On January 23rd, Open Video Alliance will co-present the Filmmaker Summit at the Slamdance Film Festival. The mission of the Filmmaker Summit is to jointly craft a new charter for filmmaking, storytelling and content distribution, with and by the global filmmaking community.

Summit speakers include Peter Baxter (founder of Slamdance and filmmaker); directors Steven Soderbergh and Jamie King; Brian Newman (CEO Tribeca Film Institute); and Lance Weiler (filmmaker and founder of WorkBook Project), among others. The Summit will run in real-time in Park City and online at slamdance.com/summit. You can also tune in from home, and a number of institutions (including USC and Columbia University) will be offering live screenings. To register, and for more details, check out slamdance.com/summit. Registration is 100% free.

The really interesting part, though, is that OVA and the WorkBook Project are inviting you to set the agenda for the summit. Check out discussion.workbookproject.com to participate in a broad discussion about the future of independent media and filmmaking.

The Filmmaker Summit is a reaction to an independent film industry that is currently in turmoil—how can the global filmmaking community better understand the web? What opportunities are afforded by new technology and democratization of new tools and processes? Sustainable independent filmmaking is no longer about the production alone: instead, it’s about how filmmakers must take charge of reaching and engaging worldwide audiences across all viewing platforms.

We continue to embrace the democratization of media technology as an empowering force for filmmakers around the world. Stay tuned for more details on the Summit and how to participate as the festival draws nearer.

The Summit is co-organized by the Workbook Project, Slamdance, and OVA, with the generous support of IndieFlix, XMission, and Flumotion.