Astoria Film Festival’s 2026 Media Production Lab programming begins this OCTOBER 3 and 4 with workforce development panels and workshops at KAUFMAN ASTORIA STUDIOS’ Zukor Theater
PRESS RELEASE: Astoria Film Festival Media Labs 2026
Astoria Film Festival Overview
Astoria Film Festival (AFF) (astoriafilmfestival.org), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports emerging filmmakers through an annual film festival and youth festival, and extensive education and workforce development programming, including workshops, internships, a Media Production Lab, media jobs, and Career Fairs, all designed to provide youth from historically-ignored communities the skills, experiences, and connections that can provide them with a stable base as they begin their careers in the media production industry.
Nina Fiore (Harvard University BA and EdM), is AFF’s Astoria-born, disabled, first-gen Founding Director. Prior to founding the nonprofit, Nina worked in production at MTV, Viacom, Sundance Film Festival, Merrill Lynch, Paramount, Noggin, Sesame Workshop, CBS, & PBS, and in after school education and youth development at Harvard Medical School, Mission Hill After School Program, Children’s Aid Society, and the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens.
Astoria Film Festival works to create a solid foundation for youth who have traditionally been excluded from film & media by creating work for them and paying a living wage that allows for stability, creativity, and a supportive community during the most precarious time of a young artist’s life – the beginning!
Astoria Youth Film Festival Media Production Labs
Each year since 2021, AFF runs a Media Production Lab, our Workforce Development/ Career Exploration programs featuring Master Classes, Lectures, Workshops, and Media Production Experiences, intended to empower NYC Residents between the ages of 16 and 30, especially those from historically-ignored communities, providing them with essential skills, hands-on experience, and valuable connections, so they can pursue industry careers in film/tv/digital media production.
Disabled, Neurodivergent, and/or ELL youth are also welcome in the Labs. AFF Founding Director Nina Fiore says “We don’t like to separate youth into “special programs” since our goal is to increase inclusion and representation. Participants can let us know what accommodations they need and we will do our best to meet them.”
This year, the lab classes will be offered ala carte so participants sign up for the classes they want to take. There is an Opening Career Weekend on Oct 3 and 4 in person at Kaufman Astoria Studios’ Zukor Theater and then participants can choose to continue to take classes along various paths including Filmmaking (Producing/Directing), Entertainment Marketing, and Media Career Exploration.
Official Sponsor Spotlight: Marketing Macabre
Astoria Film Festival is proud to highlight its long-standing partnership with Marketing Macabre, a premier boutique horror public relations and digital marketing firm founded by industry veteran Michael Joy. As an official sponsor of the festival, Marketing Macabre champions independent genre cinema by providing the “Best Horror” category winners with a complimentary, specialized media marketing and press package. Winners receive custom press release distribution across prominent horror media outlets, trade publications, and the IMDb news desk, helping emerging horror filmmakers build momentum, establish their brand, and gain vital visibility within the entertainment industry.
Funding and Partners
THE AFFMEDIA LABS are funded partially by grants from Flushing Town Hall and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and partially by the generosity of our partners Kaufman Astoria Studios, Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens, Canon USA, Gotham Sound, Samansa, Marketing Macabre, Nana’s Lighting Co, and MiniKorn who offer Space, Master Classes, Prizes, and Workshops. The rest is subsidized by the Astoria Film Festival.
AFFLAB2026 LINEUP
Opening Weekend:
Sat Oct 3 and Sun Oct 4, 2026
10am-5pm
at Kaufman Astoria Studios’ Zukor Theater
SAT OCT 3
10-11:45am – WORKSHOP: Gotham Sound. Sound Mixing
12-1:30pm MASTER CLASS: Director/DP Frank Sun. The Filmmaking Process
1:45-3:15pm PANEL: ON SET CAREERS
Frank Sun – Director and DP for both Independent and Commercial projects
Christopher Opopo- Costume Designer
Tisa Howard – Makeup Designer & Department Head
Jules Rico – AC/Camera Op
Kingsley-Wynn Ukuku – Production Assistant, Marvel Studios
Pete Romano or Nina Fiore – moderator
3:30-5pm – PANEL: MEDIA CAREERS
Stefanie Malachi, MA, CSM, PMI-ACP – Senior Project Manager at NBCU News Group Digital
Ed Kulzer, Emmy-Winning Senior Editor Sesame Workshop
Mariana Díaz-Wionczek, PhD – Children’s Media Producer & Advisor
Eddie Soto Creative Director, Digital Marketing at ABC, Disney, MTV
Gibran Saleem, Filmmaker/Screenwriter
Nina Fiore – Moderator
SUN OCT 4
10am-12pm – WORKSHOP: Filmmaking Basics -Camera Shots/Angles/Movement + Pitching and Promotions with Nina Fiore, Astoria Film Festival Founder
12:30-2:30pm WORKSHOP: Intro to Gaffing&Grip (G&E) with Nana’s Lighting Company
3-5pm – WORKSHOP (sponsored by CANON USA): Camera Sound and Lighting Equipment Drills
FILMMAKING LAB SERIES:
SAT OCT 3 & SUN OCT 4 – The Zukor Theater (filmmaking basics and industry connections)
WED OCT 7 & WED OCT 14: 6:30-7:30PM IN ZOOM Pre-Production Meetings
SAT OCT 17 AND SUN OCT 18: 10AM-2PM: FILMING (AT VARIETY)
MARKETING LAB SERIES:
SAT OCT 3 & SUN OCT 4 – The Zukor Theater (filmmaking basics and industry connections)
WED OCT 7 7:30-8:30pm ET Entertainment Marketing Intro IN ZOOM with Daniela Camargo
WED OCT 21 7:30-8:30pm ET IN ZOOM Pitching a Series – Bryan Korn, Emmy/Annie/BAFTA-Winning Animation Producer
WED OCT 28: 6:30-7:30PM ET IN ZOOM Assistance with Creating a personal Pitch Deck and Social Strategy – Nina Fiore
WED NOV 4:7:30-8:30pm ET IN ZOOM Bryan Korn, Emmy/Annie/BAFTA-Winning Animation Producer
WED NOV 11: 6:30-7:30PM ET IN ZOOM Assistance with Creating a personal Pitch Deck and Social Strategy – Nina Fiore
MEDIA CAREER ZOOMS
WEDNESDAYS 7:30-8:30pm ET
OCT 7 Entertainment Marketing- Daniela Camargo
OCT 14 Media Development and Distribution – Yunah Chung
OCT 21 Editing – Emmy-Winning Editor John Gill
OCT 28 Artist Representation – Halle Mariner, Filmmaker Agent
NOV 4 Pitching a Series – Bryan Korn, Emmy/Annie/BAFTA-Winning Animation Producer
WED NOV 18 HR/Recruitment – Rosalie Vitale-Alava, FMR Warner Bros
Registration begins September 1.
More information, including how to register for Lab Events, can be found at https://www.astoriafilmfestival.org/medialab
