{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"What Sundance & TIFF Programmers Are Really Looking For","description":"Ever wondered how festival programmers decide which films make the cut? For our first episode of 2026, I'm joined by two incredible women who've been shaping the landscape of independent cinema for over a decade. Ana Souza has been with Sundance Film Festival for 10 years, working alongside some of the most exciting independent filmmakers in the world. Diana Cadavid is currently Director of Industry Programs for the Latino Film Institute (LFI) in Los Angeles, and International Programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) She helped build IFF Panama's programming department from scratch. In this conversation, we break down: \u2192 The REAL selection process (spoiler: it's not about who you know) \u2192 How to map your premiere status strategy BEFORE you finish your film \u2192 The big film\/small film balance that keeps festivals alive (and why you should stop resenting those studio movies) \u2192 Distribution in the post-COVID era: why the all-night bidding wars are gone, but deals are still happening \u2192 Why attending festivals WITHOUT a film might be the smartest career move you can make \ud83d\udd17 READ MY SUBSTACK - The History of Film Festivals: [https:\/\/angleonproducers.substack.com\/] \ud83c\udf99\ufe0f LISTEN TO THE SHOW Spotify: https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/6UBux9R... iTunes: https:\/\/apple.co\/3FDyhmC JOIN THE AOP COMMUNITY   \/ carolinagroppa   |   \/ angleonproducers   \ud83d\udcf1 TikTok: \/   \/ carolina_groppa   \ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb\u200d\ud83d\udcbb LinkedIn: \/ bit.ly\/2BqHs8L ","author_name":"Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa","author_url":"http:\/\/www.angleonproducers.com","html":"