Chicago’s creative community is about to gain a new kind of gathering space, one built around collaboration, sustainability, and shared stewardship. The Midwest Exchange, presented by Kinowerks and Midwest Film Festival, is launching as a values-driven initiative designed to keep professional creative resources in motion.
The concept is simple but powerful: keeping equipment, materials, and knowledge from sitting idle or going to waste, and instead create a trusted environment where filmmakers and creative professionals can connect, exchange, and reinvest in one another.
At its core, the Midwest Exchange emphasizes stewardship over ownership, sustainability in practice, professional care, and long-term investment in community. The goal is not just to host an event, but to strengthen the creative ecosystem itself.
The partnership brings together two organizations with complementary strengths. Midwest Film Festival contributes more than two decades of nonprofit experience and credibility within the filmmaking community. Kinowerks provides purpose-built creative infrastructure, including screening rooms, studios, and thoughtfully designed event space tailored for production and collaboration.
The Midwest Exchange is designed for working filmmakers, technicians, producers, directors, cinematographers, editors, post supervisors, theater and audio professionals, as well as emerging creatives committed to long-term careers. Participation is intentionally centered on alignment of values rather than visibility.
The inaugural Midwest Exchange will take place February 21, 2026, from 12–4 p.m. at Kinowerks, 5645 North Ravenswood Avenue in Chicago.
Organizers estimate the initiative will reach a substantial regional audience, supported by a combined community that includes tens of thousands of subscribers and followers, along with thousands of annual in-person attendees across both organizations’ programming. That built-in network gives the Exchange the potential to extend its impact well beyond a single afternoon.
Rather than a traditional sponsorship model, involvement is framed as participation. Supporters are encouraged to engage on-site, contribute to authentic storytelling, and align with professional standards and sustainability in action. Support tiers are structured to reinforce access, infrastructure, and long-term creative growth across the Midwest.
For more information or to get involved, contact Grover Derupe at grover.derupe@beesonventures.com.
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