Entertainment · Film · 42 mins ago
Square Peg Social Brings 35 Early-Career Filmmakers Together in Austin
Square Peg Social brought 35 early-career filmmakers together for a four-day summit in Austin, Texas, from September 17 to 21.
The event was launched by filmmaker Ari Aster and producers Lars and Amy Knudsen, and this was its second year.
Established filmmakers shared candid advice and career struggles, including directors Richard Linklater, Zach Cregger, Greg Kwedar and Arkasha Stevenson.
The summit offered panels, small-group discussions and time to exchange ideas in a closed-door, noncompetitive setting.
It aims to ease the isolation of early filmmaking and help participants build lasting connections, rather than promise jobs.
Still, last year’s participant Yona Strauss now works for Aster and Knudsen’s production company, Square Peg.
Square Peg Social brought 35 early-career filmmakers together in Austin for a filmmaking summit.
The four-day program offered panels, small-group discussions and candid advice from established filmmakers.
The summit was launched by Lars and Amy Knudsen and Ari Aster and was in its second year in 2026.
This year’s mentors and panelists included Zach Cregger, Richard Linklater, Lance Oppenheim, Greg Kwedar, Arkasha Stevenson and David Lowery.
The event aimed to build community and lasting industry connections, rather than promise participants jobs.
- Who
- 35 early-career filmmakers attended. The summit was launched by Lars and Amy Knudsen and Ari Aster.
- What
- Square Peg Social brought filmmakers together for panels, discussion and idea exchange.
- When
- September 17-21, 2026.
- Where
- Austin, Texas, including Soho House.
- Why
- To offer early-career filmmakers community, candid advice and industry connections.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
IndieWire published a deep dive into Square Peg Social’s first year.
Applications opened for the summit.
The second-year Square Peg Social summit took place in Austin.
IndieWire published its report on the summit.
- Participants
- 35 filmmakers
- Location
- Austin, Texas
- Dates
- September 17-21, 2026
- Organizers
- Lars and Amy Knudsen and Ari Aster
- Venue
- Soho House
- Industry partners
- Austin Film Society, Belvedere and Airbnb
What people are saying
When you’ve been doing it for this long, sometimes it feels like you’re just a little bit going through the motions.