Annual convening brings sharp focus to regional filmmaking and spotlights changing role of public media.
Now in its 34 th year, the 2025 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (October 10 – 18, 2025) will host its 3 rd annual Filmmaker Forum connecting filmmakers and industry leaders on October 12 – 14 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the Filmmaker Forum was created to offer a vital resource for filmmakers in the region and has grown into a major convening of documentary filmmakers and industry leaders from the South/Mid-South and across the nation. A key element is the participation of public television stations.
This year, the Forum takes place after the elimination of federal funding for public media, which only amplifies the need for the forum, said Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute Executive Director Ken Jacobson. “With the loss of key sources of federal funding, filmmakers are in need of information about funding, distribution, and new ways of reaching audiences. In addition, this is a prime opportunity for those who are a part of or connected to the public media ecosystem to gather, strengthen connections, and explore where to go from here. We look forward to a deeply inquisitive and open environment for sharing perspectives and exploring ideas for the future.”
A new initiative at this year’s Forum is a partnership with Video Consortium, a local-first, global nonprofit that supports nonfiction video creators to inform and inspire audiences everywhere. The Forum will host Press Play Hot Springs, an important stop along the Press Play tour, which is one of VC’s newest initiatives and designed to turn innovative ideas into action, by and for local media across the country; Press Play Hot Springs will feature a variety of cross-sector conversations and solutions-focused panel discussions.
Video Consortium Founder and Executive Director Sky Dylan-Robbins says, “We’re so thrilled to partner with the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, which has so excellently and caringly nurtured creative talent across the South for decades. During this tenuous moment for both the media and the world, now is the time for innovation, for collaborative thought partnership, and for dreaming up new systems together — and we cannot wait to do that during Press Play Hot Springs, and throughout the festival, with the immense talent that will be attending.”
A partial list of media organizations confirmed to participate includes American Documentary/POV, American Public Television, Black Public Media, Center for Asian American Media, ESPN 30 for 30, Firelight Media, Indie Media Arts South, Kartemquin Films, Latino Public Broadcasting, PBS, Reel South, Southern Documentary Fund, Video Consortium, and Vision Maker Media, as well as numerous public television stations including Austin PBS, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Maryland Public Television, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Nashville PBS, South Carolina ETV and WXXI Public Media (Rochester).
The Filmmaker Forum will offer dynamic programming on the business, art, and craft of documentary storytelling and take a wider-lens approach to the nonfiction ecosystem. The gathering will include presentations, panels, breakout groups, and roundtable meetings, with a multitude of opportunities for filmmakers to engage with industry leaders and network with their colleagues in the creative nonfiction community.
Intended for filmmakers at all stages of their careers, the Forum is open to directors, producers, editors, and cinematographers who have a major credit on at least one completed film (short or feature). Registration is free for Arkansas-based filmmakers and filmmakers who have submitted their films to HSDFF, with a nominal fee for others. Information and registration for the Forum can be found HERE.