About

Expanding Communities, a program of The Gotham Film and Media Institute, is dedicated to providing resources, a community space, and industry access to individuals with Disabilities and Black, Indigenous, PoC, and LGBTQIA+ creators across film, TV, and audio industries.

Through partnerships with organizations aligned with uplifting historically excluded voices, the program acts as a platform for both creators and organizations to reach new audiences, develop networks of potential collaborators, and access career advancement resources and opportunities within the media and entertainment industry.

Partner organizations include Black Film Space, Black Star Projects, Black TV & Film Collective, CAAM, Film Fatales, Film Festival Alliance, Film Independent, Islamic Scholarship Fund, mama.film, Minorities in Film, NewFest, New Orleans Film Society, Philadelphia Latino Film Festival, Q26, Real Abilities Film Festival, Transgender Film Center, Undocumented Filmmakers Collective, Women in Film, Women Make Movies, among others. 

Expanding Communities Expo

At Gotham Week 2023, The Gotham hosted the inaugural Gotham Week Expo, which brought together partners from our Expanding Communities, Owning It, and Gotham EDU programs for the first time. The Expo showcased thought leadership on the advancement of the film and media industries while amplifying partner organizations and communities.

The Expo included both the Sessions, a collaboration between The Gotham and our Expanding Communities Partners where conversations around identity and career sustainability took place, as well as the Showcase, which was a physical space for our partners within The Gotham’s Expanding Communities, Owning It, and Gotham EDU programs to showcase their community, members, and offerings. 

Keep an eye out for information regarding the 2023 Gotham Week Expo.

Expanding Communities Summit

On the one-year anniversary of Expanding Communities, which launched in 2020, The Gotham hosted the inaugural Expanding Communities Summit during Gotham Week. The summit brought together organizations and creators around actionable solutions to address inequities in the media and entertainment industry. Topics discussed included the process and participation in various filmmaker labs, funding and granting opportunities for historically excluded creators, as well as the festival and distribution landscape.

Following the Expanding Communities Summit, working groups, which include filmmakers and industry professionals with various roles, were developed. The working groups met monthly with the goal of creating a dedicated white paper that highlights collaborative solutions in support of creators from these communities and the film and media ecosystem as a whole.

Expanding Communities Partners