Youth video interviews of MRHS seniors - A project of SRFF with EVC and the help of MRHS
Where: Cinema Village - 22 E 12th Street, New York, NY 10003
When: Screens Saturday March 16
Time: 1:30 PM
Videographers: Yhenni Michaelis, Mediba Diarra, Serenah Vaughan
Interviewees: Tiana Leonard, Nancy Eder, Robin Berson, John Kapner
Using Archival Footage in Documentary and Scripted Films
When: Saturday March 16, 10:30 -11:30am
Where: School of Visual Arts MFA Social Documentary Film Theater - 136 West 21st Street, 1st floor, New York, NY 10011
Panelists:
Lauren Wimbush
Lauren Wimbush is a freelance producer, archival researcher, and media consultant based in New York City. Lauren has contributed to a range of projects including OWN’s “Oprah’s Master Class”, BET’s “Through the Fire: The Legacy of Barack Obama”, and most recently as the Associate Producer on Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, which premiered at Sundance in January 2019.Lauren graduated with a degree in English from Amherst College and received her M.S. degree in Media Management from The New School, specializing in producing and media business and leadership.
Liza Rafael
Liza Rafael is the video archivist for Refinery29, and prior to that was part of the large scale digitization at Viacom known as the Vault Project. She is also a filmmaker and is in post production on her second feature film Love Happens. Her first film, Leave It on the Stage, is a documentary about high school show choir.
Moderated by: Christopher Atamian: storyteller, journalist and director
Christopher Atamian is a New York-based storyteller (fiction, film, theater), journalist and director. He has received a 2015 Ellis Island NECO Award and the Tololyan Literary Prize. He was also participant in the 2011 Venice Biennale as a video director and produced the 2006 OBIE Award-winning play Trouble in Paradise. Christopher recently published an award-winning poetry book A Poet in Washington Heights, which is currently available through select New York bookshops and online.
Robert Tutak is a Professor of Film at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York,
recipient of the Fulbright Foundation Grant in Film, Graduate of the Lodz Film School of Poland, and founder-director of the Manhattan Film Academy. His film credits include five feature films as well as several short fiction films and short documentaries. Tutak's work has been seen, distributed, broadcasted on television and screened at festivals in over twenty countries around the world as well as in the U.S., including the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.
Sebastiaan Kes is an independent Dutch filmmaker based in Amsterdam. He started his media career as a communications professional at a Dutch newspaper and since 2008 he focuses on writing, directing and producing corporate films and videos. After starting his own company, he he has developed two documentaries: 'One Kingdom, One Love' (2015) on sexual diversity in the caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and SRFF 2019 entry 'Monument of Pride' on the rise (and setbacks) of the Dutch 'pink revolution'.
Casting panel
When: Saturday March 16, 11:45 - 12:45 pm
Where: School of Visual Arts MFA Social Documentary Film Theater - 136 West 21st Street, 1st floor, New York, NY 10011
Panelists:
Jen Rudin
Jen Rudin is an award-winning writer and casting director who began her decades-long career in show business as a child actor at age eight. Rudin is the author of Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land Any Role with Secrets From Inside the Audition Room (HarperCollins) and pens a monthly column for Backstage on voice over casting. She has cast live action and animation projects for Amazon, Google Spotlight, Lionsgate, Disney Junior, and Nickelodeon and the recent short film she also wrote and produced, Lucy in the Sky starring Whoopi Goldberg. As a casting executive at the Walt Disney Company from 2002 until 2009, Rudin conducted talent searches across the United States, For more info, visit www.jenrudin.com
Jennifer Peralta-Ajemian
