Posted by Actress, writer, and producer Cynthia Gravinese has been confirmed as a featured speaker for the Industry Panel at the Indie Short Fest Annual Awards 2026, taking place at Regal LA Live.
Bringing a dynamic, multi-hyphenate career to the conversation, Gravinese’s work spans performance, development, and production across a wide range of genres—from grounded dramas to elevated horror and sci-fi.
As Co-Executive Producer, she partnered with writer Mark Dylan Brown on Watching Walter, a true story centered on Holocaust survivor Walter Wojnas, starring by Stephen Tobolowsky. A feature film adaptation is currently in development with producers in Poland.
The short will be screened as part of Program 10 (12:40 – 2:25 PM) at Cinema 10.
Gravinese continues to expand her producing slate across multiple projects. She is set to Assistant Produce an upcoming horror feature by writer/director Jeff Hare, scheduled to begin shooting this summer. She is also producing The Road to Al-Qa’im, an Iraqi war drama short written by Chris Santiago, and serves as a consulting producer on Grace, a proof-of-concept short film developed by Lesley Fera. Additional credits include the upcoming sci-fi drama Brave Ones, the cartel drama The Final Stretch, and the horror-comedy Baby Blues.
As a writer and creator, Gravinese developed Meet Me at the Barre, an award-winning web series inspired by her background in dance. On screen, she recently wrapped a starring role in In A Vacuum Dandily, directed by Ernesto Roche, and co-stars in Something’s More Than One Thing, produced by Russo Brothers. She also appears in the psychological thriller The Protos Experiment, currently streaming on Amazon, where she plays a morally complex senator.
The Industry Panel
🕓 5:00 – 6:00 PM · Cinema 10
🎟️ Tickets on sale now
Scheduled for the afternoon of the event, the Industry Panel is designed as an open and engaging conversation with working professionals across film and television. With a mix of curated questions and audience interaction, the session aims to provide insight, inspiration, and practical perspectives for filmmakers and attendees alike.
With Cynthia Gravinese joining the panel, audiences can expect a practical perspective on navigating a multi-hyphenate career in independent filmmaking—balancing acting, producing, and writing while building momentum on the festival circuit. Drawing from her experience across genres and formats, she offers insight into developing projects from short to feature and collaborating across international markets, with a clear view of how stories evolve from concept to screen.
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