Cinema Cities Network connects cities worldwide through film festivals, innovation labs, leadership summits, and immersive cultural exchanges — giving voice to undiscovered storytellers and building global unity one city at a time.
A ten-year legacy carried forward.
Born from Miami Web Fest International's ten-year legacy — the belief that storytelling transcends borders the way no policy can. Cities are where culture lives. Film is the language that reaches across it.
We arrive in a partner city carrying a decade of global relationships, a vetted filmmaker network spanning 50+ countries, and a permanent annual activation — not a one-time event. Every edition builds deeper partnerships and a growing archive of local stories on the global stage.
Film is storytelling. Effective storytelling is the door to understanding. And understanding is the only thing that has ever truly connected us across cities, cultures, ages, and the lines we've been told we cannot cross.
Elevating undiscovered voices, building peace through creative exchange, making every city a portal to the world's human stories.
50+ countries, IMDb-listed filmmakers, and an active pipeline to US distribution. Every partner city inherits that network on day one.
A permanent, annually recurring activation. Every edition builds on the last: deeper partnerships, wider reach, growing impact.
A child in Jakarta and a retiree in Berlin have more in common than either knows. A filmmaker in Nairobi is sitting on a story that would change how Kingston sees itself. These connections exist — they are simply waiting for a stage.
Over two decades speaking across continents — from GITEX in Dubai to film festivals in Rome, Tuscany, and Apulia, to partnership launches in Greece and Turkey — one truth has surfaced in every room: people everywhere are losing the experience of feeling genuinely seen, heard, and understood. The distance between us is growing. Not because we have less in common, but because the infrastructure to share what we have in common has never been built at scale.
CCN exists at this exact intersection. Not as a response to a trend — but as a long-term investment in the most powerful infrastructure that has ever moved people across the lines that divide them: a well-told story, from a voice the world hasn't heard yet.
That is not a content problem. It is an infrastructure problem. And infrastructure can be built.
Fest. Labs. Summit. Exchange. Each pillar is a complete activation scaled to your city's capacity and ambition, built with room for the extraordinary to happen. Cultural Exchange, more than a fourth pillar, is woven into the other three — shaping how each one feels from the inside.
CCN Fest is the anchor event. International screenings with a Hidden Voices track for underrepresented storytellers — culminating in a red-carpet Awards Gala and entry into MWFI's global festival network. All selections are IMDb-listed. A CCN Fest can run for a single transformative day or unfold across five days and multiple cities — with Labs, Summit, and Exchange all living inside it.
Hands-on workshops pairing local faculty with MWFI industry professionals — filmmaking, AI production, mobile filmmaking, and IP for emerging talent. CCN Labs doesn't replace what film programs teach. It's what happens next — where the skills earned in the classroom meet the decisions being made in the industry right now.
The city's film industry meets CCN's international network — distribution, co-production, and Social Impact Pitch panels aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Filmmakers, producers, and creative professionals get direct access to industry leaders working in the markets they want to reach. The agenda is structured. The access is real.
Programming can inform. Shared experience transforms. Exchange pairs the culinary arts, live music, and visual arts of the host city with the global film program's city of origin — creating an experience of cultural immersion that makes every attendee a participant, not just an audience.
A year-long cultural residency co-hosted by a museum, arts centre, international organization, or embassy. Monthly 1-day salons spotlight a different culture or community each month through film, conversation, food, music, and art exchange — building a sustained creative dialogue beyond a single event.
The full CCN experience, anchored in partnerships with industry leaders and academia. Co-hosted by a university film or arts faculty, running CCN Fest, Labs, and Summit across 3–5 days. Culminates in a red-carpet Awards Gala and a CCN Exchange cultural celebration.
Three concentrated days in a landmark city venue, intentionally timed to coincide with a major local event to maximise footfall and media attention. Screenings, industry panels, and a red-carpet Awards Gala — closing with a CCN Exchange of local artists, chefs, and musicians.