Owner/Casting Director of Jennifer Ajemian Casting, Jennifer leads a team in providing inclusive casting in the U.S. for American and International film, television, and animation. Her work has premiered at numerous festivals including SXSW, Tribeca, Slamdance, and the Atlanta Film Festival. Projects include This Land (Dir: Michael Aloyan), Element (Dir: Julian Hollinger), Feeling Through (Dir: Doug Roland), Stormchaser (Dir: Gretl Claggett), The Catch (Dir: Matt Balzer), Lust Life Love (Dir: Ben Feuer & Stephanie Sellars). Prior to opening her own office, Jennifer worked for casting directors Cindy Tolan, Bernard Telsey, Avy Kaufman, and Liz Lewis. www.jenniferajemian.com
Liz Ortiz
Native New Yorker mom of 2 sons, Indie producer and Casting Director credited on projects screened in festivals such as Sundance, BAM Cinemafest, Urban World, HBO Latino, Brooklyn, Louisville and Beloit. Her feature documentary And...Seen is currently in the festival circuit and has won 2 awards to date. www.IAintPlayinFilms.com
Moderated by: Christopher Atamian: storyteller, journalist and director
Christopher Atamian is a New York-based storyteller (fiction, film, theater), journalist and director. He has received a 2015 Ellis Island NECO Award and the Tololyan Literary Prize. He was also participant in the 2011 Venice Biennale as a video director and produced the 2006 OBIE Award-winning play Trouble in Paradise. Christopher recently published an award-winning poetry book A Poet in Washington Heights, which is currently available through select New York bookshops and online.
Film Festivals: Do's and Don'ts - Your Chance to Hear out the Organizers
When: Monday March 18, 1:15 - 2:30 pm
Where: Cinema Village - 22 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
Meet with festival organizers:
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Nora Armani | Founder and Artistic Director SRFF
Nora Armani is an award-winning stage actress and filmmaker, and she is the Founding Artistic Director of SR Socially Relevant Film Festival New York. Her films have premiered at such festivals as Rotterdam, Cannes, Berlin, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Portland, Denver, Amsterdam, Paris, Cairo, Alexandria and Yerevan. She has toured internationally acting in many languages. www.noraarmani.net.
Frederic Boyer | Artistic Director | Tribeca Film Festival
Frédéric Boyer is the Artistic Director of the Tribeca Film Festival and of the Les Arcs European Film Festival since 2009. Prior to that he was the Artistic Director for two years and Head of Programming for the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes Festival for six years.
Isaac Zablocki | Senior Director of Film Program at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
Isaac Zablocki produces multiple film festivals annually including the ReelAbilities Film Festival running in New York in over 20 locations and internationally in over 20 major cities, as well as the Other Israel Film Festival on the topic of Arabs and other minority populations in Israel. He lectures and curates programs on the theme of films for social change.
Reinaldo Barroso-Spech | Co-Director The African Diaspora International Film Festival
Reinaldo Barroso-Spech was born in Cuba of Jamaican and Haitian parentage. Dr. Spech has dedicated his personal and academic life to the exploration and study of the differences and commonalities found in Black communities all over the world. The African Diaspora International Film Festival grew from his desire to expand the educational reach to a larger audience through films focusing on the Global Black Experience. Please visit www.NYADFF.org for more information about the festival.
Geoffrey Guerrero | Founder | Katra Film Series
Geoffrey Guerrero is the founder of the Katra Film Series and an award-winning filmmaker. He recently launched the Bowery Film Festival and Battle of Film Schools and will be launching New Faces New Voices and World Webfest Mania this year.
Sebastian Rea | Founder 30 Under 30 Film Festival
Sebastian Rea is a filmmaker, activist, and founder of the 30 Under 30 Film Festival, which screens in NYC and is its 6th iteration and celebrate 30 films from 30 filmmakers under 30 years old from all around the world. His most recent film, RUTA VIVA, was acquired by HBO in 2019. He also volunteers with the Jack Brewer Foundation, documenting their global medical, dental, and artist missions to impoverished areas.
