Ethos Film Festival & The Power of Purpose-Driven Cinema

Anabelle Munro is an award-winning writer, producer, director, and singer and owner of Blue Boots Productions whose creative work spans film and music with a deep commitment to socially conscious storytelling.

She is the creator and manager of the Ethos Film Festival, a festival designed to celebrate films that embody integrity, purpose, and artistic excellence. Through Ethos, Anabelle has built a space where independent filmmakers can showcase their work in an environment that values meaningful cinema, thoughtful dialogue, and creative collaboration.

Her leadership reflects both artistic passion and entrepreneurial spirit — qualities every independent filmmaker must cultivate.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

This episode of The Art of Film Funding celebrates the Ethos Film Festival in Santa Monica, California, a festival honoring meaningful, purpose-driven cinema. So join a community of filmmakers who believe stories can inspire change. Learn more and submit your film.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Hi, this is Claire, and every week Carol Dean and I explore the strategies, courage, and clarity it takes to bring independent films into the world and to get them seen. Today's conversation is especially meaningful because it sits at the intersection of purpose, community, and visibility. We all know that making a film is only part of the journey. The next challenge is finding the right home for it, a place where your work is understood, honored, and elevated. That's why I'm excited to introduce you to a festival that is doing exactly that. The Ethos Film Festival is more than a screening event, it's a gathering of filmmakers who care about impact, artistry, and connection. And today we're speaking with the woman behind it. Annabelle Munro is an award-winning writer, producer, director, and singer, and owner of Blue Boots Productions, whose creative work spans film and music with a deep commitment to socially conscious storytelling. She's the creator and manager of the Ethos Film Festival, a festival designed to celebrate films that embody integrity, purpose, and artistic excellence. Through Ethos, Annabelle has built a space where independent filmmakers can showcase their work in an environment that values meaningful cinema, thoughtful dialogue, and creative collaboration. Her leadership reflects both artistic passion and entrepreneurial spirit, qualities every independent filmmaker must cultivate. And Carol, I know you have some very good questions for Annabelle today.

SPEAKER_02 2:29

Yes, I do, Claire. And Annabelle, first of all, welcome to the Art of Film Funding.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me here today.

SPEAKER_02 2:39

I have some questions because we have an audience of filmmakers who are going to love your information. So let's start with what inspired you to create the Ethos Film Festival. What do you think was missing in the landscape that you felt called to build it?

SPEAKER_00 3:00

So I'm a filmmaker myself, and I come from the European theater tradition originally. And I was always absolutely inspired by the sacred art of storytelling. So that's what that was the origins for me to experience theater and then film. What I loved about film is that we can just leave a longer footprint with the sacred art of storytelling instead of the smaller production in front of a live audience. And so my dream was to do what I did on stage in film. And as I went on the journey to execute that, I noticed, wait a second, that's actually not the same type of industry. And there's already the magical word, uh, the word entertainment industry, where the market rules, especially outside of a smaller country like Germany, where films are subsidized, right? Um where the rules are quite different because you have to focus on getting the funding and selling, and there are certain genres that sell a lot better than the artsy deep uh films that I wanted to make, and it was a very frustrating journey for me to always trying to sneak in the healing bits, uh very much tucked away in the horror, right? That everybody would recommend I should make first because horror is the best-selling genre, and that's the easiest way to get the funding. So I made a little meaningful horror that was uh actually spiritual of nature, and um I won this film festival, Action on Film. He saw exactly what I was doing and put me on the map with his film festival. Del Weston was the man's name, Action on Film Festival. And as a result of that, he gifted me a film festival under his big film festival umbrella. The festival was 18 years old. And um, I said, Del, that is amazing. So, since I get my own festival, can it be totally different than yours, please? Because yours is all about action, and I want to build a platform for filmmakers who are like me who are still holding on to wanting to make the world a better place with their film, first and foremost, not as an afterthought. And he said, Go for it, and so that's that was the birth of ethos. Um and then unfortunately in 2021, my dear mentor and friend passed away, and I was without a house, so to say. And um, I realized now it's time to bring the festival home and do what Dell did. So I created Ethos Film Awards as a hub for uh my own filmmaker community, the which I call the purpose-driven filmmaker community, and um a few sub-festivals that would have a hard time to survive. There was conquering disabilities with film, for example, that I took with me. Amazing, worthy, worthy filmmakers of all abilities. So we collaborated and um have been around ever since. Yeah, that was the inspiration. It was a gift, it came from from God, I would say was a gift from God.

SPEAKER_02 6:50

Isn't that wonderful? This is exactly what is important in the film world to have someone who gets gets it, who respects you and gives you an opportunity. I think that's wonderful. So tell us what the word etho means, and how do you define the spirit or the values behind your festival?

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Yeah, so that it was a great journey trying to find the right name, the original name of the festival given to me by Dell Weston was Annabelle Monroe's most important films and scripts in the world. And I was like, oh my god, Dell, that is not a good name for the festival. First of all, I don't want my name in there. This already gives me the shudders, and then it's so long. So I had to use all these acronyms to try to deal with it. And then when um he passed away, I had a meeting with my best friends and collaborators, and we were really hovering over what there has to be a short name, that's for sure. After this long name. And um, what do we really want to do here? We want to tell purpose-driven stories, we want to support purpose-driven filmmakers. There's a heavy spiritual element in there without being religious, it's all about you know, why are we here? What can we do to help each other? And then the Greek word ethos came to mind, which is um a word that I think everybody can relate to, purpose. Why are we here? Why are we here on this planet? And yeah, for for us storytellers, how can we how can we hold on to this uh dreamy, dreamy wish of accomplishing that with our films in this really tough, cut and dry, sometimes pretty sharky market environment. Yeah, so ethos seemed to be the right fit.

SPEAKER_02 8:56

It appears Absolutely. And it was it is purpose-driven. You're way ahead of everybody else. This is marvelous. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00 9:07

Thank you. I always feel like, in a way, it has been around forever, but there has not been a community that is solely focused on the content of the films. Like the other film festivals that I went to, they have these films as well, but they are still being judged by criteria that doesn't really they don't really apply to the film. They are judged by the cinematography, they are judged by the sound, director. There's a lot of vanity awards, I call it. And we got rid of all of them and just focus on the themes. So we would have awards like human connection or um achievements in technology, more like the Nobel Prize. We we were looking at their criteria and categories and wanted to make a clear distinction that we don't do best actor or something like that.

SPEAKER_02 10:05

Right. Well, uh tell us what types of films that you're most excited to program for April 2026. Are there specific genres, themes, or storytelling approaches that resonate most strongly?

SPEAKER_00 10:21

Absolutely. So we have a really healthy mix of fiction and documentary. I'm very proud of that because you would assume that purpose-driven is only documentaries, but um, I truly believe as a filmmaker that ideally we have a film that is a blockbuster. Because if you have an ethical storyteller that wants to heal the world with the story, and that movie gets seen around the globe in the cinemas by families, how powerful is that? So we always nurture that we have these two genres, and we have long format and short format, and we make a great effort as well to be for all generations. I think that, for example, the children are very important. We have a little sub-festival called Ethos Kids because we want to train young storytellers and creators, you know, your work matters, and we don't want to frown and oh yeah, that's that's made by the kids. And there can be great collaboration between children and adults, and then also for students, we've always collaborated with colleges because they are the next ones. And let me tell you, all my collaborations with students I learned so much because they're just sitting right there at the cusp of the new emerging technology. They know all the trends, they are hungry, they are fired up. So we we cater to students as well, and then to independent filmmakers of all ages, and to the very, very professional Academy Award-winning filmmakers as well. It's a really vibrant mix, and then also the all-inclusive. And last but not least, when I say of all ages, this year I um made a big uh effort in creating a partnership with Emeritus, which is a Santa Monica College um part for the students over 50, right? It's like a non-credit program. And they have amazing people there that are often overlooked. And uh, truth be told, I gave away one best actress award as well, uh, even though normally we don't do that, uh, and that was for a 75-year-old actress, because we really wanted to put a highlight on what pearls are usually pushed a little bit to the outskirts in the festival industry and give them a platform that's totally equalized, you know, where everybody is seen as their full person. There's no judgment how old you are or how young you are or how new you are in the industry or how many awards you you have. It is really about how much you reveal your heart and your skill as well.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

This is so wonderful. Thank you very much. Um I one of my board members uh graduated from that adult class at Santa Monica College. It's amazing what she learned in that school. So they are brilliant teachers. Right. And and your um kids, the ethos kids, uh, from the heart will make a donation just to that, I'll tell you. I so appreciate this because the kids are the future and and they need to be recognized early. Just that pat on the back can create the next Spikely or Spielberg, they're all out there. It's just up to people like you and from the heart to find them.

SPEAKER_00 14:19

Yeah, it's also so interesting. For me, it's so rewarding to see what children submit, you know, what kind of topics, especially if there's a serious one coming along. Um, yeah, it's often so different to what we as the adults think goes on in little children's minds, or where is the world going? What are the great anxieties and how do they feel about it? So it's amazing to see what comes from the actual kids who have figured out hey, with storytelling, I can actually be heard.

SPEAKER_02 14:55

Yes. Exactly. Oh, that's brilliant. So last year when I attended, I was really pleased with the caliber of the people on your seminars. You put the top Hollywood people in your seminars, people that I couldn't meet anywhere except through an intimate festival like Ethos. So tell us about the seminars and the panels and the educational opportunities available during this festival.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Yeah, this year we're trying something new. Usually I've always interspersed the panels with screenings, but I felt that always, for example, the writers were a little bit underserved because with screenings, I don't know, I just felt I would love to have a table read, but they don't fit in a theater. It's not the right setting. So this year I've reserved um the 22nd and the 23rd two entire days just for educational panels, specifically for writers. I have a lot of writing uh submissions this year as well to give them the platform. And my process is usually what, because I am a filmmaker, I'm always thinking from that side what is most helpful for people to do in a panel? Because it's not effective if somebody's sitting up there and just talking, talking, talking. You don't get any inside scoop, you don't walk away with a new connection or new solutions for the problems that you have. So um we are starting. Sheila LeFay is a teacher at Emeritus um PhD and multi-award-winning filmmaker herself. I've put a panel together with her and with six-time Emmy winner Joseph Rosendo, and very likely Nitin Patel, who is a teacher at Cal State and also part of the Hollywood Climate Summit, which is the environmentally, as it says in the name, focused festival. And the conversation on that panel will be about how impact storytelling is a multi-generational effort, right? Because we have to move away from thinking project-based with big topics like this, and get the mindset really on collaboration and that people have inspiration to reach out to mentors, right? Like at the Emeritus, we have so many, like the person who is my liaison there, Todd, he used to be the president of the television academy. And the he was on the board of the BAFTA, the British Film Awards, right? These people are left, right, and center to bump into, but you wouldn't usually not have the idea to say, Oh, would you maybe like to mentor me or do you have advice, right? So that's what I want to create with with that particular panel. And so we will first watch a few environmentally focused shorts that hit, you know, that have hit that fine um balance of telling a story that can create a lasting impact and it's multi-generational. And then we hear the experts, and they also, because Joseph, for example, the six-time Emmy winner, he knows all about the ins and outs with PBS, you know, and Sheila, she has produced and helped distribute so many films and knows how to get grants for environmental films. And even though it's environmentally focused, it's about purpose movies, you know, how do we get them financed and how can we get more support for our projects? And then we will be talking about AI for sure. I'm I have a great speaker for that, and I'm like still in the final round of figuring out who is a nice co-presenter, because I always think that it should be inspiring for the panel speakers to sit up there and also get to know their other speakers. So putting these panels together is so much fun because I know it's the best introduction for the people on stage as well, and to wow, wow each other and like, hey, oh my gosh, gonna have a friend after this. Um, and then we do a writer's uh uh writer's the the the table read as I mentioned a little bit earlier, where our writers can submit that they have to apply for that ahead of time. Uh-huh. We choose four scripts where we will be reading the first 10 pages by actors with industry professionals, and they get feedback. We know, as writers, producers, directors, how important those first 10 pages are. And if you don't hook the audience, you're done because they're not going to read the entire script. And so we want to use those four examples as an outline for what to look out for to really get the hook and hear from the from the industry professionals how they receive it. And then just on a side note, for the writers, it's incredibly nice to hear their words that they have only heard in their own head most of the time, to hear them speaking out loud. Because sometimes when you read the written word, it sounds very differently when somebody's speaking it. And often we hear, oh, thank you so much. That was way too wordy. I have to make it a little bit more human. And last but not least, um, and that's always great fun as well, is pitch marathon.

SPEAKER_02 21:10

Oh gosh, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 21:11

Right, and I would like you to be part of it actually, because you are such a sharp, sharp professional and give wonderful feedback. And in that pitch marathon, we're probably going to do it in two groups uh to keep it not too, you know, spectacle. Since the room holds 50 people. Okay. And then thank you, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

I would love that. Yes. Oh, great. That pitch is the main thing. That's your and it has to be part of your DNA. So, yes, I would love that. But see, I just wanted to comment back on a few things you said. First of all, the writer's panel. We all need that, all of us do, because it I don't care what part you play in the filmmaking process. This. You are a writer. You have to be because you're a storyteller. So that's fabulous. The PBS, congratulations, that is so important to many filmmakers because it really means I have arrived. My film is on PBS. And sometimes that's how you close your funders. Definitely it went to grants, but you really need to know what you're talking about so that when you do talk to granters, you know where you're going and you've studied PBS. So thank you. That's terrific. But uh when you say advice, the advice is the key here. Because what happens is when you ask for money, you often get advice. All right. So what I teach from the heart is ask for advice. Like you're uh an entrepreneur, would you read my proposal? Would you read my pitch deck? I need your feedback. You've run an independent company, and that's what I'm doing with my film. So any feedback you could give me would be really important. That way you create a friend. And following that advice, you'll probably get funding when they see you're you're dedicated and determined. I've seen that work, so I love advice. Thank you. Those are great ideas, great things. Now, uh, for filmmakers who are still in post-production or finishing their film, what would you say to encourage them to submit?

SPEAKER_00 23:42

They can either submit shorter versions. We, I mean, it's for a festival, it's always relatively easy to screen something short, much easier than screen something longer. So often they stress that really their entire story is addressed, but they must keep in mind they are being screened with short films, and often the short films, the format is relatively loose and open. It's different to a to a feature film where you have to hit all the marks, you know, for a rounded story. So yeah, if they if they can go the editing mile to just put a shorter story together, it's great because then in the end of the day, they can present a proof of concept or a um just a short version, you know, like a marketing piece that tells us what the film is about, what the quality of the film is, what the depth of the film is. Yeah, if you give me a three to five minute piece, I can easily program that. But it shouldn't be a commercial either, because that's not what they want to. They want to give the vibe and feel of the film, right? So it has to be structured more like a short film rather than um a commercial.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

Yes, tell us a story. If you've got an hour five, just cut it down so we can see your story in a shorter version, because that is really beneficial for getting um your outreach, your um distribution, marketing, everything. That's very good advice. So, what are the benefits for filmmakers who attend beyond screenings like networking, press exposure, industry introductions?

SPEAKER_00 25:39

Yeah, you already hit all of them. In at Ethos, I would say the biggest, biggest, biggest benefit is the community that you will meet there, because we kind of pre-filtered who is there to get the funding before you get it, right? Like it's a different mindset. There are the profit-driven, and then there's the purpose-driven filmmakers. And if you are submitting to ethos and we selected your film, we pretty much know who you are by the type of film you submitted. And we see that you're a kind person, a caring person, a person that thrives being seen and finding like-minded spirits. So you will be surrounded by those. You know, I've been to so many film festivals, and then it's the networking party. And um, I don't want to bash other film festivals, they're amazing too, but I'm uh maybe I'm easily intimidated, but I didn't always feel like 100% welcome home. That feeling it was just a uh tension in the room and competitiveness because people are sussing out who is in my category and will they win and will I win. And our festival is not about that because the films are in a different dimension in terms of competition because they are standing on their own. And what we do is not you want a competition for being the best, it's the film who figure it out to shed light on that topic in the most effective way, right? So you're not in competition with others because every topic is different, and that changes it because everybody's a friend instantly, and the same with the pitch marathons. We never make these real obvious industry opportunities. We say these are for educational reasons only, and I've been to those pitch sessions where there was a little bit of like snickering going on or eye rolling when somebody didn't do a professional polished job. But there I've never experienced that. I I experienced so much respect from each writer and filmmaker for one another. It was such a supportive environment, and people learned so much by um showing their projects and having such a welcoming, kind audience, but not mollycoddling either. It was really great feedback, but said in a respectful way. And that's the type of filmmaker, right? They talk about political topics as well, and we are innately non-political. So we pick filmmakers who are able to make their cause without bashing people who think differently. We invite people who tell their difficult story where they open the door for dialogue, right? So you are surrounded by these people, and that's the most feedback I got. Oh, I met people I will be connected with for life. There was the most exciting community, and um, we program the films that there's an emotional journey as well, it's not a random mixing together. Um so when they when they see each other through their films as well, and and are on the filmmakers' QAs, that is a beautiful moment, and then those moments get extended during networking parties. And of course, we always make sure that there's sketty images for the press part. You know, we come from the film industry, we understand photos, uh, wire images that is important. And if you want to go out and have an extra red carpet and you help us doing that, we are open to all of that because we are here for the filmmakers, right? You're not here for us to impress us, we are here to give you a platform, and I think yeah, they can feel that and feel at home.

SPEAKER_02 29:50

I did, I certainly felt at home. I was really I loved every minute of it, it was so great. So, what advice would you give filmmakers about how to prepare before attending a festival? Because they want to be able to maximize the experience.

SPEAKER_00 30:08

Yeah, so often people do not come to the entire program, which I think is, I don't know why, maybe it's that icky feeling that or trauma from other festivals where they thought I don't belong here or something. But I really recommend, even as you said, even if you're not a writer, go to the writer's panel. Even if you are a writer, watch all the screenings. So really make sure you come to as much as you can. We are trying to make it worth your while. We have always paid an extra dime to be on 2nd Street in Santa Monica. So people are in the most beautiful part of the world, right there at the ocean, where you know people come just for the sake of tourism. So you don't have to take long breaks, you can just be there. If you take a breather, you see the ocean, but try to take advantage of the entire program.

SPEAKER_02 31:11

And then empowering the whole thing that location is very empowering, don't you think?

SPEAKER_00 31:19

Absolutely, yeah. And then I think researching the the speakers is great, and the other filmmakers, just yeah, find out as much as you can and strike up as many conversations as you can. And they they can be just, hey, I saw what you did there, that was really meaningful. I'm I I know somebody who has the same issues, or I don't know, like just connect with the filmmakers about their films because yes, because uh you are Lily Tomlin said, we are all in this boat alone together, and she's so right.

SPEAKER_02 32:01

But when you go to a festival where you are appreciated and entertained and educated, uh like ethos, then it is empowering because you leave there thinking, this is my world. I came here to make films and I belong. I think it really uh shifts the filmmakers' momentum.

SPEAKER_00 32:25

Yes, absolutely. And um, in my experience in these seven years, the filmmakers, and as I said, we get to know them through their films. They are kind people who want to help, you know, they are helpers as a nature of being, not takers, they are givers. And so getting support just even from filmmakers on the same level. I've never seen a resource-sharing uh secretiveness or something like that. In in other film circles, I have noticed that where it's like, hmm, I'm not gonna tell them my secrets of the trade. But there, yeah, there is a lot of helpfulness. It's a like these are helper types, so you might be surprised finding resources from all different corners. They're very open to sharing their resources and helping each other and collaboration, very collaborative.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

That's that seems to be a theme of yours in your life as well as in your festival. Yeah. Well, I will say that people who come to the festival are um inspired, and that's what it's all about, because some years ago I had a gentleman call me on the phone and he said, Carol, I'm John Smith, and I I won your film grant. And I thought, no, you didn't. I I don't remember that. And so he went on to say, I I uh was making a film, and he gave me the log line, and he said, To you, I was a finalist, but to me, I was a winner. I uh just that uh being in the finalist group gave me the confidence to finish my film and I sold it to Turn Broadcasting, right? So you are uh not you are supporting filmmakers, you're empowering them with this festival. So the least uh a pat on the back that a filmmaker gets is greatly appreciated, Annabelle. Thank you very much for this work.

SPEAKER_00 34:44

Yeah, thank you too, because uh you have been such a strong supporter, and I think you know, the from the heart is very similar to ethos, it's the same message in the end of the day, and I think your filmmakers, we see a lot of your filmmakers at the festivals, uh, at the festival, and yeah, it's like a different, uh it's a kindred spirit society.

SPEAKER_02 35:12

Because there are so many talent filmmakers and they really need support. So looking ahead to April 21st to the 26th for this year in Santa Monica 2026, what excites you the most about this year's festival?

SPEAKER_00 35:32

Um, it excites me that we have that collaboration with emeritus, but uh there's always, you know, round about this time, five weeks, uh six weeks before the event takes place, where I'm putting the program together and I have like a vision for the future, what will happen in April by introducing these people to each other, and that is that is, as I said, super fun. And yeah, every year it's a completely different uh wonder bag. You know what a wonder bag is? We used to buy them at the candy store, and you didn't know what's in it, and that was part of the part of the whole excitement, and I love those. And ethos is the same. Um, it's every every year very different in terms of the themes. I'm learning so much, you know, what I mentioned with the children, what's on their hearts, I learn all across all the submissions. Wow, that's going on. I'm intrigued to see sometimes it's more of this, sometimes it's more of that. And I see a reflection of the world we live in. And yeah, it's uh it's a living being, and every year it's different, it's uh comprised of all the people. The festival is truly the attending people. Yes, and I haven't uh met the being of 2026 yet, but I'm part of creating it and cannot wait to meet it.

SPEAKER_02 37:08

Yes, what fun that will be. Oh, thank you for your passion for filmmakers and your love of the industry. And thank you, filmmakers, for listening and joining us today. And let me leave you with this your film deserves to be seen in a room where people care. And festivals like Ethos remind us that cinema is not just commerce, it's connection, it's courage, it's conversation. So you may be in development, you may be raising funds, you may be finishing your final cut, but keep going and join Annabelle and all of these passionate filmmakers at Ethos, because the world needs thoughtful, purposeful storytelling more than ever. So funding isn't just about money, it's about belief. It's about clarity and momentum. So when you align your vision with communities that share your values, doors open. Remember that saying that doors open where there were no doors before? That's what you want to happen. So I encourage you to look at the Ethos Festival this April in Santa Monica, support filmmakers, meet collaborators, and see extraordinary films. Let yourself be inspired, and most importantly, keep funding films. Your voice matters, your story matters, and there is a place for you. Until the next time, this is Carol Dean, Claire Papin with the Art of Film Funding.