Your Future Film Coalition News Digest #11
This week, we cover: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting shutting down, the latest in AI legislation, FFC's SXSW panel proposal that is open for votes, and more news.
The Latest in Indie Film as of August 7
CPB Shuts Down After Nearly Six Decades: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced on August 1 that it will begin shutting down operations after losing $1.1 billion in federal funding through the rescissions bill signed by President Trump. This marks the first time in nearly 60 years that Congress has refused to fund CPB, which has a mission to build a trusted public service network. CPB will lay off the majority of staff positions by September 30 and cease operations by January 2026. While the CPB shutdown represents a grim moment for public media, industry experts emphasize this is not the end for PBS and NPR. For the national PBS organization, only about 14% of its actual revenue comes from the CPB, with most CPB money going to local PBS and NPR stations. However, the impact will be felt unevenly across the system, with rural stations at particular risk. Some stations are seeing record donations in response to the cuts.
The CPB shutdown poses particular challenges for independent documentary filmmakers who have relied on the corporation’s funding pipeline. ITVS distributed $9 million in CPB funding annually to filmmakers. PBS station GBH announced it is pausing new episodes of American Experience, public television’s signature documentary series about American history, and laying off 13 staff members. The series will shift to rebroadcasting past episodes. WORLD Channel, another key outlet for independent documentaries, is also cutting about ten staff members and “moving away from original documentaries” as of July 1. Filmmaker Ken Burns, whose projects typically receive about 20% of their budgets from CPB, warns that emerging filmmakers will face impossible barriers to getting started. Despite their challenges, these entities remain committed to their mission of delivering public interest media to audiences, with calls to refocus on true localism, civic education, and public investment priorities.
Meanwhile, on July 25, the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill to save NEA and NEH funding without cuts, despite threats from a House subcommittee led by Josh Brecheen (OK-2) to slash funding by 35%. Americans for the Arts and other arts coalitions lobbied federal elected officials throughout the month of July to defend arts organization funding across the U.S.
Senate Rejects Big Tech’s AI Free Pass: In the last digest, we summarized the latest court rulings regarding AI generated video trained off of copyrighted material, which were all in favor of AI companies and against authors. There’s been better news in politics, with a flurry of AI legislation that even the playing field for independent film. The Senate overwhelmingly voted 99-1 to defeat a proposed 10-year moratorium on state AI laws that would have stripped states of their ability to regulate AI companies, and bipartisan support emerged for stronger creator protections through the Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)–proposed AI Accountability and Personal Data Protection Act, which would allow individuals to sue AI companies for using copyrighted works without consent.
The failed moratorium—which had backing from major tech companies like OpenAI and prominent Silicon Valley figures—would have created a regulatory vacuum benefiting large AI companies and studios with resources to navigate federal-only oversight, while potentially leaving independent creators without the state-level protections that are often more responsive to local concerns. For independent filmmakers, the moratorium’s defeat preserves crucial state-level safeguards like California’s AI disclosure laws and Tennessee’s ELVIS Act protecting artists’ likenesses. The Hawley-Blumenthal bill offers a direct legal pathway for smaller creators to challenge unauthorized use of their work and receive recompense, and is endorsed by numerous advocacy organizations in the music industry.
More on the Top Stories
CPB Shuts Down After Nearly Six Decades
“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting Is Shutting Down, but Not All Hope Is Lost,” Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, August 4, 2025.
In this explainer, NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans and Poynter Institute’s Sitara Nieves are interviewed to assess the impact of CPB’s shutdown on public media. Both experts emphasize that while this represents a serious blow to public broadcasting, it’s not the end—CPB was primarily a funding mechanism. Contrary to common assumptions, PBS and NPR stations must be independently owned and operated nonprofits, meaning they can’t be bought up by venture capital firms like many local newspapers have been, and have strict regulations on corporate sponsorship.
“What’s Being Lost in the Documentary Space As Congress Defunds Public Media,” Carrie Lozano, The Hollywood Reporter, July 31, 2025.
