Behind the Screens

INTIMACY COORDINATOR

MASTER CLASS Sunday | October 9 | 11:00am | Rafael

A clear and meaningful impact of the #MeToo movement in Hollywood has been the increasingly common participation of intimacy coordinators in film productions, both large and small. This conversation between Sarah Scott, a Los Angeles-based intimacy coordinator featured in the documentary Body Parts, and director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (Lady Chatterley’s Lover) will explore the nature of this important on-set collaboration, recent controversies in the field, and the need to develop common language around the safety of film casts and crews. spans into theaters? If theatrical exhibition were to go away, what does that mean for movie lovers and the future of film festivals and international and indie films? Moderator Mark Fishkin hosts several industry veterans as they weigh in on the current state of the industry and where it might be going.

Ted Hope, former head of production, Amazon Original Movies, and producer of more than 70 films including In the Bedroom (MVFF24) and The Tender Bar (2021) | Crystal Moselle, director, The Wolfpack (Sundance Grand Jury Prize 2015), Betty (HBO series 2020-’21), Sophia (MVFF45) | Nikyatu Jusu, writer-director, Nanny (Sundance Grand Jury Prize 2022, MVFF45) | Moderator: Mark Fishkin, Founder + Director, MVFF

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY | PANEL Saturday | Oct 15 | 10:00am | OAC | Free

The world is coming out of COVID and people are returning to theaters. But it is an unequal playing field. The masses are once more returning to multiplexes, but the arthouses are still suffering with low attendance, a trend that started before the pandemic. What does this portend for our industry? What does it mean when newspapers and websites hold reviews until a film’s streaming date instead of its theatrical release? Can audiences be lured back to theaters after becoming invested in streaming when movie houses went dark? How do we lure youth with TikTok-shortened attention

VARIETY’S TEN SCREENWRITERS

TO WATCH | PANEL Sunday | Oct 16 | 11:00am | OAC

Variety has honored “10 Screenwriters to Watch” for more than a decade, spotlighting the brightest and most promising writers of the year. We’re thrilled for the occasion to discuss their work in an intimate setting—a great opportunity as much for aspiring filmmakers as for casual fans.

Participants: Sarah Conradt, Mother’s Instinct | Carrie Solomon, “Untitled

Margot Robbie Ocean’s 11 Film” | Stefani Robinson, Chevalier | Katy Brand, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande | Shiwani Srivastava, Wedding Season | Alex Convery, “Untitled Nike/Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Project” | Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale | Joel Kim Booster, Fire Island | Evan Dodson, Terms of Endearment | Ximena García Lecuona, Anything’s Possible

Sponsored by

POWER OF PERSONAL: DOCUMENTARY

FILMS: THE DISTRIBUTORS | PANEL Thursday | October 13 | 3:30pm | OAC

In early 2022, Re-Present Media (RPM) issued an article, The Power of Personal Documentary Films, presenting data gathered from emerging BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) filmmakers working on personal documentary films. In particular, the article explored the impact of racism and white-supremacy culture on their work.

This session will present highlights of the survey project as it relates to the current distribution landscape, then dive into a deep conversation with distribution professionals. Themes will include: the value of personal documentary films from diverse communities, how personal documentaries are currently distributed, the challenges of marketing such films, the missed opportunities to connect with audiences because of an unconscious bias against these films, and how strategies can shift among distributors for programming, acquiring, and marketing personal documentaries.

Guests: Jennifer Crystal Chien, Re-Present Media | Brenda Avila-Hanna, New Day Films | Amanda Salazar, former Head of Programming at Argo, VP of Acquisitions at Fandor, programmer for SFFilm and Northwest Film Forum | Annie Roney, ro*co Films, Founder & Chief Executive Officer | Moderator: Claire Aguilar, producer/consultant, former Director of Programming and Policy at International Documentary Association.

IN OUR OWN WORDS:

POETRY ON FILM | WORKSHOP Sunday, October 9 | 4:00-5:30pmMission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, San Francisco | Ages 11-18 | FREE

Inspired by the bold slam poetry and narration of José Eduardo Aguilar “El Deportee” in the animated documentary Home Is Somewhere Else (see page xx), this workshop combines the art of the written word and non-fiction film narration. Participants will learn to write and perform poetry that exhibits their identity, experiences, and dreams. Filmmaker in attendance

BLACK GIRLS FILM CAMP VIRTUAL SCREENING + CONVERSATION

Online

Black Girls Film Camp is a nonprofit organization that provides a free, annual, virtual 12-week filmmaking experience for high-schoolage Black girls across the country. For the 2022 camp, over 200 applicants pitched a story idea, and ten finalists were selected to direct and develop their own short films. This virtual screening of their work will be followed by a pre-recorded conversation with camp founder Jimmeka Anderson, who will talk about how this program became so successful, why it is so essential, and how it’s changing the industry landscape by centering the experiences and voices of Black girls

BEHIND THE SCREENS

REEL LIFE: HISTORY ON FILM | WORKSHOP Saturday | October 15 | 12:00-1:30 pm | Outdoor Art Club | FREE

How does one curate archival footage to contextualize history? The short documentary For Love and Legacy (see page xx) chronicles an artist’s attempt to honor Black Panther leader Huey Newton through a public sculpture. Exploring themes of history and memory, filmmaker A.K. Sandhu will talk about the curated archival footage she considered and utilized for the film, and participants will be able to study and learn how archives expand historical significance. Guests: Effie Brown, Karim Ahmad, Leah Salgado, Bing Chen, Favianna Rodriguez

Behind the Screens Program Manager: SHAKIRA REFOS

MISREPRESENTATION: WHEN THE

FILM INDUSTRY GETS IT WRONG | PANEL Sunday | October 16 | 1:30 pm | OAC | FREE

What role does cinema play in shaping culture and influencing society’s perception of marginalized communities? This conversation brings together filmmakers, curators, critics, and changemakers to discuss the errors made by funders, festivals, and streamers in endorsing films that are later revealed to be extractive, exploitative, inauthentic, or otherwise harmful. We will reflect on the impact of misrepresentation, and explore how the content that gets made and programmed continues to affect livelihoods long after the end credits roll. Join us to find solutions to avoid these pitfalls, and learn how to leverage the power of narrative change to embrace and uplift underrepresented communities on screen.