Happy Thursday, Creative Army!

The Cannes Film Festival in France is right around the corner!

For those of you who missed it, we recently announced the official Cannes 2026 Stage 32 events schedule and partnerships right HERE on the Stage 32 Blog.

Being involved each year in coordinating industry-leading panels with remarkable expert panelists from all over the world is one of our greatest honors and pleasures. This year, we're particularly proud of the panel that we've put together in the FilmUSA Pavilion, and we can't wait to present it to Cannes attendees.

If you're going to be at Cannes, RSVP. If you're not making the trip, share these with someone who is. These rooms fill up.

Below, you can read all the details about the panels and the incredible panelists leading the conversations!

Thursday, May 14th- 4:00 pm -Cannes Marche du Film Main Stage in the Palais

Panel: Women in Film - Building Collective Power

How women across the Industry shape influence in Film | Presented by Yes She Cannes in partnership with E2AC

Bringing together women working across the film industry, this panel explores how each is building their own pathway to influence, from education and community to storytelling and industry leadership, offering real insight into shaping your own path in film.

HOSTED BY: YES SHE CANNES

Yes She Cannes is an organisation supporting women attending the Cannes Film Festival, delivering curated panels, events, and networking opportunities. Through its international She Squad community, it brings together creatives and industry professionals to foster connection, collaboration, and visibility during the festival.

Moderator: Faith Elizabeth, CEO & Founder of Yes She Cannes, Director/Producer of Faithful Films

Panelists:

• Amanda Toney, Managing Director, Stage 32
• Sara Hamilton, Head of Global Partnerships & Impact Strategy, E2ACxGreenlit
• Guneet Monga Kapoor, CEO & Producer, Sikhya Entertainment, Founder of WIF India
• Maria Hundsnes-Shevtsova, Co-Founder and VP, DISAUTHORITY

Partnered with: Entertainment to Affect Change

Entertainment 2 Affect Change (E2AC) is a non-profit organisation producing impact-driven film, digital, and live content. It collaborates with creators and partners to develop stories that entertain, engage, educate, and inspire, supporting underserved health and social communities.

To RSVP: Click Here!

Saturday, May 16th- 3:00 pm - FilmUSA Pavilion

Panel: The Industry Reset - How Independent Films are Getting Made in 2026

The market has shifted and the rules have changed. Cannes Palme d’or nominated producers, filmmakers, and talent break down what’s actually selling, how films are getting financed, and what’s moving the needle globally. Get real insight into today’s film economy - and what it takes to get projects made now.

Moderator: Amanda Toney, Stage 32

Panelists:

• Daniel Bekerman, Oscar and Cannes Palme d’or Nominated Producer
• Tiffany Boyle, Cannes Palme d’or Nominated Producer and President, Packaging & Sales, Ramo Law
• Richard “RB” Botto, Producer, Screenwriter, CEO, Stage 32
• Tonia Sotiropoulou, Actor (SKYFALL:007), Producer

To RSVP: Click Here!

Meet Our Expert Moderators & Panelists:

Faith Elizabeth, CEO & Founder of Yes She Cannes, Director/Producer of Faithful Films

Faith Elizabeth is the Founder of Yes She Cannes, a global platform supporting women at Cannes through community, education, and visibility. She is also a director and producer, currently developing her debut feature, a dark mermaid fantasy set in Italy, The Trabocchi Tails: Asrai, while her horror short Granny DJ enters its festival run.

Amanda Toney - Managing Director, Stage 32

As Managing Director for Stage 32, Amanda oversees operations and partnerships for the global business. She has produced over 3,000 hours of online education created exclusively for Stage 32 and works with hundreds of entertainment industry executives from around the world to serve as educators and mentors. She has spearheaded partnerships with such prestigious organizations as Netflix, the Cannes Film Festival Marché du Film, Canon, American Film Market, SXSW, Austin Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Hollyshorts Film Festival, PGA, WGA and DGA, as well as brands such as AT&T, Peerspace, Pond5, Mandy, Bondit Media Capital and her personal favorite partnership, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which is the official vodka of Stage 32.