The Governor’s Office - Filming in New York
When: Tuesday March 19, 2:00 - 3:00 pm
Where: Cinema Village - 22 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
NY Film Production Panel
Meet the team from the New York State Governor’s Office of Motion Picture and Television Development for a roundtable discussion of all things productive in New York State – tax credits, location scouting, finding stages and crew, and more. Whether you’re a first time filmmaker wondering where to start or a veteran producer looking to catch up on the latest, this informal face-to-face Q&A is an invaluable opportunity to Meet Team NY and hear firsthand about all the great things New York State has to offer.
Panelists are Steven Pelton, NYS Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development & Connie McFeeley, Film Tax Credit Dept. at Empire State Development.
Script reading - excerpts from the six finalist scripts
When: Wednesday March 20, 1:15 PM
Where: Cinema Village- 22 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
Directed by: Jillie Simon
Read by: TBA
agePlays Theater Company), appearing in "Tony & Tina’s Wedding”, at the Public Theater, NYC, etc. Film & tv work includes “Confess” w/ Melissa Leo, “You Have The Right to Remain Violent”, “A Beautiful Mind”, “Full Frontal w/ Samantha Bee", "As The World Turns”, and, currently in the festival circuit, "The Incoherents” w/ Amy Carlson, “Prince Harming" & “Hungry”, a short film she also wrote, co-directed, co-produced (w/ 9 awards, including 4 Best Actress/Best Performance she was honored with in 27 festivals). Jillie has also performed at Upright Citizen’s Brigade and her production company, Endorphin Records, just finished new short film “A Chance”. www.jilliesimon.com
Jillie Simon is an actor/singer/writer/producer/director who began her acting career in theater, working with luminaries such as Marlo Thomas (Cleveland Playhouse) & Marian Seldes (StagePlays Theater Company), appearing in "Tony & Tina’s Wedding”, at the Public Theater, NYC, etc. Film & TV work includes “Confess” w/ Melissa Leo, “You Have The Right to Remain Violent”, “A Beautiful Mind”, “Full Frontal w/ Samantha Bee", "As The World Turns”, and, currently in the festival circuit, "The Incoherents” w/ Amy Carlson, “Prince Harming" & “Hungry”, a short film she also wrote, co-directed, co-produced (w/ 9 awards, including 4 Best Actress/Best Performance she was honored with in 27 festivals). Jillie has also performed at Upright Citizen’s Brigade and her production company, Endorphin Records, just finished new short film “A Chance”. www.jilliesimon.com
Low Budget Film Production workshop - SAG-AFTRA
When: Thursday March 21, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Where: SAG-AFTRA NY Local - 1900 Broadway, 5th Fl, New York, NY 10023
Meet the SAGIndie staff and the Theatrical Business team of SAG-AFTRA to learn the ins and outs of low budget Motion Picture & Television production. Join SAGindie staff and SAG-AFTRA Theatrical Business Representatives to walk you through the process of signing SAG-AFTRA Low Budget Agreements from start to finish. The SAGindie workshop highlights the Student/Short Film and Low Budget Theatrical Agreements. If you want to learn about new media contracts, the SAG-AFTRA New Media department holds their own workshop in Los Angeles.
Video Diary workshop
When: Tuesday March 19, 3:10 – 4:00 pm
Where: Center for Remembering and Sharing (CRS) - 123 4th Ave #2, New York, NY 10003
Presented by: Brigitte Gauthier
“In the Video Diary Workshop I will guide filmmakers into the exploration of the visual clues hidden in locations which can be used to trigger your creative imagination for future projects. Narration nowadays is a visual experience. In order to promote our movies in Cannes or other venues, a script, or a synopsis is no longer sufficient. Filmmakers are asked to provide Mood Boards, Visual Pitches and Visual References. Teasers are often required. We go Visual. The idea of the workshop is to give you some advice on how to gather visual informations and reorganize them into a narrative thread to serve your development process.”
Preceded by the Screening of Bari Upside Up, 10min.
Brigitte Gauthier is Head of the SLAM Research Center, Head of SCRIPT and Trilingual Transmedia Master, Professor at EVE University (Université d’Evry-Paris Saclay, France)