How one woman turned her own search for community into Cincinnati's home for indie film.

In this episode of the Human Friend Digital Podcast, Jacob and Jeff talk with Allyson West, founder of the Cindependent Film Festival, about how one person’s search for belonging became an international arts movement.

Allyson left New York to return to Cincinnati for love, only to feel like she had traded her creative community for a city that didn’t know what to do with her. Cincinnati had theater, opera, ballet, murals—but not independent film. And so, rather than accept that loss, she began to write, to direct, and ultimately to build the community she was missing.

That effort became the Cindependent Film Festival. In its first year, just over 200 filmmakers and writers submitted their work; this year, more than 800 did the same, representing voices from over 30 countries around the globe. But the numbers aren’t the point: its deeper success lies in how it reframes film as community. Screenings are curated like conversations. Masterclasses invite learning, while after-parties invite connection. What makes Cindependent a gem for Cincinnati is its ethos: that film festivals are not just about films, but about the people who gather around them.

For Cincinnati, Cindependent filled a cultural gap. For Allyson, it gave back the sense of connection she thought she had left behind.

Links:

Cindependent Film Festival
2025 Programing
CindeFan Membership Program
2025 Cindependent Film Festival Trailer

To ask questions, or submit topics you'd like us to cover in the future, visit us at humanfriend.digital/pod/