Chris Perez, Michael Donaldson, and Dale Nelson to Present at SXSW 2026
Chris Perez, Michael Donaldson, and Dale Nelson are slated to speak at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, taking place March 12-18, 2026.
For nearly a decade, the Firm has presented its signature series “Annual Legal Update for Indie Film and TV,” and has been invited to share another year-in-review panel for 2026. This year’s panel will take place on Saturday, March 14th, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm CT at the Omni Downtown Hotel. Michael, Chris, and Dale will facilitate a thought-provoking discussion on the legal developments impacting the independent film industry, touching upon new distribution models, the rise of AI, and fair use as a tool for documentary and scripted filmmakers, among other trends. Their panel will be interactive, giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions and get real-time answers to their legal concerns.
Dale Nelson will also speak at a legal roundtable session on March 16th, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm CT at the Omni Downtown Hotel. The session will allow attendees to engage directly in insightful discussions on legal entertainment with Dale, Film Law Group’s Paul Szynol, and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP’s Sophia Yen.
Additionally, on March 18th from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm CT, Dale will speak on the panel “The NDA Economy: How Corporations Use Silence as Infrastructure,” exploring how NDAs can enable unchecked discrimination, harassment, and corruption through real case studies from the documentary “My NDA.” Dale will be joined by the film’s producers and directors, Juliana Dressner and Miriam Shor, as well as film participant Ashley Kostial.
To learn more about the Firm’s “Annual Legal Update for Indie Film and TV Presentation,” click here.