Since its initial inception in 2012, The Lower East Side's budding but already invaluable independent filmmaking collective Katra Film Series has made it its honorable mission to spotlight new and emerging cinematic talents whose worthy and ambitious efforts might otherwise go unnoticed in an overcrowded industry.

On Saturday, September 26th, Katra will host a special evening of screenings, conversation, and networking (co-presented by Raindance) with some of their top alums who have since gone on to great things in the indie world and beyond, including highlighted visits to the Tribeca Film Festival.

Some of the alums who will be featured in the Spotlight Series include:

Donari Braxton, the writer-producer of Out of My Hand, which made its world premiere at this year's Berlinale and picked up the Grand Jury Competition U.S. Fiction Award, the top prize at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Shot by indie D.P. and Tribeca Film Festival alum Ryo Murakami (the documentaries Blank City and Run for Your Life), Out of My Hand will be the first title released by Ava DuVernay's new distribution company ARRAY sometime this fall;

Kevin Comer, who is an established producer of the upcoming indie feature Breakable You, starring Holly Hunter, Alfred Molina, and Tony Shaloub, as well as the HBO series Doll and Em and the indie film Expecting, which starred Michelle Monaghan and Radha Mitchell and made its premiere at Austin's SXSW before getting a theatrical release by Tribeca Films. Comer is a member of the PGA and DGA;

Mandi Riggi, who directed the short film Spade starring Lost's Jorge Garcia and is currently developing the pilot Peace x Piece, of which she is the sole creator, for Showtime Network. Riggi is also currently developing her vampire saga Eidolon, which she will direct in Europe in January of 2016;

and Felix Thompson, whose stirring coming-of-age drama King Jack (above) won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at this year's Tribeca Film Festival;

And the best part is? It's entirely free! All you need to do is RSVP here.

Whether you're a filmmaker seeking that ever-elusive showcase or a film-lover just looking to network with fellow aspiring industry professionals, this inaugural event is an obvious must-attend. Katra is the rare platform that actually puts its members' work in front of an eager live audience, all while uniting likeminded, intellectual individuals who share both an all-consuming passion for moviemaking and an enormous desire to shape its expansive and auspicious future.