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Solidarity House

We’re proud to be a founding member of , a collaborative space and activation presented by more than 50 purpose-driven media, narrative, and cultural organizations at Sundance. Solidarity House was designed to create an intentional and accessible home for imagining a future for independent media-making that supports building a better world.

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We offered short consultations on our audience research and ways to embed work, family, and care themes into stories during Liberation Labs, a working session that welcomed creatives into conversations with Solidarity House partner organizations, and presented alongside other coalition members at Solidarity House’s closing gathering.

Jasmine Heyward spoke about audience interest in authentic stories that explore complex identities and experiences on a panel called “What Comes After the ‘Breakthrough’? Maintaining Momentum During Backlash” organized by the and featuring representatives from , , , and the Undocumented Filmmaker’s Collective.

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We also organized the panel, “Centering Job Quality, Family, and Care Considerations as Sustaining Practices in Storytelling,” moderated by Vicki Shabo and featuring with works selected for this year’s festival, the feature film Take Me Home and the episodic pilot, Freelance, as well as representatives from and .

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Bans Off Our Stories and THE STORY CARE5

Our initiative sponsored , an evening of storytelling and celebration on global gender equity and civic engagement, hosted by and . Vicki spoke about the value of telling authentic stories about the work, family, and care realities faced by millions on a panel with the writer-director of the award-winning festival selection, , and representatives from Level Forward and the .

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We were also excited to launch THE STORY CARE5, a new initiative to promote authentic storytelling in film, television, and live theater with Level Forward. The initiative asks storytellers to consider characters’ circumstances in five key areas: work, family, care, identity, and possibilities.

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The Impact Lounge

is a curated space for exploring how entertainment media can create social change. Vicki moderated two panels:

“Story as Catalyst: Confronting Hard Topics and Mobilizing Allies Through Film” brought together the filmmakers behind the episodic documentary series and the documentary feature along with the social-impact agency to discuss film as a conduit for cultural and policy change.

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“From Plan A, B, to C: New Stories Around Reproductive Health” brought together leaders from Planned Parenthood, Population Media Center, and Level Forward, and a producer from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival selection to discuss how storytelling on-screen and in real life can shape access to essential reproductive care and work toward a more equitable future.

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ReFrame x ������Ƶ Dinner

We co-hosted a private dinner with Women in Film’s , bringing together filmmakers, media executives, and advocates for informal discussion on the current state of the entertainment industry and future opportunities. Supporting creatives with our audience research and issue-area expertise is central to our work, and we’re always excited to gather with aligned groups like ReFrame.

Looking Forward

Our initiative will be at South by Southwest and Tribeca Film Festival in the coming months, and we’d love to connect. to our newsletter for updates on our upcoming programming, and please reach out to us here if you’d like to connect.