As a television producer, she sold a scripted series to Amblin Television, which she attached an A-list showrunner from an Apple show. She also sold a premium unscripted show to USA. As a film producer, Amanda has worked on Alix for Catlyst Studios filmed in Columbia, Paradise Falls: A Christmas Story filmed in Costa Rica, the psychological thriller What Lies Ahead starring Rumer Willis and Emma Dumont, Metaphorms, a Hungarian film, which premiered at the Raindance Film Festival and Dolphin Girl which premiered at the Oscar qualifying Hollyshorts Film Festival. She has also helped incubate Chick Fight, starring Malin Akerman, Alec Baldwin, and Bella Thorne, and 10-31, which is being produced by Eli Roth and Orion Pictures. She is an Executive Producer on Vagic with Amy Baer at Gidden Media, as well as My Clone's an A*Hole with National Lampoon.

Amanda has spoken all over the world at the Cannes Film Festival (France), Venice Film Festival (Italy), American Film Market (US), Hollyshorts Film Festival (US), Raindance Film Festival (UK), Hamburg Film Fest (Germany), Trinidad & Tobago Film Commission (Trinidad), Fest Festival (Portugal), Black Nights Film Festival (Estonia) and Harvard (US) on the business of the entertainment industry.

Sara Hamilton - Head of Global Partnerships & Impact Strategy, E2ACxGreenlit

Sara Hamilton is Head of Global Partnerships & Impact Strategy at E2AC x Greenlit and an award-winning producer and strategist. With 25+ years across film, media and live events, she builds international partnerships that connect creators, funders and organisations to drive commercially successful, impact-led storytelling.

Guneet Monga Kapoor - CEO & Producer, Sikhya Entertainment, Founder of WIF India

Guneet Monga Kapoor is an Academy Award-winning producer and founder of Sikhya Entertainment. Her films, including The Lunchbox, Masaan, The Elephant Whisperers and Kill, have shaped Indian cinema globally. She also founded Women in Film India to support the next generation of producers.

Maria Hundsnes-Shevtsova - Co-Founder and VP, DISAUTHORITY

Maria Hundsnes-Shevtsova is Co-Founder and VP of DISAUTHORITY, a London-based boutique post house. With a background in high-end fiction short form, she is now in post for her debut feature producing title Sticks & Stones, a supernatural thriller exploring the lasting impact of silencing women’s testimonies.

Maria Soccor - Actor, Filmmaker, Founder of Maria Soccor Productions

Maria Soccor is an award-winning director, actress, and founder of Maria Soccor Productions. Known for Lords of BSV, she co-founded REEL Women and advocates for sustainable filmmaking and women through storytelling, mentorship, and global collaborations across narrative, documentary, and immersive media.

Richard Botto - Producer, Screenwriter, CEO, Stage 32

Richard "RB" Botto has created the online platform and marketplace designed to democratize the entertainment industry, Stage 32. By leveling the playing field for all film, television and digital content creators and professionals worldwide, Stage 32 provides networking and training opportunities as well as direct access beyond the gatekeepers.

RB is also a producer whose films have played at dozens of festivals around the world including the Sundance-award-winning feature Another Happy Day, written and directed by Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. He was on the producing team of What Lies Ahead starring Rumer Willis and Emma Dumont, Alix based in Columbia, Paradise Falls based in Costa Rica and Rain Beau’s End starring Ed Asner and Sean Young. He is the Executive Producer on projects with Gidden Media and National Lampoon. Through Stage 32 he has helped incubate Chick Fight, starring Malin Akerman and Alec Baldwin, produced by Yale Productions and Ramo Law, and 10-31, produced by Eli Roth and Orion Pictures, and Crushed on Tubi.

As a working writer, RB sold his original television series to a mini-major studio and attached an A-list showrunner from Apple at the helm. He works on active writing assignments and has sold two feature film scripts.

As an actor, he began his career as a theater actor in New York, and his latest film, On the Corner of Ego and Desire premiered at the Raindance Film Festival.

Additionally, RB's #1 best-selling book Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, was published by Routledge under the American Film Market Presents banner, is available on Amazon and Audible, where it has garnered over 100 5-star reviews.

RB has been a keynote speaker and panelist all over the world at such festivals and conferences as the Cannes Film Festival (France), American Film Market (US), Tribeca Film Festival (US), Austin Film Festival (US), SXSW (US), Cinequest (US), Winston Baker (US), Hollyshorts Film Festival (US), Raindance Film Festival (UK), Hamburg Film Fest (Germany), Trinidad & Tobago Film Commission (Trinidad), Fest Festival (Portugal), Black Nights Film Festival (Estonia) and Harvard (US) on the business of the entertainment industry.

Daniel Bekerman - Oscar and Cannes Palme d’Or Nominated Producer

Daniel Bekerman is a producer based in Canada with broad experience in creative producing, financing and service production. Recent production The Apprentice was Oscar nominated and an official selection of the Festival de Cannes Palme d’or; The Witch, a US/Canada co-production, won the Best Director Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and made major sales to Universal and A24; and Bang Bang Baby, a musical directed by Cannes Residency alumnus Jeffrey St. Jules, starring Jane Levy, Justin Chatwin and Peter Stormare, won the Best First Feature Film Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival and Canadian Screen Awards. Pay the Ghost, directed by Uli Edel and starring Nicolas Cage, was recently released theatrically across the world.

Tiffany Boyle - Cannes Palme d’or Nominated Producer and President, Packaging & Sales, Ramo Law

For more than 10 years, Tiffany Boyle has leveraged her business-oriented sales and packaging skills to bring hundreds of films and documentaries to fruition. Through her critical review of content and strategic use of Ramo Law resources, Tiffany creates successful content packaging that bridges the needs of both client and industry demands.

Tiffany connects filmmakers with producers, co-producers, executive producers, co-finance partners, distributors, agencies, and other industry representatives. Her film OH CANADA was nominated for the Cannes Palme d’or. She has brought in financing or leading sales on films such as Paul Schrader's ”The Card Counter,” Executive Produced ”Joyland,” the first official Pakistani selection in the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, and serviced financing and sales on romantic crime ”Die in a Gunfight”; she led the sales and packaging for “Initiation” (SXSW 2020) and ”One of These Days” (Berlin 2020); and she recently served as Executive Producer on films including, ”Line of Duty” starring Aaron Eckhart, bringing in financing in post, “Chick Fight,” which she developed from the script stage, brought in the producer, director and half of the financing, “Mama Bears,” where she brought in financial donations to the film as well as WME to represent and find distribution for the film, and “Borderland” starring Felicity Jones, currently in post-production.

Experienced with project budgets ranging from micro-sized to $30 million, Tiffany has helped to establish and expand high-value sales and packaging resources, uniquely accessed outside of the traditional management company and agency model, since joining Ramo Law in 2009. With this experience, she has been able to help foreign production companies and investors create a foothold in the US marketplace.

Tonia Sotiropoulou, Actor (SKYFALL:007), Producer

Tonia Sotiropoulou is a Greek actress and producer working across international and European cinema. Her credits include collaborations with directors such as Sam Mendes, Peter Strickland, and Palme d’Or–winning filmmaker Vasilis Kekatos. She has worked on over 35 films and TV shows and is currently developing projects as a producer, with a focus on globally-driven independent film.

A Quick Word Before You Go...

If you're attending Cannes, don't be a stranger! Come to the panels and events to see us and say, "hi" in person! If you're not, make sure you’re following along with me on Instagram and X @rbwalksintoabar. I'll be sharing insights, motivation, and key takeaways with the Stage 32 community.

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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