Future Film Coalition
Press Release
futurefilmcoalition.org

For Immediate Release

April 13, 2026

Media Contact: press@futurefilmcoalition.org

Future Film Coalition Joins 1,000+ Industry Leaders Urging Action on Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery Merger

Coalition elevates independent film sector concerns as state AG review window narrows

New York, NY — The Future Film Coalition (FFC) today announced its role as a leading organizing partner behind a national open letter signed by more than 1,000 film and television professionals opposing the proposed Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

The letter—supported by actors, filmmakers, writers, and industry workers, including more than 75 Academy Award winners and nominees—calls on state Attorneys General to investigate and block the transaction, citing risks to competition, jobs, and creative diversity.

As a core organizer of the effort, Future Film Coalition is elevating the perspective of the independent film sector—an ecosystem composed primarily of small businesses, freelancers, and mission-driven cultural institutions operating in every state.

"This merger is part of a broader pattern of cumulative concentration that is reshaping the industry and has consequences far beyond Hollywood. The film industry is a national ecosystem made up of independent businesses, freelancers, theaters, and creative workers in every state whose livelihoods depend on a healthy, competitive marketplace. Continued consolidation reduces competition, limits access to financing and distribution, and constrains opportunity across the entire film and media supply chain."
Jax Deluca, Executive Director, Future Film Coalition

The open letter outlines how continued consolidation across the media landscape threatens the sustainability of the broader creative workforce—reducing jobs, limiting independent business viability, and narrowing the range of stories that can be financed and distributed.

Future Film Coalition's involvement reflects its broader national strategy to ensure that policymakers fully understand the structural role independent film plays in the U.S. economy and cultural life. The coalition has emphasized that independent film functions as a supply chain, where disruptions to financing, acquisition, or distribution reverberate across thousands of small businesses and creative workers nationwide.

The release comes at a critical moment, as state Attorneys General—including California—are reportedly assessing the merger and considering potential legal action. With the window for intervention narrowing, the coalition is working to ensure that evidence from across the field—including testimonials from filmmakers, distributors, exhibitors, and workers—is part of the public record.

Future Film Coalition is coordinating alongside a broad alliance of partners, including Democracy Defenders Fund, the Committee for the First Amendment, the Writers Guild of America, Free Press, and the International Documentary Association, among others, to build momentum for regulatory scrutiny and potential legal challenge.

The coalition continues to encourage industry professionals and the public to sign the open letter and contribute firsthand accounts documenting the real-world impacts of consolidation.

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About Future Film Coalition

The Future Film Coalition is a national, membership-based alliance of independent film professionals and organizations working to strengthen and sustain the U.S. independent film ecosystem. Through coalition-building, research, and policy advocacy, FFC advances solutions that support independent storytelling, protect creative workers, and ensure a competitive and diverse media landscape.

Media Contact: press@futurefilmcoalition.org