Why that's a good thing, I'll come back to.

Next week, on June 19, we're hosting our next hangout. At MIR, Oslo, Norway. No agenda. No pitch sessions. No panels. No name tags sorted by job title. Just film professionals in a room, talking. If you've never been to one, here's the only rule: YOU are welcome. You don't need connections, a degree, or references. You just show up. That rule shouldn't feel radical. But almost one year since it started, we've learned that it does. And before we open the doors again on the 19th, it's worth looking back.

Almost one year ago, briefly

The local community, Oslo Filmmakers, started with a vague promise: "something is coming soon." Within three months we had over 1,000 followers from only ten posts, and our first hangouts drew 30 to 40 people each. New people within the filmmaking community in Oslo, eager to create. People asking about the next event before the current one had ended.

Since then, the pattern has only repeated. Every hangout or meetup, the room fills up with people curious to find belonging (so we think).

At one of the meetups, someone asked me, "Who are all these people?" and I could quickly say, "I know maybe 5% of the people in this room."

That 5% is the most important number from our first year. It means this was never a club for our friends. It reaches far beyond our circle, and we meet 20 new people every single time.

Why we started

Before all this, we heard the same story again and again. It's hard to break into the film industry, especially if you're new or don't know the right people.

That's not news, and we're not going to dig into all the industry's challenges here. But we saw a clear gap. Some people have access to knowledge, contacts, and resources. Many others don't. Where do those people get their voices heard? Where are the rooms for them?

Everyone who showed up at our hangouts said the same thing: "Great initiative." "We really needed this." That phrase, "we needed this," made us stop and think. If so many people need this, why didn't it already exist?

We know there are many communities out there. But maybe they've become too tied to specific schools, production companies, or closed circles. I believe we don't exclude others intentionally. They're just sharing with the people they already know.

We get it. Time is money, everyone has bills, everyone is busy. But we need to stop treating everything as a transaction. Think of helping others as an investment instead. Think of it like you are contributing to building a better industry for the next generation.

But one thing happened this last year. One producer opened my mind to something this community is built upon. She sent us their complete NFI application for their award-winning short film, for distribution towards festivals. Templates, budgets, everything, just to help me understand the process. As a result, my company's application got better, and we received funding to distribute one of my short films.

Help comes back many times over. Just not right away. That's the culture we've watched grow in these rooms, and it's the reason we keep going. If you believe in being part of something over time, we think you'll find collaborators for life.

We don't see our community as competition to what already exists. We see it as an addition. Something that connects people, builds connections and trust, on a regular basis.

But all of that starts the same way it always has. With a room full of people who decided to show up.

June 19th, Oslo

So this is the invitation. Next week's hangout is open, like every one before it. Bring your group or come alone. Come if you've made ten films or none. Come if you moved to Norway last month and don't know a single person in the industry yet.

Oslo Filmmakers started with a simple observation: too many talented filmmakers are left outside. We know the need is real, and we know what happens when you simply say "come, you are welcome."

It might sound idealistic. But this naivety, this delusional optimism about community-based filmmaking, might be exactly what we need right now.

See you on the 19th.

RSVP:

https://luma.com/ekqyyr1r