Report Back From Our Second Biennial National Convening
By Sahar Driver and Sonya Childress
Color Congress is beaming with the glow of two and a half glorious days together. Over the weekend of September 12–14th, leaders from 93 member organizations gathered in person in Chicago and online for our biennial National Convening. We did this in the face of threats by the administration to bring in the National Guard and ICE patrolling the streets of the city. We did this because now — as this administration centralizes power, silences dissent, traffics in fear and division, and advocates for state violence against groups of people — it is an important time to gather. It is an especially important time for this community of leaders of color in the documentary film space to come together and get organized. Because activists, artists, and cultural workers are often the leaders responsible for building bridges — through storytelling, art, community events — between people and communities and towards a more inclusive, multi-racial, and pluralistic society. Because we understand that the images that are seen (or not seen) about our communities directly impact how our communities are either protected or policed within this country. And now, more than ever, we understand that we are stronger together, so carving out time for real connection is vital.
Our incredible members in-attendance at this year’s National Convening.
Our membership came together against the backdrop of federal defunding, funder hesitancy due to fear of DEI litigation, the breakdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) — traditionally how independent film and media has been funded and distributed across the country — and dominance of commercial streaming platforms. These forces affect the entire indie field but for our membership–half of which already operates with zero full time staff), 37% of whom have annual budgets under $50k — these forces are devastating. A recent survey of 65% of our membership showed that 67% of our members who receive federal or state funding were negatively impacted by recent political shifts; 50% of members who receive funding from commercial entities to support diverse makers were negatively impacted; and 43% of members who receive philanthropic funding were negatively impacted. These numbers reflected the reality before the announcement of the complete defunding of CPB, so we anticipate these numbers will only rise.
Despite the bleak news at the national level, our focus over the National Convening was to imagine new formations, collaborations, and projects we might pursue to share resources and strengthen our work. This will set the stage for the next four months of deliberations that will support collective decision making around where to direct this year’s Field Building Fund. The final consent-based vote will take place in January 2026.
Over the weekend we heard from key voices among our membership who are innovating and modeling powerful collaborations that encourage us to tap into the deep well of wisdom that is found in this ecosystem.
Our keynote speaker was Dr. Aymar Jean “AJ” Escoffery of Northwestern University and Co-Founder of OTV who led a talk, Reparative Media: Lessons from the Cookout, based on his new book Reparative Media: Cultivating Stories and Platforms to Heal our Culture (2025). Using examples from his work at OTV, Dr. Escoffery painted a portrait of what a healing media ecosystem can look like — and showed us how communal, ancestral ways of knowing can cultivate reparative media, technology, and research that benefit everyone and serve as an alternative to extractive, commercial media. Please stay tuned for the video of his talk in the coming weeks!
Our keynote panel featured the Chicago Media Coalition, which is a coalition of four member organizations led by Elijah McKinnon (Co-Founder and Executive Director of Open Television), Yvonne Welbon (Founder and CEO of Sisters in Cinema), Jason Matsumuto (Co-Executive Director of Full Spectrum Features), and Naeema Jamilah Torres (Executive Director of Mezcla Media Collective). Their talk, Reimagining Solidarity: Understanding the Tensions and Triumphs of Building Coalition in a Fragmented Ecosystem, set us up for honest talk about the challenges of coalition-building and fundraising, but also the opportunities.
We also benefited from powerful sessions led by cohorts of member organizations.
Reinvigorating the Microverse — led by Naveen Chaubal of Hyphen Film Center, Pallavi Somusetty and Anuradha Rana of A-Doc, and Carlos Gutierrez of Cinema Tropical — offered a peek at practices of democratized exhibition from the Third Cinema movement to microcinemas in the present and how smaller and well curated events can be deep and impactful. For our members, the session offered a timely reorientation around how we define “success “and “scale” at a time of deep disruption.
Caring for Our Communities: Accountability Standards and Practices for Documentaries — led by Jennifer Crystal Chien of Re-Present Media, Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Oseguera of the Documentary Accountability Working Group (DAWG), and Kimberly Bautista of Justice for My Sister — was a deeply-felt conversation that made connections between the ideological and historical foundations of the practices that center participant, filmmaker, and audience care in the documentary filmmaking process.
Shifting Power: Community-Centered Archive Practices Across Color Congress — led by Ambreen Qureshi of Educational Video Center, Francis Cullado of Visual Communications, Monica Sosa of ENTRE Film Center, and Charlie Raboteau of Scribe Video Center — explored four distinct archives that are deeply rooted in the communities where they are based and the practices that ground them in their communities. As film organizations grapple with the reality of today’s funding landscape, this session offered a powerful blueprint for catalyzing the archives found in community-based documentary organizations.
With over 80% of our 115 members present, it was a generative space for intersectional peer learning that planted many seeds for collaboration between members at a time when coming together is more important than ever. More than once, people remarked on the interconnections that already exist between the people and organizations in the room. These moments remind us of what an important and potent ecosystem this is. Collectively, these organizations supported 13,400 filmmakers over this past year, served 10,500 film professionals, and reached 18 million audiences with the films they support. They do this despite the challenges they face. And despite the headwinds, the vast majority of our members have not changed their programs, reduced or eliminated their programs, or changed their organizational language in the face of all of this. They remain committed to their missions and the communities they serve. The depth with which they connect with their communities means the cultural influence they hold is durable. This is why we believe collectively these organizations are helping to shape the new American narrative, by supporting the filmmakers and storytelling that reflects the diversity of this nation, that builds understanding, belonging, togetherness, and care for all. We are emerging from the National Convening with the confidence that our members will be collaborating with each other in more coordinated and strategic ways that amplify the power of this ecosystem.
Sahar Driver and Sonya Childress are Co-Executive Directors of Color Congress, an ecosystem-builder that resources, supports, connects, and champions organizations led by people of color that serve nonfiction filmmakers, leaders, and audiences of color across the United States and US islands.
