A private pre-screening in New York brought together filmmakers, philanthropists, and cultural leaders in a night where art, empathy, and purpose converged.
New York, October 3th, 2025.
Beneath the soft glow of autumn and the distant chime of champagne glasses, the private pre-screening of Fairyland gathered filmmakers, philanthropists, and cultural leaders for an evening where art and empathy shared the same table.
Organized by the Council of Global Change and Vanderbilt Daxsen, in collaboration with Artemis Pictures—the film’s production company—the event was hosted by David X. Sánchez, Secretary-General of the Council and co-founder of Vanderbilt Daxsen alongside Consuelo Vanderbilt, who together have turned philanthropy into a gesture of modern sophistication.
The night began with a private cocktail at Jac’s on Bond, the elegant NoHo hideaway whose walls seem to hold the whispers of artists and visionaries. There, Siena Oberman, founder of Artemis Pictures, and David X. Sánchez offered a toast that captured the spirit of the evening:
“Art reaches where politics cannot,” Sánchez reflected. “Stories teach empathy long before laws ever try.”
Guests then made their way to Village East by Angelika, one of Manhattan’s temples of independent cinema, for the private screening. Before the film, Sofia Coppola—producer of Fairyland—delivered remarks filled with gratitude and purpose, thanking Vanderbilt Daxsen and the Council of Global Change for “reminding us that cinema can still carry moral weight.”
The post-screening conversation brought together Alysia Abbott—the writer whose story inspired the film—, director Andrew Durham, Siena Oberman, and David X. Sánchez for an intimate discussion on memory, identity, and resilience—elements that have made Fairyland one of the most talked-about independent films of the season.
Among the distinguished guests were Nicole Shipley, producer and founder of Safe Space Pictures, and David Goldblum, founder of Conscious Contact Entertainment, both celebrated for their commitment to socially conscious cinema.
Based on Abbott’s memoir, Fairyland tells the story of a father and daughter seeking love and acceptance in 1970s San Francisco, at the heart of the LGBTQ+ community. More than a film, it is a luminous elegy on empathy and emotional legacy—values that deeply resonate with the mission of Vanderbilt Daxsen and the Council of Global Change: to champion art and storytelling as vehicles for understanding and social transformation.
The night felt less like a premiere and more like a gathering of creative minds and changemakers—a space where cinema, philanthropy, and diplomacy intertwined, where stories became bridges and art reclaimed its moral purpose, reaffirming that culture remains one of the most powerful languages of transformation.
