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The other night, I went to see Jeff Tweedy perform at Brooklyn Steel on his Twighlight Override tour. Yes, that’s dates me as an old white guy but stay with me here. As I watched the show – and yes, consumed an appropriate amount of alcohol for such an endeavor, so add that to the caveats here – all my problems melted away. Everything was fine. Yes, also, everyone in that room was privileged to be there and not running from ICE or some other terror, but we were all stuck in this same world and had come together after dark to live our lives in spite of everything going on. And I had a fleeting moment of knowing that this is as it has always been in dark times – the rest of us gather at night, and live our alternate lives, free from the madness going on in the daylight. But what matters also is that this is what endures. We look back at the darkest periods of humanity, and what endures is the cultural output of those days. We try to make sense of _ insert atrocious time here _ by what art was made, what people did culturally, what music was made, what theatre, what shows, what novels, what movies were watched. You get the point. And later, we watch shows like “Babylon Berlin” because they show what people did at night to survive during those crazy times. We come alive in the dark. And often-times nearly miss that we’re nearing twilight. I know, this can sound naïve or privileged, and to some extent it is, but I also know it crosses cultures and class, time periods and geographies. In fact, that’s why authoritarian cultures try so hard to crack down on underground and nighttime culture, as well as other cultural expression writ large..., because it shows how humanity can escape their grasp. Through cultural expression and participation. It’s not that the art even needs to be overtly political (everything is political, after all), but that it continues to give us a voice, or speak to us, through such times. I got back home and received an email from the band, post-show, with a link to Tweedy on the Colbert Report, filmed the day of the show. In the interview, Colbert asks about the name of his new album, and Tweedy explains: There is a sense of impending doom that I think a lot of people are feeling in this culture we are living in. […] I just feel like -- what I do to override that feeling […] I make music and I write songs and I sing and the sense of impending doom kind of goes away when I'm doing that. >> Colbert: in the writing and the performing? Everything. Everything that has anything to do with creating, making something. Then the twilight becomes -- is it morning? Could this be dawn? And that's kind of where you want to live. That horizon where the light and the dark meets is where beauty lives. That's all the colors that you want to be a part of, that you want to be associated with. That’s what artists keep doing, and how they help the rest of us thrive in such times. Because that’s also where audiences override the doom, participating by taking in the show, viewing that painting, watching that film. Realizing, we’re in the twilight, and it’s still beautiful here, and it’s where we catch a glimpse of the ur-reality, that the autocrats want you to think is an alternate reality. That’s the same sense I get when I write these newsletter missives, and hear back from readers each time. It’s the sense one gets in a darkened movie theater – and one I definitely got while taking in One Battle After Another in VistaVision the other week as well (I was late to that show, but don’t miss it). It is actually why we exist, and the only thing that matters. Funny, I knew that when I was still a kid in school. And as the old joke goes, so did those who went into being the jerks in politics. But sometimes, you need a night on the town to remind you of what truly matters. |
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| Film
Animation Director Reminds Us That They Do What AI Doesn’t — Working With Their Hands: An early congrats to Signe Baumane director of Rocks in My Pockets, and My Love Affair With Marriage for her new (in progress) animated feature film, “Karmic Knot”, about a tight-knit family that swaps their dreams for survival as the country around them collapses in chaos and violence. |
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A note from Baumane: As AI continues its quest for world domination, we at Signe Baumane Studio raise a small flag of resistance by working with our hands… handcrafting background sets, animating pencil-on-paper and even pencil-shading the animation, doing what AI will never be able to do: foster human creativity and problem-solving skills through the connection of our hands and fingers to our beautiful human brains.” You can learn more about and watch her work at this link. (GSH)
Redford Center Filmmaker Application: Arathi Govind (programmer for The Redford Center) shared an exciting opportunity with Sub-Genre, so filmmakers, please check out her note: “The Redford Center’s open call for the 2026 Nature Connection Pitch is ope for applications. As social culture moves increasingly online, society and technology have placed humankind on a path to becoming an indoor species. Today, most of us spend over 90% of our time indoors. This growing disconnection from nature negatively affects us in significant ways — from health problems exacerbated by nature deprivation to systemic inequities reinforced when communities lack access to the outdoors. Storytellers have a unique and important role to play in driving the culture change needed to increase our care and respect for the natural world and break down the systemic and individual barriers to outdoor access. To support the production and impact of outstanding short films on the theme of nature connection, The Redford Center and DC/DOX are co-presenting a pitch event at the 2026 DC/DOX Festival in Washington, D.C. Awarded film teams will receive up to $30,000 in funding, impact and professional development training, as well as travel, accommodation, and passes to attend DC/DOX Festival. Applications will be accepted from October 22 - December 3, 2025. Finalists will be notified by mid-March and will be invited to participate in the pitch event at DC/DOX from June 11-14, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Filmmakers must be based in the U.S. For more information on eligibility, the application process, and the timeline, please see our info page, or APPLY HERE.
