Amazing Connections
Picture: Designer Jamie Adler, NASA/JPL Engineer Nagin Cox, Broadway Star Ava Della Pietra, Broadway Producer Pam Hurst Della Pietra, 2 X Emmy Winner Doug Leighton, Attorney Travis Gemoets, Media Futurist Susan Johnston, Emmy Nominee & CEO SoundMindMusic David Leon, 10 X Telly Winner Randy Bellous and International Jazz Artist Irina Maleeva. Credit Jomel Fragante.
History
In 2009 New Media Film Festival® was announced in Second Life at Los Angeles Studios as an annual story and technology event, honoring stories worth telling.
The festival’s commitment to nurturing talent and giving back to the community underscores its role as a catalyst for creative innovation in the digital age.
Photo – New Media Film Festival Crew — A talented mix of filmmakers, producers, and performers from across the media arts.
L-R Madison Barton, Patrick Jackson, Holly Beavon, Alisha Merchant, Frieda de Lackner, Lauren Holiday, Front – Nika Hitrova and Bryant Rolle.
“In the world of festivals, it is refreshing that there are no politics or pay to play at New Media Film Festival® and it is run by a team of caring and passionate people that put the creators first and respects the content, not the profits.”
– Angelwood Films
New Media Film Festival®
Honoring Stories Worth Telling Since 2009
Los Angeles, CA — Where Story Meets Technology — and the Future Unfolds. Founded in 2009, New Media Film Festival® is the first festival in the world created specifically to honor, define, and advance the category of new media. Long before the industry recognized the importance of emerging formats, the festival established the standards, language, and platform that shaped how new media is understood today.
For nearly two decades, New Media Film Festival® has been the originator, not the follower — the festival that identified the category, championed it, and built a global community around it. As new technologies emerged — AI‑assisted filmmaking, VR/AR, Web3, digital humans, vertical storytelling, immersive audio, and more — the festival was already there, creating space for innovators long before these formats entered mainstream conversation.
Today, New Media Film Festival® remains the definitive authority on new media worldwide. Its programming, curation, and thought leadership continue to influence creators, technologists, and studios shaping the future of storytelling.
More than 400 industry leaders have participated in the festival’s panels, premieres, and programs, including Nobel Laureates, Academy Award winners, pioneering technologists, and executives from the world’s most forward‑thinking companies. Their involvement reflects the festival’s long‑standing role as a trusted hub for innovation, creativity, and ethical leadership in emerging media.
No politics. No pay‑to‑play. Just creators first. Join us — and be part of what’s next. Shape culture. Rewrite the rules. Define the future.
“Very well run festival. Beautifully international in scope. Thank you for spotlighting all kinds of emerging media!” – Emmy Winner Dustin Morrow
Sounding Committee
Susan Johnston
Media Futurist – Innovator, believer in story, lover of life. Creates & implements things that help content & creators. Founder/Director New Media FIlm Festival®
Knighted for work in humanity & arts.
profile
David Leon
David is an Emmy-nominated, multiple award-winning composer and music supervisor at ABC Television. Prior to The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Marvel, WB, Fox, Disney & more.
Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings
Greg Palast
Erin Gray
Not only is Erin (Silver Spoons, Buck Rogers & the 25th Century), kind, funny, smart, talented & beautiful, as CEO Heroes for Hire she connects celebs & producers with events such as ComicCon.
Nagin Cox
Systems engineer & manager on multiple interplanetary robotic missions including NASA/JPL’s Galileo mission to Jupiter, the Mars Exploration Rover Missions & the Kepler telescope mission to search for Earth-like planets around other stars.
Randy Bellous
Bonnie Schneider
Simon & Schuster author of Taking the Heat: How Climate Change is Affecting Your Mind, Body & Spirit, and What You Can Do About It.
Newton Lee
President of the award-winning, nonprofit Institute for Education, Research, and Scholarships.
Peter Miller
“Thanks so much for everything! I learned so much from this program, and I definitely will be carrying these skills with me for my future endeavors. I enjoyed every project I was given, they really helped me expand my horizons.”
— Teju Kashyap, Student Intern
Trailblazing Since Day One
Pioneering the Future of Storytelling Since 2009
Innovation isn’t a trend at New Media Film Festival® — it’s our DNA.
Since 2009, we’ve led the industry by championing breakthrough technologies and storytelling formats long before they hit the mainstream.
1st Ever to Program
AI‑Generated Film • Touch Rotation Stories • Holographic Digital Comics • Immersive Distribution • Micro‑Content • AI Platform‑Built Romcom • AR International Art Exhibit • Collaborative V‑Screening
Tech Meets Talent
First Festival in Story & Technology • EMMYS® Consulting & Broadcasting • Live VR Pitch Funding • Feature Film from a 30‑Second Pitch
Ahead of the Curve
Bitcoin Payment Integration • NFT Categories • And more — from AI to XR, we continue to lead.
Awards We’ve Won
Media Innovator Awards • LUX Global Excellence Awards • Best Celebration of Emergent Media Content (USA) • Best Annual Media & Technology Event (California) • Best Celebration of Emerging Cinematic Talent (USA)
New Media Film Festival® — where the future of storytelling unfolds.
Let’s connect
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Venue:
Los Angeles studio zone, California USA