Watersprite Film Festival – The World’s Largest Student Film Festival

Now in its 17th year, Watersprite has become the leading global platform for student filmmakers, with submissions from over 105 countries. Run largely by students, the festival is dedicated to breaking down barriers for the next generation of storytellers.

Key Details:

San Francisco Short Film Festival – Indie Shorts Week

Launched in 2006 and now merged with the 28-year-old SF IndieFest, SF Shorts dedicates a full week to showcasing the best short films from around the globe. Screenings take place at San Francisco’s historic 4 Star Theater. Audience choice determines the Best of Fest, with a $500 cash prize.

Key Details:

Frameline Completion Fund – LGBTQ+ Film Finishing Grants

Frameline’s Completion Fund supports both emerging and established filmmakers worldwide with projects representing LGBTQ+ life. Grants help cover post-production costs such as editing, sound, VFX, and music licensing. Since 1991, the fund has awarded nearly $700,000 to 197 projects, including acclaimed titles like Pariah and Disclosure.

Key Details:

Arts in Community Grants – South Arts

Supports deeper engagement between Southern communities and artists, including film directors, traditional artists, and performers. Grants fund projects where a Southern artist or company completes a three-day (or longer) community residency in another Southern state, with at least three public activities such as screenings, workshops, or Q&As.

Key Details:

Mixkit – Free Stock Video, Music & Templates

Mixkit offers over 45,000 stock video clips, 1,000 music tracks, 3,000 sound effects, and 850 video templates, all available for free download with no sign-up required. Content spans categories from cinematic slow motion to green screen, business, and lifestyle. Assets are safe to use in both commercial and personal projects under the Mixkit Free License.

Best For: Filmmakers, editors, and content creators who need ready-to-use, royalty-free assets.

GIMP – Free Open-Source Image Editor

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free, open-source alternative to Photoshop, available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It offers high-quality tools for photo retouching, digital painting, compositing, and graphic design.

Best For: Filmmakers, graphic designers, and students who need powerful, professional-grade image editing without subscription costs.

Art Director – YouTube Design Systems (Google)

Google’s YouTube team is hiring an Art Director to define and implement a new illustration style across the entire platform. This role combines creative leadership, brand strategy, and hands-on illustration/animation production, ensuring cohesive visual identity across YouTube products.

Key Details:

Assistant Editor, Home Team – The New York Times (US)

The New York Times is hiring an Assistant Editor for its Home Team, based in Los Angeles. The role involves managing home screens, writing and approving headlines, summaries, push notifications, and guiding story framing across platforms.

Key Details:

‘Together’ Moves to Digital After $23M Box Office – Decider

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s indie body horror Together hits digital platforms (Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango) on August 26 (Today), after grossing over $23M globally in theaters. Distributed by Neon, the film has been a standout success for an indie release, and is expected to arrive on Hulu later this year, highlighting the evolving theatrical-to-streaming pipeline.

Estimated read: 3 min

A24’s Big Studio Ambitions – The New Yorker

A24, long celebrated as an indie powerhouse behind films like Moonlight and The Witch, is now scaling up to compete with major studios. Valued at $3.5B, the company is expanding beyond auteur-driven projects into blockbusters, AI research labs, and merchandise ventures, while still championing bold independent voices.

Estimated read: 4 min