The Gotham Film & Media Institute Unveils Programming for Gotham Week Expo

The Gotham Film and Media Institute has revealed the programming for the 2025 Gotham Week Expo, taking place during Gotham Week Monday, September 29th – Friday, October 3rd in Brooklyn and Manhattan with a return to DUMBO, Brooklyn.

The fourth-annual Expo, featuring enhanced design-thinking sessions, will bring together partners from The Gotham’s Expanding Communities initiative to provide community and thought leadership on topics pertinent to film and media creators, as well as resources for nonprofit media organizations. 

Day One of the Expo will aim to give filmmakers an up-to-date view on the present landscape and provide practical ways to thrive in a rapidly changing film and media landscape. Attendees will dive into hands-on design thinking sessions where filmmakers and facilitators team up to create real-world tools and strategies for building sustainable careers.

The day features three interactive sessions on fostering meaningful audience connections, exploring nontraditional distribution, as well as building strategic frameworks to navigate AI-driven industry disruption and innovation. The day will culminate with a keynote discussion moderated by Caryn Coleman (FOFIF) and featuring Ben Thompson (Tribeca), Jason Sondhi (Short of the Week), and Lela Meadow-Conner (Art House Convergence), on leveraging short films as powerful tools for career longevity and visibility.

Organizations leading the Expo sessions include Black Film Space, The Film Collaborative, Film Festival Alliance, Film Shop, mamafilm, Minorities In Film, and The Popcorn List. 

Day two will consist of Future-Proofing Organizations sessions—created for organizations but open to filmmakers—deliver practical, ready-to-use strategies that will explore how to build purposeful brand partnerships, strengthen individual giving programs, and craft compelling value statements.

Led by industry leaders Allie Dvorin (Publicis Media), Christie Marchese (Kinema), Jax Deluca, and Shari-Liane Sangster. Attendees will walk away with actionable tools to leverage their identity and mission while strengthening their role as essential leaders within the film and media ecosystem. 

The final day of the Expo will feature a case study session from the Missouri Film Office and will culminate in a keynote with director Bill Condon, led by SAG Indie’s Executive Director Darrien Michele Gipson. Additional sessions for this day to be announced. 

Additionally, The Gotham will host the Expo Showcase where organizational and collegiate partners will host spaces to promote their individual communities, programs and events. Project market participants, industry attendees and the general public are welcome to attend. Partners at the Expo Showcase will include Black Film Space, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, Film Fatales, Film Festival Alliance, Filmshop, SVA MPS Film Directing Program, Minorities in Film, NYU Tisch Film Department, Outlast Arts and Education, ReelAbilities International, The Film Collaborative, and Women Independent Producers.

About The Gotham Film & Media Institute

The Gotham celebrates and nurtures independent film and media creators, providing career-building resources, access to industry influencers, and pathways to wider recognition. The organization, under the leadership of Executive Director and award-winning producer Jeffrey Sharp, fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Gotham Week, The Gotham Film Awards, The Gotham Television Awards, Gotham EDU, Owning It, Expanding Communities, and Filmmaker Magazine.