24th Urban Mediamakers Film Festival (UMFF) 2025

UMFF is a hybrid, international film festival uplifting diverse voices in independent media. Now in its 24th year, it centers Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and youth creators through film, animation, VR, comics, podcasts, and scripts. This year’s edition includes the 9th AfroFuturism Fest, Urban PitchFest, and SpeedCollab Lab to connect creators and industry mentors.

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REGARD – Saguenay International Short Film Festival 2026

One of North America’s leading short film festivals, REGARD celebrates its 30th edition with five days of screenings, masterclasses, and awards in Saguenay, Québec. The festival includes an Oscar-qualifying Official Competition and unique sections like “Short & Queer,” “Indigenous Perspectives,” and a robust Youth Competition. Over $130,000 in prizes and services are awarded annually.

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Cinéfondation Résidence – Paris Screenwriting Lab

Hosted by the Festival de Cannes, the Résidence is a prestigious 4.5-month screenwriting program held twice a year in Paris. It selects six emerging filmmakers (three women, three men) developing their first or second fiction feature. Selected participants receive housing, creative mentorship, and access to the European film market.

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AFS Grant for Short Films 2025

Organized by the Austin Film Society, this Texas-focused grant offers up to $10,000 in cash support for short films in narrative, documentary, animation, or experimental formats. In-kind awards for camera rentals and post-production finishing are also available.

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FontSpace – Free Fonts for Creative Projects

FontSpace is a massive, free library of over 120,000 fonts for personal and commercial use. From bold cinematic titles to hand-drawn indie aesthetics, the platform offers a wide range of styles perfect for pitch decks, posters, screen graphics, and festival bumpers. All fonts include clear licensing details, and many are 100% free for commercial film use.

Best For: Filmmakers, editors, graphic designers, and producers creating pitch decks, title cards, or festival marketing.

Freesound – Free Sound Effects & Ambience Library

Freesound.org is a collaborative database of thousands of royalty-free sound effects, ambiences, foley, and field recordings—shared by a global community of sound designers and creators. It’s widely used in indie films, podcasts, and game audio. All files come with Creative Commons licenses, making it easy to filter for commercial-safe assets.

Best For: Filmmakers, editors, podcasters, and sound designers needing free, high-quality sound effects for their projects.

Studios Videographer & Editor – Amazon

Amazon’s Event Productions Studios team is hiring a Videographer & Editor to produce branded video content across in-studio, on-campus, and off-site environments. The role is split between on-set production and post workflows, with responsibilities ranging from camera operation and lighting to color grading, multi-track audio editing, and client collaboration.

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Production Coordinator – Netflix Animation

Netflix Animation Studios is hiring a Production Coordinator to support an exciting new animated feature film. Based in Vancouver, this role works directly with production managers and artists to keep the animation pipeline running smoothly. Ideal for organized creatives with experience in 3D animation scheduling and production tracking tools.

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Del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ Reveals First Look – via Gizmodo

Guillermo del Toro’s long-anticipated Frankenstein has unveiled its first set of official stills, featuring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as the monster, and Mia Goth as Elizabeth. Released by Netflix and first covered in Vanity Fair, the film’s stunning visuals showcase the director’s signature production design and gothic atmosphere. The movie is set to premiere in November 2025.

Estimated read: 2 min

The Naked Gun Reboot Gets Roaring Reactions – via The Independent

Liam Neeson’s reboot of The Naked Gun is being hailed as “a small miracle” by early audiences, with critics calling it one of the funniest comedies in years. Directed by Akiva Schaffer and produced by Seth MacFarlane, the film hits theaters August 1.

Estimated read: 3 min