Advisor Studio: Navigating the Independent Film Landscape with Barbara Twist, Executive Director of the Film Festival Alliance
About this Advisor Studio
In Advisor Studio sessions, Sundance Collab Advisors share field experiences and insights into their specific areas of craft, including writing, directing and producing for TV and film.
Join Executive Director of the Film Festival Alliance, Barbara Twist, for a candid conversation about the evolving landscape of independent film exhibition and distribution. In this Advisor Studio, Barbara will share her expertise, discussing key trends, challenges and opportunities for filmmakers today. Whether you’re a producer, a filmmaker, a festival organizer, or a cinephile, this 60-minute session is an opportunity to gain valuable insights and ask your burning questions.
The Film Festival Alliance (FFA) is home to more than 230 members from 40 states, Canada and the UK, including large, mid-size and start-up festivals, festival consultants, and programmers.
Barbara Twist has extensive experience in distribution and exhibition. Her previous work includes Director of Partnerships at Vidiots, leading up to the recent re-launch and opening of the Eagle Theater, as well as Art House Convergence, Europa International, and others. Barbara is one of the organizers of IND/EX, the largest gathering of independent Exhibitors and Distributors in North America, and has been a key force behind organizing exciting discussions and new initiatives to address the distribution crisis - including most recently The Popcorn List, highlighting exceptional films that have yet to secure distribution after a festival premiere.
Advisor StudioTeam
Barbara Twist
Barbara Twist is the Executive Director of the Film Festival Alliance, a nonprofit for festivals and the people who run them. She has extensive experience in distribution and exhibition, and her previous work includes Director of Partnerships at Vidiots, leading up to the recent re-launch and opening of the Eagle Theater, as well as Art House Convergence, Europa International, and others. Barbara is one of the organizers of IND/EX, the largest gathering of independent Exhibitors and Distributors in North America, and has been a key force behind exciting discussion series and new initiatives to address the distribution crisis - including most recently The Popcorn List, highlighting exceptional films that have yet to secure distribution after a festival premiere.
Erica Elson
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer
Erica Elson is a Producer, Writer and Educator based in the mountains outside Los Angeles. Her short film, WING NIGHT, premiered at Method Fest in Los Angeles. She is the co-author of the book THE AWKWARD HUMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE and co-hosted a podcast by the same name on the 5by5 network for five years. Elson's articles have been published by HuffPost, Lifehacker, and Reader's Digest. Prior to working in education, she worked in television development and writers’ rooms such as VH1’s HINDSIGHT, where she had the chance to write for the spinoff web series PLANET SEBASTIAN.
Elson joined the Sundance Collab team in October 2021 and produces courses, Master Classes, and events in the areas of screenwriting, television writing, directing, producing, and documentary filmmaking. She has moderated conversations with Sofia Coppola, Richard Linklater, Alexander Payne, and Susannah Grant, among others.
Prior to Sundance, Elson was the Thesis Production Supervisor at the American Film Institute for five years. She oversaw several award-winning graduate thesis films, notably the 2021 BAFTA student film winner APART, TOGETHER and the 2023 Sundance Film Festival short WE WERE MEANT TO. While at AFI, Elson developed a passion for sustainable production and created the Green Film School Alliance, which includes forty schools on four continents. She holds a BA in Communication and Film Studies from Concordia University and an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute.