Latest Blogs

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Let’s kick things off with a huge shoutout to everyone who has already jumped into this month’s Introduce Yourself Weekend. Thousands of creatives from around the world are connecting, sharing their stories, and building relationships that can lead to collaborations, opportunities, and lifelong friendships. If you haven’t made your introduction yet, you still have time. Head over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge before the weekend wraps. Be bold. Introduce yourse...

Documentaries have been produced since 1922. They were always considered the educational part of moviemaking; not entertainment. That has all changed. We are in the Golden Age of Documentaries. Prominent directors are using the documentary format to tell their stories. My documentary "Homecoming: Veterans, Wives, Mothers" joined the ranks for consideration for the “Outstanding Short Form Non-Fiction” Daytime Emmy Award in 2021. I need to say this format is one I use when I think a topic merits...

This year, I watched Cannes from my desk in Australia. While my colleagues were on the Croisette, I was refreshing updates, squinting at photos on someone’s Instagram story, and listening to voice notes from people who were three rosés deep on a terrace and absolutely thriving. If you have ever experienced the very specific ache of watching your entire community have the time of their lives in the South of France while you sit at home in a different time zone, you know exactly the flavour o...

If you were on the Croisette with us this year, I am guessing your suitcase still is not fully unpacked, your voice took a few days to come back, and your camera roll is packed with business cards you photographed in dim restaurants somewhere around midnight. A few weeks out from Cannes, I have been thinking a lot about what actually happens after a festival ends. Here is the truth I have learned over years of conventions, markets, and festivals: the event is where you meet people, but the yea...

Happy Wednesday, Creative Army! If you weren't able to make it to Cannes this year, don't worry, we're bringing Cannes to you. This year marked another incredible milestone for Stage 32, as we proudly continued our role as the official Education Partner of the Marché du Film, a partnership that has now spanned more than a decade. Ten-plus years on the Croisette, and it still energizes me every single time. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing exclusive recordings of our 2026 Cannes ex...

Have you heard this one before? “When an eternal optimist lawyer loses everything, she moves into a luxury penthouse only to find she's rooming with her best friend's arrogant older brother and her former high school tormentor. As their fiery rivalry unearths his ten-year secret obsession with her, the feuding roommates must team up to destroy her toxic ex-boss before he ruins her legal career.” What about this one? “When a wealthy popular girl makes a deal with a high school bad boy to be her...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! I hope your weekend has been a creative one so far. Whether you have been writing, filming, editing, or sketching out the next spark of an idea, I have something today that will give you a boost. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This week's featured video comes from StudioBinder, and it is all about the contained story. That is the kind of film that strips everything back. No sprawling landscapes, no globe-trotting, no giant set pieces. Just a tight space,...

Freelancing in the film industry, whatever your role, and as exciting as it can be, sometimes means navigating turbulent waters. So how do we stay put and not lose sight of our true North? I moved from Italy to Los Angeles in 2016, after a 21-year-long plan to follow my childhood dream of making music for the silver screen. Once in L.A., coming from a 9-to-5 day job, I soon realized how much I had to learn not only about Hollywood but also about how to stay healthy while freelancing. In the...

There Is No Fluency Level to Getting Bamboozled by Bots and Trolls Whether you’ve been around a while or are new to the platform, you may not realize when an account is fake or real. It’s an issue all over cyberspace, and Stage 32 is not immune. The good news is that when a nefarious character raises their head, once alerted, the powers that be behind the scenes are usually quick on the draw to carefully vet that the person is real. If they’re fake or perpetually combative, they are soon zapped...

Happy Thursday, Creative Army! There is a moment that happens at every festival, market, and summit I have ever attended. Someone leans in, lowers their voice a little, and says some version of the same thing: "We have the incentives. We have the locations. We just do not have enough trained people on the ground to crew the productions when they come." I have heard it in Los Angeles. I have heard it in Cannes. I have heard it from commissioners representing regions on nearly every continent....