On August 24th, the Film3 Festival takes center stage with a variety of short films, documentaries, animation, and music videos that embody the next wave of independent cinema. More than just a screening event, Film3 represents a shift in how films are created and shared — a decentralized, community-driven model where audiences are not only spectators but collaborators in the storytelling process.

This year’s program spans horror, science fiction, surrealism, comedy, and experimental worlds. These works come from Oscar and Emmy-winning filmmakers venturing into Film3 for the first time, seasoned award-winning filmmakers, Film3 OG's and newcomers alike—each exploring how they harness onchain power to tell their stories. By bringing together Film3 and traditional indie films in the same space, the festival expands the circle of true independence—where timeless forms of storytelling meet new creative tools, and conversations across both worlds ignite fresh possibilities for cinema’s future.

Our first year Film3 Festival lineup has a fabulous kickoff showcase and promises to dazzle. Sherry McCracken’s SINS delivers a chilling meditation on the consequences of silence and inaction, while Joshua Badshah’s Welcome to Zeitza questions the boundaries between human and synthetic life in a near-future laboratory. John Schlag’s M.T. NESTOR turns grief into science fiction as an android wrestles with the loss of its owner, and Peyton Kocher's Smiles Like Knives cuts deeper, offering a haunting commentary on mental health within the dentistry profession.

Animation and surreal experimentation play a major role in the lineup. Malcolm Lamont brings his iconic aluminum foil hero to life in Foil Guy vs Anvil, setting him against an unstoppable force. Eric Brown’s Ebert Makes an Entrance spins a whimsical tale of a mouthless misfit navigating life aboard a biomechanical vessel in the ocean’s deepest trenches. Emmy Award-winner Rob Shaw brings his six-part animated series You Play Too Much — voiced by Fred Armisen and rooted in 1980s Philadelphia nostalgia — alongside shorts like The Machine, Lever Puller, and Two Bottles. Sylvain Rusques delivers handcrafted stop-motion in Altın Gün - Rakiya Su Katamam, while Michael Easton’s Lego Transformers and Kyle Arneson’s Meevil the Weevil expand the playfulness of animated storytelling.

The possibilities of Unreal Engine are on full display with Alan Rosenfeld’s twin works: Desert Waltz, a western romance unfolding beneath the glow of a full moon, and Whence We Came, an elegiac encounter between a mermaid and a shipwrecked captain. Meanwhile, Cody Russell’s 2d and stop motion animated Pilot for YABOYNANCY follows a Liverpool dreamer chasing his future in the chaos of New York City.

Leo Clark's documentary Benbodhi: Decoded spotlights one of Nouns DAO’s most passionate community builders. Kenny Johns, Pouya D, and Trippie Steff collaborate on Metaverse Genesis, a psychedelic reflection on the birth and collapse of the internet, and Jason Charnick’s Long Beach Lifted stands as a Film3 milestone — a Snoop Dogg music video that originally premiered inside a blockchain-powered 3D gallery and continues to push the boundaries of community-driven media.

Alongside screenings, the festival features a dynamic lineup of speakers and panels. Film3 OG Sherry McCracken presents her talk on Film3’s Past, Present & Future in a special opening session. Zeitza Labs will join a panel discussion with Onchain Media, pairing perfectly with their premiering documentary Onchain Humans ands Impact. Cody Russell takes us into You Are Now in Nancy’s World, diving into the making of YABOYNANCY. Emmy-winning director Rob Shaw will share insights in Less As More, while Musa Brooker, director of Kevin Harts newest show, Li'l Kev, brings his accomplished voice to the festival stage. Academy Award winning Suzanne Twining brings a world of knowledge in storytelling through stop-motion animation and Eric Brown, a three-time Emmy winner, will headline The Web3 Rewrite: Evolving the Art of Storytelling. The program also includes dedicated documentary, animation, and short film blocks, capped with food, networking, and a celebratory wrap party.

The Film3 Festival is more than a collection of screenings; it is a statement about where cinema is heading. By fusing independent artistry with decentralized systems, the festival underscores a future in which filmmakers are not constrained by traditional studios but are empowered by communities that believe in their vision. On August 24th, Film3 takes another step into that future — and invites audiences to step forward with it.