It’s Day 1 of #TFINetwork Prep Week! We’re kicking things off with a keynote speech from TFI Board Member @jfreewright. “Lead us to your visions of a more ideal world and we will follow.”

“I’ve come to value this attribute in directors more than all other things: the ability to lead. Leadership is what makes a great filmmaker and what drives the creation of great films,” says @jfreewright.

For the next 3 days, 43 filmmaking teams will attend a series of virtual events to hone their pitching skills and gain industry insight. Next week, they’ll meet with over 100 industry professionals to pitch their scripted, documentary, and interactive projects.

“This is hopefully just the start of an ongoing conversation for your careers, for your films, and for your creative trajectories. We’re over the moon that we can all be here together,” says our Director of Documentary Programs @theJoFer.

Follow this thread to see quotes from this week’s panels. Topics range from Directing Master Classes, Documentary Investors, and the Quarantined Independent Film Landscape to Distribution.