ITVS President & CEO Carrie Lozano, who got her start producing the Academy Award-nominated The Weather Underground (2002) through ITVS funding, explains how the CPB defunding will eliminate nearly $9 million in annual ITVS funding. Future Open Call and development funding is paused, until ITVS can replace the funds. Over the last five years alone, ITVS brought 126 films to public media viewers at a taxpayer cost of about five cents per American. Lozano brings in the context of a broader contraction in documentary funding—A24 recently stopped producing documentaries and Participant Media shut down entirely—and warns the loss of funding might eliminate urgent, groundbreaking documentaries that serve the public good rather than commercial interests on the film festivals and awards circuits.
Senate Rejects Big Tech’s AI Free Pass
“On AI and Copyright, Trump Is Groveling Before Big Tech,” Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Hollywood Reporter, July 29, 2025.
Actor and director JGL strongly criticizes President Trump’s “Silicon Valley bootlicking” approach to AI regulation while praising the bipartisan Hawley-Blumenthal AI Accountability and Personal Data Protection Act. Gordon-Levitt argues that AI companies are fundamentally undermining creative work by copying content at no cost, eliminating any logical business case for paying human creators. He warns that without a system rewarding creators for their work incorporated into AI models, “our media landscape and public square will become absolutely devoid of anything but algorithmically regurgitated slop optimized for attention maximization and ad revenue.”
“Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill Targeting Unauthorized Artificial Intelligence Training: ‘AI Companies Are Robbing the American People Blind’,” Dylan Smith, Digital Music News, July 23, 2025.
This article delves into the specifics of the Hawley-Blumenthal bill, such as how it would create a federal tort allowing individuals to sue companies that use copyrighted works or personal data to train AI without express prior consent. It also discusses how the proposed bill defines “covered data” broadly to include copyright-protected works “generated by an individual...regardless of whether the copyright has been registered,” and would allow civil litigation against responsible parties as well as those who “aided and abetted” violations. The Nashville Songwriters Association International has already voiced support for the bill, backing what they call a “4-Ps policy” of Permission, Payment, Proof and Penalties—principles that apply equally to independent filmmakers and film companies facing similar AI exploitation.
What’s Happening at FFC
In collaboration with the American Library Association and Americans for the Arts, FFC has submitted “Culture Under Fire: Storytelling for Public Power” to SXSW’s PanelPicker for the festival’s 2026 edition. This panel was developed out of our Public Funding and Public Media working group and will be moderated by FFC’s new interim director (announcement next week!)——but we need your vote to make it happen.
Culture Under Fire: Storytelling for Public Power
Public libraries, theaters, and arts institutions face growing threats from budget cuts, censorship, and consolidation—but remain vital to civic life. This panel unites the Future Film Coalition (FFC), American Library Association (ALA), and Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to share concrete strategies for defending public cultural infrastructure. From local advocacy to national coalition-building, panelists will offer tools to help artists and communities protect access, uphold free expression, and strengthen an equitable media ecosystem.
Takeaway 1: Concrete Tools for Local Advocacy: Learn how to attend council meetings, submit comments, and organize to protect cultural institutions.
Takeaway 2: Cross-Sector Coalition-Building: Explore how artists, libraries, and filmmakers can build coalitions to defend equitable access to culture.
Takeaway 3: Demystifying Government Systems: Understand how public institutions are funded and how to engage civic processes to defend public resources.
This panel will present tactical knowledge needed to defend access, champion free expression, and build an equitable media ecosystem that can't be bought, sold, or silenced. Vote now at SXSW PanelPicker and click the heart beside our panel title. (If you don’t have a SXSW web account, clicking the heart will prompt you to create an account.)
What We Are Following
State Tax Incentives
“Welcome to Hollywood: Wisconsin Joins Film Tax Credit Race,” Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, July 31, 2025.
Wisconsin passed a state budget in July that will create a film office and a 30% transferable credit for films and television with $5 million being allocated to productions each year through 2027. Republican state senator Julian Bradley initiated the effort, continuing the trend of bipartisan support for production incentives. With Wisconsin joining other states in the race to attract local film and television production, only 12 states currently have no production incentives on the books.
“Bipartisan bill calls for expansion of US Section 181 film and TV production incentive,” John Hazelton, ScreenDaily, August 1, 2025.
In another show of bipartisan support, Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced congressional legislation to extend The Creative Relief and Expensing for Artistic Entertainment (CREATE) Act. Set to expire at the end of this year, the CREATE Act gives US producers the ability to claim accelerated depreciation on production costs up to $15M, rising to $20M in some locations. The new bill would extend the CREATE Act to 2030 and increase eligible costs up to $30M, rising to $40M in some locations. The bill has been endorsed by the Motion Picture Association, the Independent Film and Television Alliance, and “Hollywood Ambassador” Jon Voight.
Video Creator Study
Video Consortium, with Project C and Fordham University, is launching a first-of-its-kind Video Creator study to better understand what it takes for independent (journalism- and documentary-leaning) creators to make public-facing videos that explain, investigate, or help people understand the world on social platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, or Substack. If you’re a video creator, you can take part in the survey now through August 23. The survey takes 25–30 minutes to complete and responses are anonymous. Video Consortium will share the survey results with participants in the fall. To learn more, you can read Video Consortium’s announcement of the survey on Linkedin.
ICYMI
Hollywood, Tomorrow Series, Los Angeles Times, ongoing.
The Los Angeles Times launched a new series focused on how AI is entering every stage of production in Hollywood. The first three stories examine the impact of AI on screenwriting, acting, and production crews, exploring how it can serve as a tool for filmmakers and the existential threats it poses to the workforce if it goes unchecked. “Ours is a rights-based industry,” said filmmaker Sean Mann. “It’s built on protecting human creativity, the contributions of actors, directors, editors, and if those rights aren’t protected, that value gets lost.”
“Horror Streamer Shudder Built a Decade of Growth By Prioritizing Bold Filmmakers Over Trends and Algorithms: ‘Programmed for People Who Love the Genre’,” William Earl, Variety, July 30, 2025.
In 2024, Shudder set new viewership records, doubled the total hours watched on the platform over the last five years, and saw the average hours watched per user reach an all-time high. Shudder’s momentum continues in 2025 with the streamer achieving its highest average hours per user to date. While some streamers do not prioritize theatrical distribution, Shudder sees theatrical as essential to reaching horror fans. Sharing her experience working with Shudder on Tigers Are Not Afraid, director Issa Lopez described how the streamer’s approach to distribution, “When they acquired the movie… they said, ‘We finalized acquiring the movie earlier this year, but we’re not going to drop it until late summer, because that’s the window where we can get more attention for this.’ That gave them the time to build massive word of mouth, so by the time that the movie opened, first in theaters before going to the platform, it was incredible the amount of press and attention … for a really small movie.”
“Why Did National Geographic Disappear Its Own Documentary About A Queer Climate Scientist?”, Eva Holland, Defector, July 30, 2025.
National Geographic canceled screenings of For Winter, a documentary featuring Dr. Alison Criscitiello, and erased every mention of it from the Impact Story Lab’s website. The film follows Dr. Criscitiello, a scientist, mountaineer, and NatGeo Explorer, as she leads a team on a 10-day ascent up Canada’s highest peak followed by 16 days of ice core drilling. As Holland writes, “Throughout the film, Criscitiello wrestled on camera with her many obligations: to her team, to science and the planet’s rapidly changing climate, and to her wife Amy and daughter Winter, back home—the ones who would be most brutally affected if something went wrong.” When pressed for more detail, Nat Geo responded, “something came to light that was relevant to the film” without further explanation. Following Donald Trump’s inauguration and subsequent executive orders, Nat Geo removed diversity, equity, and inclusion from job titles and its commitment to DEI from its latest annual report. This has left the crew members and the scientists and athletes featured in the project uncertain about the film’s future. Seth Campbell, a member of the expedition, told Holland, “It’s an inappropriate action to remove the film. … This is where we kind of stand our ground, to be honest. We need to be doing that more. I think the science community needs to be standing up.”
