In just its second year in existence, The Popcorn List — a survey of acclaimed (but still undistributed) feature films that debuted at major or regional film festivals over the past year and come highly recommended by festival programmers — is already taking a big step forward. Next month, the creators of the list will host various pop up screening events, both at theaters and virtually, to show off the very same films they’ve been championing.
The Pop Up Series includes eight films from the 2025 list — seven from first-time feature directors, six directed by women, three documentaries, and five fiction features — and will not only provide a space for eager audiences to see this stellar films, but will also offer a unique model for both promotion and profit.
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The series will offer what’s being billed as a “collective and transparent model,” and participating filmmakers (and other partners) will work from a centralized promotion strategy guided by Product of Culture, connecting their projects with new eyeballs and uplifting all the films in the series (while also bringing awareness to The Popcorn List as a whole).
In addition to a traditional indie film 50/50 box office split, a portion of every ticket sold will go into a filmmaker solidarity pool, split evenly among all participating titles. Filmmakers retain full rights to their films. Tax deductible donations, which will contribute to the campaign, can be made here via TFC’s Fiscal Sponsorship program.
“For any film in today’s landscape, finding new audience touchpoints is essential — and working collaboratively to support each others’ films is an exciting model,” said TPL co-founder Lela Meadow-Conner and Kathy Susca of The Film Collaborative in an official statement. “We’re grateful to all of the players — the festival programmers, the cinemas, our partners who are helping this take shape and especially the filmmakers, who are leveraging their social capital to highlight one another’s films in addition to their own. We hope this will be a brand building opportunity for them as storytellers, and exciting for audiences who are looking for new stories, now and in the future.”
In-person screenings will take place at various venues — cinéSPEAK (Philadelphia), The Downer Theatre (Milwaukee), FilmScene (Iowa City), The Independent Picture House (Charlotte), The Roxie Theater (San Francisco), Sidewalk Cinema (Birmingham), SIFF Film Center (Seattle), The State Theatre (Traverse City), The Nightlight Cinema (Akron), and Vidiots (Los Angeles) — September 2 – 28. All films will include a pre-recorded introduction from the filmmakers and the programmers who recommended the film to The Popcorn List. You can get in-person tickets here.
Virtual screenings will be available September 25 – 30 via Eventive. They will also include include a pre-recorded introduction from the filmmakers and the programmers who recommended the film to The Popcorn List. Those tickets are available here.
The following films will be included in the pop up series, with information and language provided by TPL and the participating programmers:
“Ashima,” Dir. Kenji Tsukamoto (Crystal Merrill, Festival Director, Mountainfilm) VIRTUAL
“Ashima” is an intimate portrait of elite rock climber Ashima Shiraishi as she travels to South Africa to try to become the youngest person in the world to climb a V14 graded boulder problem. Accompanying Ashima is Poppo, an eccentric, hermit-like, retired avant garde dancer, who also happens to be her father. Emotional and rooted in character, “Ashima” is a love letter not only to climbing, but to immigrant parents and the realization of the American Dream.
“Brooklyn, Minnesota,” Dir. Jessica Blank, Erik Jensen (Meira Blaustein, Executive Director, Woodstock Film Festival) VIRTUAL
When the grandfather she never knew dies suddenly, headstrong 14-year-old Maisie and her artist dad Kurt leave the confines of their Brooklyn bubble to return to Kurt’s Minnesotan childhood home — where Maisie will upend old family patterns, fall in love, and force her family to confront each other and themselves.
“Clocked,” Dir. Noah Salzman (Jason Hoffman, Programmer, Indy Film Fest) VIRTUAL
Adolfo Rivera is an 18-year-old boxer from a conservative Catholic family in Miami, who is secretly saving their winnings for the biggest fight of their life: self-acceptance in their desire to transition into a woman. This journey for self-acceptance fortuitously leads to mentorship from the local drag community, showing Adolfo the importance of having the right people in your corner even outside of the ring.
“Everything You Have Is Yours,” Dir. Tatyana Tenenbaum (Dan Brawley, Executive Director, Cucalorus) VIRTUAL
NYC-based choreographer Hadar Ahuvia interrogates the roots of the Israeli folk dances she grew up dancing with her mother in the U.S. Confronting romanticized stories about her grandparents, settlers in 1930s Palestine, Ahuvia embarks on a personal journey to reckon with the founding mythologies and transgressions of Zionism.
“If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing,” Dir. Sadie Bones (Judith Laster, Founder/Director, Woods Hole Film Festival) IN PERSON
After being brutally dumped, 17-year-old Sydnie discovers she is pregnant. Seeing this as an opportunity to get her ex back and give her life direction, she decides to keep the baby. She soon realizes that this won’t be the quick fix she had hoped for and finds herself caught in a complicated love triangle and totally lost.
“New Wave,” Dir. Elizabeth Ai (Sky Sitney, Co-Founder, Festival Director, DC/DOX) IN PERSON
Mile-high hair. Synthesized sounds. Teenage rebellion. Elizabeth Ai was on a mission to excavate an untold story of rebellious punks in the chaotic world of ’80s Vietnamese new wave until she uncovered a hidden past. What begins as an exploration of the rebellion and freedom within this subculture evolves into a profound narrative of identity, loss, and healing.
“The Everything Pot,” Dir. Sherise Dorf (Paul Sloop, Director of Programming, Cordillera International Film Festival) IN PERSON
A comedy of errors ensues when empty nester Rachel hastily sends a gift to Charlie, a former colleague, upon receiving his wedding invitation. The young couple’s wedding gets Rachel out of her perpetual state of ennui in her own marriage and brings unexpected excitement that inadvertently causes speculation of infidelity. As one domino falls after another, cracks begin to show in their respective relationships especially while Rachel’s husband Adam becomes obsessed with getting back their wedding gift: The Everything Pot.
“To Kill a Wolf,” Dir. Kelsey Taylor (Andre Seward, Programming Director, Tallgrass Film Festival) VIRTUAL
On the fringes of the Oregon wilderness, two strangers with troubled pasts are brought together when a reclusive Woodsman discovers a teenage runaway, Dani, hypothermic and barely conscious in the woods. After saving Dani from the elements, The Woodsman begrudgingly agrees to take the teen to her grandmother and the two become unlikely travel companions. As they make their way across the state, they forge an unexpected bond and test their abilities to trust one another. Ultimately, with each other’s help, they come to face the demons that haunt them and discover a way to start their lives anew.
The initiative is presented by mamafilm and The Film Collaborative, and made possible with generous support from Facet, Hope for Film, Eventive, Product of Culture, and Simple DCP.
Check out a trailer for the series, an IndieWire exclusive, below:
