SeriesFest

Episode 4 | SeriesFest 2026

Saturday at SeriesFest explored storytelling as a way to preserve identity, challenge systems, and deepen our understanding of one another.

We began with the Television Academy Foundation’s College Television Awards showcase, highlighting student creators already telling nuanced stories about family, displacement, disability, resilience, and belonging.

Across the featured projects, young filmmakers explored questions that feel incredibly relevant right now: What do we inherit from family and culture? How do communities survive disruption and displacement? And who gets to define strength, leadership, or identity?

From Unbroken Spirits documenting the resilience of a Wixárika family displaced by cartel violence, to a young boy learning to embrace life with a prosthetic leg through imagination and courage, the showcase reflected a generation of creators deeply committed to empathy-driven storytelling.

At the Impact in TV panel, Littleton Road Productions discussed how projects like Dr. Death, The Girl from Plainville, and Devil in Disguise center the human realities behind headline-making tragedies, and how storytelling can extend beyond entertainment into advocacy, awareness, and community impact.

Meanwhile, creatives from Shondaland offered insight into the collaboration, directing, and cinematic vision behind one of television’s most influential storytelling universes.

Screenings throughout the evening continued many of the same themes.

My Father, Dick Allen explored legacy and redemption behind one of baseball’s most misunderstood figures, while Zorro reintroduced an iconic character through questions of justice, power, and leadership.

Across every panel, screening, and conversation, one thing became increasingly clear: the future of television is being shaped by creators unafraid to tell stories rooted in complexity, cultural specificity, emotional honesty, and social impact.

Four days in, and SeriesFest continues to feel less like a festival and more like a living conversation.

Thank you to 9NEWS for having us!

Hear Randi Kleiner discuss what makes SeriesFest so impactful and why bringing people together matters.

The real story starts after this week in Denver. We can’t wait to see what comes next.

Watch now:

9NEWS 12th season of SeriesFest in Denver