Former AMC Networks chief executive Josh Sapan has shifted his post-2021 career towards independent film investment and disability advocacy, particularly through the Marvels of Media Festival for autistic media makers. His efforts aim to improve representation on screen while giving neurodivergent filmmakers practical routes to training, funding and wider audiences.

Marvels of Media, founded with the Museum of the Moving Image, will partner with the Academy Museum on a sensory-friendly event featuring short films, a panel and adjusted sound and lighting. Sapan, whose son Nate is autistic, says the festival has partnered with about ten cinemas nationwide; meanwhile, Sapan Studios has backed films including “Ghostlight”, “The Baltimorons” and “The Taste of Things”.