ILLUMINATE Film Festival Announces Star-Studded Industry Hive Day for 2025 Festival

April 3, 2025 | Santa Barbara, CA

Visionaries Gather to Shape the Future of Conscious Cinema

The ILLUMINATE Film Festival, the world’s premier event for conscious cinema, is proud to announce its groundbreaking Industry Hive Day, set to take place on May 1, 2025, at the IFF Hub (28 Vic) in Santa Barbara. This full-day industry summit will bring together visionary filmmakers, producers, distribution experts, impact producers, and media changemakers dedicated to nurturing the emerging conscious media movement.

“We created Industry Hive Day to give conscious storytellers real tools and real connections in an industry that is rapidly shifting,” said Kia Kiso, Interim Executive Director of the ILLUMINATE Film Festival. “These aren’t just panels—they’re conversations that move projects forward and bring purpose-driven storytelling to life.”

Powerful Keynotes from Industry Leaders

The event will feature keynote addresses from two influential voices in the industry:

  • Chaz Ebert, publisher of RogerEbert.com and author of “It’s Time to Give a Feck,” who will speak on films as “empathy generators” and how media can transform compassion into action.
  • Sheva Carr, Co-Director at HeartMath Healthcare, who will share leading-edge neuroscience about how filmmakers and audiences can create movie experiences that serve as “meaningful medicine for the evolution of our souls.”

Additionally, Emanuel Kuntzelman, founder of the Holomovement, will deliver a special talk on inspiring viewers to move from awareness to action. Rooted in science and spirituality, the Holomovement is a global community-driven initiative dedicated to awakening interconnectedness and catalyzing collaborative action for the greater good.

Transformative Panel Discussions

The day-long summit will feature two major panel discussions designed to address crucial industry challenges:

Heart Meets Market: Meeting the Moment with Stories that Matter

This panel will explore the disconnect between rising audience demand for mindfulness and transformational content and what is actually being greenlit by industry gatekeepers.

Panelists include:

  • Terra Joy (Roadmap Writers)
  • Marisa Polvino (The Nohoba Group)
  • Dr. Dana Klisanin (Evolutionary Guidance Media R&D)
  • Moderated by Kia Kiso

Inner Transformation for Outer Activation: Leveraging Your Distribution and Impact Campaign

This discussion will examine how filmmakers can design their distribution and impact strategies to address both personal growth and social change.

Speakers include:

  • Chris Lane (Joint Venture)
  • Kelly Noonan Gores (Producer of “HEAL”)
  • Keith Ochwat (Show&Tell Films)
  • Devon Dansky (Impact Producer)
  • Moderated by Corinne Bourdeau (360 Degree Communications)

Illuminating Case Studies from Filmmakers

The program will also feature case studies from filmmakers at various stages of their projects:

  • Director Soraya Simi will discuss her award-winning documentary “Row of Life” and its journey through the festival circuit.
  • Writer and filmmaker Peter Rader will share insights on developing their short “Suffering Into Gold” into a feature.
  • Sarah Drew and Vilina Malka, Co-Executive Producers, will present their vision for adapting the feminist fantasy novel “Gaia Codex” into a television series and media platform.

Supporting the Next Wave of Conscious Media

This year’s Industry Hive Day is made possible by a generous grant from NewStories, an organization that supports humanity to move beyond old paradigms to embrace greater wholeness as individuals and cultivate a compassionate, conscious relationship with Earth and all life.

The Industry Hive Pass, which provides access to all panels, presentations, and networking opportunities, is available now as an add-on to festival passes.

Creating a Platform for Purpose-Driven Storytelling

In an industry often dominated by profit-driven decision making, the ILLUMINATE Industry Hive Day stands as a vital gathering space for filmmakers committed to stories that matter. The day is designed not just for information sharing, but for meaningful connection and collaboration that can help propel conscious media into the mainstream.

For filmmakers navigating the challenges of bringing transformative content to audiences, the guidance and networking opportunities provided by Industry Hive Day represent invaluable resources in an evolving media landscape.

The ILLUMINATE Film Festival runs May 1-4, 2025, in Santa Barbara, followed by a virtual festival from May 5-11, 2025. To purchase passes, visit illuminatefilmfestival.com/buy-passes 

About ILLUMINATE Film Festival

ILLUMINATE is the world’s leading festival for conscious film and media. Dedicated to elevating human consciousness and inspiring lasting personal, social and planetary transformation, ILLUMINATE showcases ground-breaking narrative and documentary films featuring inspirational human journey stories and themes related to consciousness, earth stewardship, whole-body healing and wellness, science and spirituality, social change and human potential.

Contact Information:
 Mari Angulo
 PR, ILLUMINATE Film Festival
 mari@illuminatefilmfestival.com