Filmmakers discuss balancing creative vision at Xposure
Titled 'Balancing Art and Commerce in Direction, the session featured panelists Glenn Gainor, Franklin Leonard, Neel Kumar, and Danielle Arden, and moderated by film creative Bjoern Lauen, who shed light on the financial realities of filmmaking and the evolving global landscape of storytelling.
Gainor is a veteran producer with decades of studio experience at places like Amazon MGM and Sony Pictures. Leonard is a writer and founder of Black List, an online platform dedicated to identifying screen-adaptable content; Arden is a theatre writer and actor-turned-filmmaker; while Kumar is a filmmaker, writer and storyteller with acclaimed short films under his belt.
'Film requires a significant amount more capital to execute than most other art forms,' said Leonard. 'The first question any filmmaker should ask is: 'Is this a story best told in this medium?' Because if it's better suited as a novel or a podcast, those options are far less capital-intensive.'
Kumar shared his own journey raising funds for his first feature film. 'I knocked on 72 doors before I found someone willing to put in half the budget if I could match it. That process changed how I approached filmmaking. Now, I see it as my responsibility as a writer-director-producer to make my films commercially viable.'
Gainor recounted a striking experience at a major studio. 'I once had a project where the director's vision and the studio president's expectations for the budget were worlds apart. It was my job to figure out, which movie are we making? There was a $20 million difference between the two pitches. Filmmakers need to understand that balancing budgets and creative ambition is part of the job.'
Leonard highlighted the need for filmmakers to develop leadership skills alongside artistic ones. 'At the end of the day, filmmaking is a collaborative medium. You're not just an artist: you're a leader, managing people's time, money, and trust,' he explained.
Craft, storytelling and global film markets
The panel also examined the changing landscape of global cinema and the rising prominence of non-Hollywood narratives. 'Hollywood has long acted like it's the centre of the film world, but in reality, it's just local content about America,' said Leonard. 'Now, audiences have access to everything: Korean dramas, Arabic cinema, Bollywood films. What matters is not where a story comes from, but whether it resonates universally.'
On advice for emerging filmmakers, Leonard offered a simple but profound takeaway. 'If your script is so compelling that it makes someone rush to tell every person they know about it, then you're on the right track.'
Arden, speaking from a regional perspective, noted that the Middle East is at a turning point. 'More than ever, we're seeing interest in stories from this region, not just from local filmmakers but also expats who call this place home. The industry is shifting, and the world is starting to pay attention to what's coming out of the Middle East.'
Organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) Xposure 2025 is taking place in Aljada, Sharjah until February 26. To plan your visit, see
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