NYC FYC Shorts-Screenings Alert: Switchboard, a digital magazine that launched in Jan 2025 is screening their latest slate of short films on November 7th at the Triad Theater in NYC’s Upper West Side and November 19 at Columbia University Lecture Hall. Both dates feature a screening, Q&A, and reception surrounding four of their Oscar-qualified shorts - three documentaries and one live-action film. You can RSVP here and watch the trailers here. (GSH)
DOC NYC PRO: I’ll be speaking on a panel during DOC NYC PRO, and they have a great line-up of programming. My panel is on Fri, Not 20th at 3:30p and is called: “CREATIVE AND BUSINESS REALITIES OF GETTING DOCUMENTARIES INTO THE WORLD” which is part of their Distribution Day, and you can see the full line-up here. (BN)
Life We Have NYC Premiere with Remaining Native, DCTV Firehouse + Run: We are partnering with some other great filmmakers to bring an exciting event to NYC on November 22 & 23. Sub-Genre is distributing Life We Have, a new short film from Sam Price-Waldman and produced by Wondercamp and presented by REI Co-Op Studios. The film follows Rob Shaver as he uses running to confront his multiple stage four cancer diagnoses. We’ve paired with the team at Remaining Native to bring two special screenings of the short, coupled with their film (which is doing a week long run) to DCTV Firehouse on Nov 22 at 2pm and another on Nov 23rd at 6p, both with a shared Q&A. We are also jointly hosting a community run with DeFine Run Club on Nov 22nd at 8am. And we have a reception for Life We Have on Nov 23rd at 4p nearby. As this newsletter is getting sent, we are still locking all of the details, but you can get tickets here (our short hasn’t been added to the website yet, but it is playing at those two screenings) and you can sign up for free for the run here. This is also an FYC screening, and any Academy members (only) can RSVP for free tickets to the Sat and Sunday joint screenings here. More details will be posted on our respective websites soon. (BN)
Calling Justice Impacted Filmmakers: Represent Justice is inviting filmmakers to apply for their 2026 Impact Campaign Open Call. Each year, they partner with filmmakers whose stories challenge the justice system and center the voices of those most impacted by incarceration. Activities include: a $20,000 grant to system-impacted filmmakers and film participants; media and speaking training for filmmakers and film participants; implementation of impact screenings, including all logistics; advocacy landscaping and analysis; digital storytelling on Represent Justice platforms; and more. See all eligibility requirements at their site, and note that the application deadline is November 16. (GSH)FYC |
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| Brand Funded Entertainment
Horror Movies, An Underutilized Marketing Vehicle: Ashley Cullins for The Ankler makes the case that brands may be missing an opportunity by not focusing their funding, placement, and integration in the 3rd-most popular genre in North America — Horror. Through her discussion with Blumhouse's Abhijay Prakash and other industry pros, Cullins notes that unlike blockbusters that cost hundreds of millions, horror’s smaller budgets make brand integration more impactful. Brand deals in horror are often “creative multipliers,” meaning they bring something new and different to the world the filmmaker has created (Blumhouse).” Horror movies also offer brands a doorway to younger audiences (horror appeals primarily to adults under 45, with the 18 - 40 bracket offering a good balance of disposable income and cultural engagement). What’s more, as BENlabs’ Erin Schmidt explains, “the horror genre’s ‘suspended reality’ helps brands embrace creative opportunities that might feel out of place in more traditional genres,” meaning, brands feel safer taking creative risks. Check out Ashley Cullin’s piece here (it’s paywalled, but you’ll get the gist from her summary). (GSH)
Who Is… Watson: It’s finally here! Catch the premiere of how AI went from abstract idea to prime time gameshow winner in ‘Who Is… Watson?’ This is the behind-the-scenes story of how IBM created one of our industry’s most ambitious projects, told by the B2B marketing leaders with the steel to make it happen. Hear from the marketing leaders involved, like former IBM CEO, Sam Palmisano and former Chief Brand Officer, Jon Iwata, and former Lead Researcher, David Ferrucci, while also learning from a monumental example of creating brand-building magic through culture.
Sub-Genre has been working on this with presenters (and client) Transmission Agency, and the team at Dial Tone Films, Bows & Arrows, and Story + Strategy. Directed by Celia Aniskovich, and produced by my good friends Ben Altarescu and Josh Chertoff (who I worked with before on The Outside Story). The film has been playing at some conferences and special events, and is now live online - check it out here. (BN)
Adam Scott Loves Volvos This is an exciting one. We're huge fans of Adam Scott (shout-out to Party Down) and Volvo (shout-out to my 25-year-old S70 that I'm still driving). The Family Car: An American Love Story is a four-episode docuseries funded by Volvo. It follows four artists, including Scott, as they share their family stories while traveling through different corners of the country. This is a really fun idea that's sure to appeal to those of us who love Volvo's brand of "intellectual sophistication" and Scott's deadpan charm. The series and a companion feature film(!) hit Prime Video on December 12. Read the full story here. (NH)
BrandStorytelling Shortlist - The good folks at BrandStorytelling have decided to copy the Academy and announce a shortlist before their finalists are announced later this month. Head over to their website to learn which brands and projects made the shortlist. We are proud that two clients - Indeed, with Mushroom Dad (created by Michael Lei), and Ford with Call to Serve (produced by ThinkLess Films), made the list. And congrats also to everyone who worked on the other short-listed projects. The finalists are announced Nov. 17th, and then the awards take place at their event coinciding with Sundance in January, 2026. (BN) |
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| Misc
Proposed AI Chatbot Ban For Teens: Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) recently introduced the GUARD Act which, if implemented, would ban everyone under 18 from accessing AI chatbots, require AI companies to verify ages by requiring users to upload their government ID or another “reasonable” method (such as face scans), and require their AI chatbots to disclose that they aren’t human at 30-minute intervals under the bill. In a statement for The Verge, Sen. Blumenthal says, “Big Tech has betrayed any claim that we should trust companies to do the right thing on their own when they consistently put profit first ahead of child safety.” Emma Roth for The Verge has the news. (GSH)
(GSH) = articles written by Gabriel Schillinger-Hyman; (NH) by Nate Hageman; (BN) Me |
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