about brave futures
Brave Futures is an experimental platform that challenges emerging filmmakers to create bold, intersectional short films within a constrained timeframe. Since its inception, it has evolved into a traveling laboratory of imagination, surfacing new voices, testing ethical production models, and fostering creative solidarity across borders.
Through film races, artist commissions, and immersive exhibitions, Brave Futures ignites collaboration between filmmakers, technologists, and communities—showing what’s possible when we build futures together.
brave futures impact
Since its launch in 2019, Brave Futures has empowered over 300 artists across seven countries and four continents to develop more than 40 short films—each a bold exploration of gender, immigration, body positivity, feminism, trans politics, race, sexuality, mental health, and beyond.
Participants pre-register online for free, with intentional prioritization for intersectional identities. Selected filmmakers develop, produce, and exhibit a short film (3–7 minutes) within a condensed timeframe—capturing the urgency of their lived experiences. These films premiere in their home cities, screen at global festivals, and receive mentorship, resources, and a distribution deal with Open Television (OTV).
Brave Futures exports OTV’s values to new markets—offering artists in underrepresented regions a platform designed to include, support, and amplify them. The results speak for themselves: Brave Futures films have won awards at international film festivals, exhibited in contemporary art museums, and launched dozens of emerging filmmakers’ careers.
Every Brave Futures edition strengthens a global network of creators daring to make the most urgent stories of our time—and to tell them bravely.
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You can stream Brave Futures films free and exclusively on the OTV App—available worldwide. Each collection showcases bold, intersectional short films created through our global editions.
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We use subscriber data and community engagement insights to determine where Brave Futures travels next. Cities with consistent year-over-year engagement signal vibrant local ecosystems—places where we can intentionally invest in filmmakers, audiences, and creative infrastructure.
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Brave Futures is for expansive, identity-rich, and courageous storytellers—artists who are curious, passionate, and unafraid to explore the most urgent questions of our time through film.
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Yes. All Brave Futures filmmakers retain 100% ownership and creative control of their work. Open Television (OTV) operates under non-exclusive licensing agreements, ensuring artists maintain their rights while benefiting from global visibility through OTV’s distribution network.
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Selected filmmakers receive mentorship, production stipends, and creative guidance throughout the process. Each edition also includes opportunities for exhibition, artist talkbacks, press exposure, and an optional distribution deal with OTV.
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Absolutely. Brave Futures is designed for both emerging and established creatives. We value imagination, perspective, and authenticity over experience—inviting anyone with a story to tell and the courage to tell it boldly.
friends of brave futures
Brave Futures exists through the generosity of our partners—organizations and communities that believe in nurturing artists, amplifying stories, and building futures rooted in care. Together, we understand that bravery isn’t just about taking risks; it’s about daring to create the most urgent stories of our time. In a world that too often rewards silence and conformity, Brave Futures calls on artists to speak truth, reflect the present, and imagine what lies beyond it.
Our partners make this possible—holding space for experimentation, vulnerability, and transformation so that the stories born today can shape the world we long to see tomorrow.
Partners include: Afropunk, Daddy, Black Futures, Mozilla Festival, Estudio Teorema, Dia Lab, Portiat, the Governments of Guadalajara and Salvador, Goethe-Institut, MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Elevate Prize Foundation.
