Supporting Independent Documentary Filmmaking in the South

As Director of Media Arts with South Arts, Jordan directs the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, supports the regional collective Indie Media Arts South, and oversees initiatives related to art and technology.

Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers

Program Director // 2022 - present; Previously supported as Media Manager and Program Assistant // 2016 - 2022

The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers connects independent filmmakers with communities throughout the South for screenings and conversations around powerful stories, important topics, and the art of filmmaking. Since Southern Circuit’s inception in 1975, hundreds of filmmakers from around the country have toured, sharing their work and perspectives with over one hundred Screening Partner communities across the South.

Indie Media Arts South

Organizing Committee Member and South Arts liason // 2020 - present

Indie Media Arts South (IMAS) is a regional subgroup of the Independent Film & Media Arts Field-Building Initiative created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Sundance Institute. The field group is open to all and seeks a diverse regional membership invested in building community-driven systems of support for independent media makers. South Arts serves as the fiscal agent of Indie Media Arts South.

Indie Media Arts South Member Meetup // 2023 Southern Documentary Convening

Facilitator // May 19, 2023

2023 Southern Documentary Convening

Panel: Means For A Mission: Strategies For Funding Mission-Based Documentary

Co-designer and panelist // May 20, 2023

How can independent makers leverage their unique perspectives and storytelling skills into support for mission-based documentaries? By mapping out the lifespan of a project and identifying potential intersections in- and outside of the filmmaking field, unconventional sources of funding and other valuable means of support can present themselves. Join a filmmaker-led conversation with three funding organizations around out-of-the-box strategies for bringing your project to life and actualizing its full impact.

Featured panelists:

  • John Beder, Independent Filmmaker

  • Keri Archer Brown, ITVS

  • Andrew Catauro, Prospect Fund

  • Jordan Young, South Arts

Panel: Community as Infrastructure: Strengthening Independent Media Arts at a Regional and National Level // 2022 New Orleans Film Festival

Co-designer and panelist // November 5, 2022

Members of the Independent Media Arts Group (IMAG), a collaborative project of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Sundance Institute, reflect on their work over the last three years and look ahead to the future. Members of IMAG talk about what regional organizing has meant to them as they harness the power of their networks to create an infrastructure that supports their work. This briefing includes some highlights of recent successes and upcoming opportunities for the field.

Featured panelists:

  • Maggie Bowman, Facilitator, Independent Media Arts Group

  • Jax Deluca, National Endowment for the Arts

  • Anjanette Lavert, Indie Media Arts South

  • Kat Schulze, Sundance Institute

  • Jordan Young, South Arts

Watch the panel:

Panel: Big and Small Steps Towards Inclusive Programming // Presented by Indie Media Arts South - 2021 New Orleans Film Festival

Moderator

With the national conversation around inclusion in full swing, the film industry is undergoing its own soul searching regarding equitable practices. Public critique is centered on the push back against extractive filmmaking (i.e. who gets to tell the story?) and systems of rewards (i.e. Oscars so White). How do film programming organizations advance meaningful inclusion and responsibly renegotiate their relationships with filmmakers, subject matters, and audiences? This conversation among programmers in the South will explore inclusive programming values, the shift in focus to regional and local filmmakers, and ideas for adopting more equitable practices regardless of resources or capacity.

Featured panelists:

  • Zandashé Brown, New Orleans Film Festival

  • Lana Garland, Hayti Heritage Film Festival

  • Dr. Thaddeus W Jones Jr, Nickelodeon Theater