from our 15th legends in the business

Amazing Connections

Picture: Designer Jamie Adler, NASA/JPL Engineer Nagin Cox, Broadway Star Ava Della Pietra, Broadway Producer Pam Hurst Della Pietra, 2 X Emmy Winner Doug Leighton, Attorney Travis Gemoets, Media Futurist Susan Johnston, Emmy Nominee & CEO SoundMindMusic David Leon, 10 X Telly Winner Randy Bellous and International Jazz Artist Irina Maleeva. Credit Jomel Fragante.

History

In 2009 New Media Film Festival® was announced in Second Life at Los Angeles Studios as an annual story and technology event, honoring stories worth telling.

The festival’s commitment to nurturing talent and giving back to the community underscores its role as a catalyst for creative innovation in the digital age.

 

“In the world of festivals, it is refreshing that there are no politics or pay to play at New Media Film Festival® and it is run by a team of caring and passionate people that put the creators first and respects the content, not the  profits.”

– Angelwood Films

About New Media Film Festival®

Where Story Meets Technology — and the Future Unfolds

Los Angeles, CA — New Media Film Festival®, the original and only festival in the world dedicated entirely to new media innovation, will return for its 17th annual edition on June 3–4, 2026 in Los Angeles. For nearly two decades, the festival has stood alone as the global authority on new media — the technologies, platforms, and creative breakthroughs that continue to reshape how stories are created, shared, and experienced.

While many festivals have added “new media” categories in recent years, New Media Film Festival® is the festival that defined the category itself. Long before AI‑assisted filmmaking, VR/AR, Web3, digital humans, or vertical storytelling entered mainstream conversation, the festival was championing these formats and giving them a home. It remains the first, the original, and the leader.

Since its founding, New Media Film Festival® has welcomed more than 300 industry leaders who have helped shape the future of media. Past speakers and participants include Nobel Laureate Barry C. Barish; Academy Award–winning actor and producer Jeff Bridges; legendary songwriters Don McLean and Chip Taylor; Duncan Rouleau, co‑creator of “Ben 10” and writer of “Big Hero 6”; NASA/JPL engineer Nagin Cox; futurist Ted Schilowitz (RED Digital Cinema, 20th Century Fox); Qualcomm Senior VP Brian Dunphy; International Screenwriters Association Founder Craig James; Mashable Co‑Editor Ben Parr; technologist and producer David C. Fein (“Star Trek: The Motion Picture”); OBB Pictures Founder and CEO Michael D. Ratner; and executives from Unity Technologies, Motorola, Panasonic, Nielsen, GoDigital, Flingo.tv, and many more. Their involvement underscores the festival’s long‑standing role as a central hub for new media thought leadership.

 

No politics. No pay-to-play. Just creators first. Join us — and be part of what’s next. Join us. Shape culture. Rewrite the rules.

“Very well run festival. Beautifully international in scope. Thank you for spotlighting all kinds of emerging media!”  – Emmy Winner Dustin Morrow

Sounding Committee

Susan Johnston

Media Futurist – Innovator, believer in story, lover of life. Creates & implements things that help content & creators. Founder/Director New Media FIlm Festival®

Knighted for work in humanity & arts.

View Susan’s IMDB profile

David Leon

David  is an Emmy-nominated, multiple award-winning composer and music supervisor at ABC Television. Prior to The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Marvel, WB, Fox, Disney & more.

Dr. Maya Rockeymoore

Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings

A social entrepreneur, speaker(CBS, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and BET), writer (New York Times, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, & the Washington Post among other publications), & strategist who’s on a mission to drive society toward inclusion.

Greg Palast

Palast has broken front-page stories for BBC Television Newsnight, The Guardian, Nation Magazine and now Rolling Stone Magazine. Greg Palast has been called the “most important investigative reporter of our time “up there with Woodward and Bernstein” (The Guardian).
erin gray

Erin Gray

Not only is Erin (Silver Spoons, Buck Rogers & the 25th Century), kind, funny, smart, talented & beautiful, as CEO Heroes for Hire she connects celebs & producers with events such as ComicCon.

nagin cox nasa jpl

Nagin Cox

Systems engineer & manager on multiple interplanetary robotic missions including NASA/JPL’s Galileo mission to Jupiter, the Mars Exploration Rover Missions & the Kepler telescope mission to search for Earth-like planets around other stars.

Randy Bellous

CEO Randy Bellous Productions, EP on multiple Award Winning Music & Film projects including NASA with Astronaut Leland Melvin.
simon and schuster

Bonnie Schneider

Simon & Schuster author of Taking the Heat: How Climate Change is Affecting Your Mind, Body & Spirit, and What You Can Do About It.

Newton Lee

Author/Editor on  Transhumanism,  Disney, Facebook, Google, Cybersecurity & Counterterrorism.
President of the award-winning, nonprofit Institute for Education, Research, and Scholarships.

Peter Miller

Peter joined NFL Films right after graduating from Ohio State where he worked in the international production operations department. He moved to PBS in 2017 & started his roll as a program screener.

“Thanks so much for everything! I learned so much from this program, and I definitely will be carrying these skills with me for my future endeavors. I enjoyed every project I was given, they really helped me expand my horizons.”

— Teju Kashyap, Student Intern

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Trailblazing Since Day One

we were the first

  • Pioneering the Future of Storytelling Since 2009

    At New Media Film Festival®, innovation isn’t a buzzword—it’s our DNA. Since our founding in 2009, we’ve consistently shattered boundaries and redefined what a film festival can be. We were the first to embrace and program groundbreaking technologies and storytelling formats that others only dreamed of.

    First-Ever Festival to Program:

    • AI-Generated Film – Showcasing the creative potential of artificial intelligence in cinema.

    • Touch Rotation – Interactive storytelling that responds to physical movement.

    • Holographic Digital Comic – A futuristic blend of comic art and holography.

    • Immersive Distribution Experiences – Pushing the limits of how stories reach audiences.

    • Micro Content Distribution – Celebrating bite-sized brilliance in storytelling.

    • AI Platform-Built Romcom – A love story crafted by algorithms and heart.

    • AR International Art Exhibit – Augmented reality meets global artistic expression.

    • Collaborative V Screening – A new frontier in participatory viewing.

     Tech Meets Talent

    • First Festival in Story & Technology – Where narrative innovation meets cutting-edge tech.

    • EMMYS® Consulting & Broadcasting – Trusted by the best in the industry.

    • Live VR Pitch Funding – A panelist funded an audience member’s VR pitch in real time.

    • Feature Film Funded from a 30-Second Pitch – Proof that big ideas don’t need big time.

    Ahead of the Curve

    • Bitcoin Payment Integration – Embracing decentralized finance for creative commerce.

    • NFT Categories – Recognizing digital ownership and blockchain-based storytelling.

    • And So Much More – From AI to XR, we continue to lead the charge into the future.

    Want to explore the next wave of media innovation? Join us at New Media Film Festival®—where the future of storytelling unfolds.

Current Awards New Media Film Festival® has won:
  • Media Innovator Awards
  • LUX Global Excellence Awards
  • Best Celebration of Emergent Media Content – USA
  • Best Annual Media and Technology Event – California
  • Best Celebration of Emerging Cinematic Talent – USA

Let’s connect

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Venue:
Los Angeles studio zone, California USA

 

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