The flagship model. Five days across multiple neighbourhoods, diaspora communities, or boroughs — each functioning as its own Cinema City. Culminates in a city-wide Awards Gala where the next international Cinema City is announced.
At least one accredited institution offering film, media arts, performing arts, or creative technologies. The academic partner is the direct pipeline for local storytellers into CCN Labs and festival programming.
Cities with communities historically absent from mainstream media — the living archive of human experience the network exists to amplify. CCN is not looking for cities with film industries. It is looking for cities with stories that haven't had a stage yet.
Demonstrated commitment — through government, institutions, or civil society — to at least five of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with SDGs 4, 10, 11, 16, and 17 as the baseline.
Bilateral cultural agreements, UNESCO designations, sister-city relationships, or equivalent civic partnerships. CCN activates cities that are already reaching outward.
Municipal arts councils, national cultural ministry allocations, or media board programs. Cities where culture is infrastructure, not amenity.
No active Level 3 or Level 4 US State Department travel advisory. An objective, published safety standard applied consistently — no exceptions.
Each city that meets these criteria is already doing the work. CCN is how the world finds out.
Beyond aspirational checkboxes, they are the structural criteria by which we select cities, design programs, and measure impact. Each CCN city demonstrates active commitment to at least these 5 goals before joining the network.
CCN Labs brings hands-on filmmaking and technology education to local universities and communities in every partner city — creating access to creative skills most formal education systems don't offer.
The films we screen are selected for one reason: they make you feel something about a life you've never lived, in a city you've never visited, told by a voice the world hasn't heard yet.
We embed in cities long-term — building cultural infrastructure, not staging events. Every CCN activation strengthens a city's creative economy and connections to a global network of peer cities.
Film and storytelling are instruments of peace. CCN's programming is a form of cultural diplomacy — building understanding between communities that share a screen before they share a conversation.
Every CCN city partnership is a bilateral relationship — between CCN and local universities, arts organizations, city governments, and civil society. We don't arrive; we collaborate.
Each city selected through our rigorous vetting process: university & arts infrastructure, underrepresented communities, SDG commitment, city-led international partnerships, and US State Department safety standards. Year 3 will introduce an open application process.
Miami is the founding city and operational home of CCN & MWFI. City statuses reflect current development stage, not signed agreements.
10+ years of relationships with filmmakers, festival directors, and producers across the US, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
A decade of vetted, IMDb-listed selections — shorts, features, documentaries, animation — available for partner city screenings.
Directors, producers, and cinematographers travel to the partner city for screenings, masterclasses, and panels. Real relationships built on local ground.
Films selected through CCN enter the MWFI circuit — screened in Miami, introduced to US distributors, streaming acquisitions teams, and international sales agents already in our network.
Programming can inform. Shared experience transforms. CCN Exchange pairs the host city with the film program's city of origin in food, music, and visual art.
Every CCN activation is amplified across our international network — US entertainment press, festival community media, and social channels reaching North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
CCN reports against five SDG-aligned outcome categories at the close of every city activation. Full partner KPI template available on request.
| SDG | Category | Target | Measured by |
|---|---|---|---|
04 | Education & Access | 100+ participants per cycle | Workshop registrations + completion certificates via local academic and industry partners. |
10 | Diversity & Inclusion | Min. 30% from diaspora filmmakers | Hidden Voices track selections + MWFI circuit entries originating from the partner city. |
11 | Sustainable Cities | 5+ public venues activated | Venue partnerships formalised + free public attendance tracked per event. |
16 | Peace & Partnerships | Multi-continent representation | Accreditation records + country of origin data from MWFI filmmaker network. |
17 | Global Partnerships | 10+ local titles to US market | MWFI circuit entries + documented distributor introductions via CCN network. |
100+ participants per cycle
Workshop registrations + completion certificates via local academic and industry partners.
Min. 30% from diaspora filmmakers
Hidden Voices track selections + MWFI circuit entries originating from the partner city.
