Dances With Films founders Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent join us to discuss the festival's 25 year anniversary, its history and selection process, and how they keep it a festival for filmmakers by filmmakers… In this episode, we talk about… What led Michael and Leslee to found the Dances With Films Festival  Orion’s cease and desist letter and “Festival of the Unknowns”  Creating a sustainable model by prioritizing film and championing new talent  Why DWF is held in Los Angeles and respect for the film selection process Acknowledging not all films are good and why filmmakers need to keep practicing  Engaging with new filmmakers and preparing them for the industry  Watching the whole film and looking for the heart when selecting films for DWF  How all films not chosen receive “pass” letters that include positive comments The challenge of DWF’s programming and how it’s evolved over the years Links to Resources:  Dances with Films - https://danceswithfilms.com/ Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web https://nofilmschool.com/   Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/nofilmschool   Twitter  https://twitter.com/nofilmschool   YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/user/nofilmschool  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool   Get your questions answered on the podcast by emailing editor@nofilmschool.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices