Director:

How do we define Black or African-American Cinema?
Who are the filmmakers and audiences? How can filmmakers ensure that the Black experience is accurately and creatively expressed? A group of filmmakers, scholars and community activists consider questions of race, voice, representation and authenticity in Black independent filmmaking.

60 min

Director:

You’ve secured funding, made your film, and navigated
the festival circuit. Now what? Opportunities for distribution are more varied than ever before. Join a group of distributors, filmmakers and other experts to discuss distribution platforms, successful marketing strategies, and more.

60 min

Director:

A panel of filmmakers who have funded their projects in
a range of creative ways share their knowledge and experience. A must for anyone interested in using web-based funding platforms, the discussion will cover all types of innovative film financing.

Panelists include:
Travis Fine, Director, Any Day Now
Adam Leon, Director, Gimme The Loot
Amy Ellison, Development, The Believers
John Maloof, Filmmaker and Curator, Finding Vivian Maier
John Klein, Freelance Cinematographer and Producer
Julie Keck, Independent Filmmaker & Social Media Strategist

60 min

Director:

An exciting and unique opportunity to hear from festival
programmers and gain insight into what goes into programming a festival, what programmers look for when choosing films, and some do’s and don’t’s to consider when submitting your film.

Panelists include:
Kathleen McInnis, Film Curator and Head of Industry Programming, Palm Springs Short Film Festival
Danièle Cauchard, General Director, Montreal World Film Festival
Daniela Bajar, Programmer, Nantucket Film Festival
Jonathan Jackson, Artistic & Executive Director, Milwaukee Film
Ines Sommer, Director, Talking Pictures Festival
Andrew Rodgers, Executive Director, RiverRun International Film Festival

60 min

Director:

We all know it takes a whole team of talented people to
make a successful movie, but how do you decide who to work with? How do you ensure your producer, DP, editor and more are the best possible fit for your project? First time feature filmmakers discuss their experiences of finding the right people to share their vision and bring it alive on screen.

Panelists include:
Michael Mayer, Out in the Dark
Adrian Saba, The Cleaner
Gabriel Marino, A Secret World
Robert Budina, Agon

MODERATOR - John Mossman, Columbia College Chicago

60 min

Director:

Some of the greatest movies started out as novels or
short stories. Join filmmakers whose screenplays came from literary adaptations to discuss how they approached their source material and the delicate creative process of successfully reworking the written word into film.

60 min

Director:

Join Festival filmmakers for a discussion about the
intersection of art and politics in Middle Eastern cinema. How do the political situations in different Middle Eastern countries affect a filmmaker’s access to funding and resources? Do filmmakers in the Middle East feel a responsibility to challenge the prevailing ideologies of their leaders, and what are the repercussions when they do? In the politically charged climate of many Middle Eastern countries, can art exist without politics?

60 min