5+ public venues activated
Venue partnerships formalised + free public attendance tracked per event.
Multi-continent representation
Accreditation records + country of origin data from MWFI filmmaker network.
10+ local titles to US market
MWFI circuit entries + documented distributor introductions via CCN network.
Running continuously since 2014, Miami Web Fest International has showcased IMDb-listed independent episodic content from filmmakers across 50+ countries. Annual galas at The Fillmore Miami Beach and Colony Theater on Lincoln Road. Screenings at the Wolfsonian Museum — a Smithsonian-affiliated institution. Proclaimed by the City of Sunny Isles Beach as Miami Web Fest Day, June 13, 2021.
Multi-award-winning global strategist with 20+ years guiding market expansion for organizations from startups to $100M+ revenue. South Florida's Most Powerful & Influential Business Leader, 2018. Board Chair across multiple nonprofits. Expert witness on branding for US intellectual property matters.
J.D., College of William & Mary · LL.M., International Law, University of Miami · MBA, Mason School of Business. 16 years film production, 12 years festival management. Distribution deals with Peacock, Tubi, Pluto, Hoopla, Vudu, and Crackle.
Release Manager, European Patent Office since 2002 — The Hague, Berlin, Munich. PR and Board Member, International Web Film Festival in Europe. Published essayist in philosophy, literary criticism, and politics.
Nearly four decades across energy, utility, and industrial sectors. 20 years at Shell Oil, including supply chain strategy for a $40B joint venture. Secured $125M+ in national account contracts at WESCO Distribution.
Engagement and Events Program Manager, College of Business and El Pomar Institute for Innovation, UCCS. Two decades across hospitality, entertainment, and higher education. Volunteer, Patton Veterans Project.
J.D., Mercer University · CAMS Certified. Senior Compliance Manager at FIS. Former 7-year Citi veteran — one of six designated to handle the bank's most sensitive money laundering and terrorist financing investigations.
Founder, Kristin Tomasello Foundation (2024) — inclusive educational opportunities and art programs for individuals with disabilities. Founder, Costa Sea Suncare. Disability Support NPO of the Year.
Red carpets, honorees, filmmakers, and audiences — the human energy behind every festival, lab, and summit CCN convenes.
Cinema Cities Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit sustained by individual member subscriptions & donations, institutional partners, local governments, grants, corporate sponsors — and world-class storytelling. Choose the path that fits you.
CCN Society is how individuals join the mission. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit sustained by our community, Society members are not customers — they are participants in something being built in real time.
Your annual membership connects you to CCN's full programming year: screenings, workshops, the CCN Summit, and invitations to CCN Exchange activations across culinary arts, live music, and visual arts. Choose the tier that fits where you are. Every level matters.
Community entry into the global CCN network — programming updates, CCN Fest early access, and priority CCN Labs registration.
Join at this levelDeeper access — 2 complimentary screenings, 50% off CCN Summit day pass, and member-only filmmaker events.
Join at this levelFull network access — CCN Exchange invitations across culinary, music & visual arts, filmmaker dinners, and priority Summit seating.
Join at this levelNamed in all CCN programs, international city activation invitations, private filmmaker access, and CEO annual briefing. Founding Circle by invitation.
Join at this levelCCN Society is how individuals join the mission. Members are not customers — they are participants in something being built in real time. Annual membership connects you to CCN's full programming year: screenings, workshops, the CCN Summit, and invitations to CCN Exchange activations.
Community entry into the global CCN network — programming updates, CCN Fest early access, and priority CCN Labs registration.
Confirm MembershipDeeper access — 2 complimentary screenings, 50% off CCN Summit day pass, and member-only filmmaker events.
Confirm MembershipFull network access — CCN Exchange invitations across culinary, music & visual arts, filmmaker dinners, and priority Summit seating.
Confirm MembershipNamed in all CCN programs, international city activation invitations, private filmmaker access, and CEO annual briefing. Founding Circle by invitation.
Confirm MembershipAs a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, CCN depends on donors who believe cultural diplomacy matters. Circle donors directly fund filmmaker grants through the CCN Stories Fund, underwrite city activations, and sustain free public programming. We are not a foundation with an endowment.
Annual recognition in CCN programs and website. Invitation to the CCN Exchange.
Named in all CCN program materials. Private filmmaker access. Personal correspondence from our CEO. Your gift underwrites a filmmaker's Exchange participation.
Named in programs and annual report. CCN Exchange table for two. Direct CCN leadership access. Your gift funds a full city workshop series.
Charter recognition in CCN's institutional history. Named on the Stories Fund in perpetuity. Exchange table for four. Your gift seeds the CCN Stories Fund for one city.
The CCN Stories Fund is a grant program for undiscovered filmmakers in CCN network cities. It supports short films, documentaries, and narrative features from communities whose stories are rarely centered in global media.
Founding Circle donors may designate their gift to a specific city's grant cycle. Every grant recipient enters the MWFI international filmmaker network, with pathways to festival distribution and US exposure.
When you give to the Stories Fund, a film gets made that otherwise would not.
CCN does not stage events. It builds cultural infrastructure — long-term, multi-year partnerships that embed the network's full programming into the life of a city.
Municipal governments, tourism boards, and cultural affairs agencies. Provides public venues, city co-branding, and civic communications support.
Institutions with film, media arts, or performing arts programs. Direct student pipeline into CCN Labs and festival selection.
Museums, theaters, galleries, and arts centers. Venue, audience, and curatorial partnership for Fest screenings and Exchange activations.
Organizations running grassroots music, arts, culinary, or dance programs. A direct pipeline from local talent development into CCN's global Exchange network.
CCN provides programme design, curation, the international filmmaker network, IMDb listing pipeline, 10-year archive, and full global connectivity from Day 1.
Every city we activate has talent waiting for a stage. CCN's Cultural Exchange Award builds a standing pipeline for that talent — an ongoing relationship between the selected Cinema City and the cities, universities, cultural institutions, and NGOs already developing local artists, musicians, chefs, and dancers.
Through our partners' existing programs, the best of each city's talent rises to the top. One is selected: full travel and accommodations, complete event access, and a place in one CCN activation as that edition's Cultural Exchange talent. In return, they bring their city with them — performing, cooking, exhibiting, sharing the craft that earned them the spot.
Miami doesn't just travel to one city. It carries every city that came before it.
CCN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating across an international network of cities. Corporate sponsors fund the mission directly — and reach an audience that is globally minded, culturally engaged, and largely unreachable through conventional channels.
Named partnership with the CCN Exchange culinary program — connecting restaurant groups, food & beverage brands, and hospitality companies to an international cultural audience.
Named partnership with the Exchange music activation — connecting streaming platforms, record labels, and live music venues to CCN's global creative community.
Named partnership with the Exchange visual arts component — connecting galleries, art fairs, and luxury brands to collectors, curators, and the international arts community.
Present a CCN program in a specific city — Fest, Labs, Summit, or Exchange. City-level naming rights, visibility in all activations, and direct connection to the local community.
Questions? submissions@cinemacitiesnetwork.org
Short Film · Feature · Documentary · Animation
Open to filmmakers worldwide. All languages accepted — English subtitles required.
All official selections are IMDb-listed and enter the MWFI international filmmaker network.
Varies by deadline tier. Early, regular, and late windows on FilmFreeway.
The easiest way in. Story Scouts spread the word, sharing CCN's programming and posting from local events to help grow the network's reach. No application required.
Become a Story Scout →City Hosts are CCN's presence on the ground, representing the network at local screenings and events. This role asks for consistency, so we ask a few quick questions first.
Apply to Be a City Host →Global Advocates sit closest to the work, including a seat on the Cultural Exchange Artists Awards Committee. This role is built on trust and carries a real application.
Apply for Global Advocate →Every city we open is a port. Every story we tell together is a passage toward something better.