025 Taught Me

Building community is expensive.

Not just financially (though yes, that too). It costs time, energy, emotional labor, and the constant pressure of knowing people are counting on you.

But then I’d get an email.

A member booked their first commercial gig. A filmmaker thanked us for introducing them to a producer who changed their career. A director built a robot for Comic-Con to market his short film.

That's when I remember why we do this.

We don't have all the answers—we're running experiments, seeing what sticks, iterating. What started as making dope shit with friends has evolved into a clearer, more mature mission: economic justice for the creators building culture from the ground up.

What’s Next in 2026

Next year, we're expanding to Europe—because our community is growing and the need for community, resources, and economic infrastructure for marginalized creators isn't just a NYC problem.

We're also launching a Paid Membership Model—not because we want to gatekeep, but because we need sustainable infrastructure to keep building. Free community is beautiful, but it doesn't pay for workshops, equipment grants, or the partnerships that get our members hired.

How You Can Support This Work

If MiFILM has impacted your career, opened doors, or just inspired you to make a difference—here are three ways to keep this going:

1. Fund filmmaker showcase grants - Even $50 helps → [Support here]

2. Share this letter - Forward to one person building creative ecosystems

3. Collaborate with our talent - Reply if you have paid opportunities

I'm not building MiFILM alone. You are. Every filmmaker who shows up, every story told from home, every community organization we spotlight—that's a ripple in a tide.

Let's keep building.

Brittany Franklin
Founder & President, MiFILM

What’s Next

• February 2026: MiFilm at Berlinale

• Q1 2026: Make News, Make Noise Season 3 City Announcement

• Ongoing: New Talent Community Enrollment

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