With the recent news of AIVF's financial crisis and the decline of indie film nonprofits in general, one of the crucial questions that has come up is what exactly AIVF has been doing or done for filmmakers to deserve to survive as they attempt to raise $60,000 to keep their doors open.

While I haven't been involved with the organization so much the past three years due to my own film work and a full-time position at iW, I was a staff member at a vibrant, active AIVF from 2000-2003. AIVF was not perfect, with the impossible mandate of providing services and advocating for a diverse, national membership of filmmakers, whether novice or veteran, but there was the general feeling that we were doing some great things.

I would like to highlight some of those accomplishments during my time there and encourage other AIVF ex-staffers and AIVF members (current and lapsed) to post in the comments below what good they feel the org has done: