Filmmaker Summit 2017 by Studio Two

7 1 0 2 MAY 31 - JUNE 1

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

rks

hire mounta

d ist

illers, i nc.

Dear Filmmakers, We are pleased to welcome you to the sixth annual Filmmakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Summit and the twelfth annual Berkshire International Film Festival! The BIFF aims to foster a community-wide attitude that will allow filmmakers, directors, writers and actors an encouraging environment to collaborate, present their work, and interact with each other and with film audiences. It is in support of this aim that the Filmmakers Summit was developed six years ago as a nurturing, creative space for filmmakers and industry professionals to come together in the spirit of collaboration, discussion, and continued growth. The Filmmakers Summit is an integral part of the festival experience for filmmakers, ensuring the freshest and most poignant dialogue in conjunction with unique events with Douglas Trumbull and Sheila Nevins. The Summit goes beyond networking and fortifies the festival experience. Cheers,

Kelley R. Vickery

BIFF FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR

Carolyn Lancaster

CL PRODUCTIONS NYC FILMMAKERS SUMMIT PRODUCER

BIFF thanks Carolyn lancaster, Mary Mott & Gordon Simmering, Farihah Zaman and the industry professionals for their time and participation. Congratulations to the 2017 Filmmakers!

Y A D

, Y A D 7 S E DN , 201 E W 31 Y MA

Morning Arrivals & Hotel check in 11:30am Meet Bus outside of the Red Lion Inn Noon Depart to Doug Trumbull’s 12:30pm- 1:30pm Welcome Introductions & Lunch 1:30pm -3pm Doug Trumbull’s Studio Tour & Presentation 3:00pm Break 3:30pm - 4:30pm Molly Thompson GREETINGS FROM THE DOC BOOM

4:30pm Bus back to hotels to get ready for Filmmaker Summit Party 6:45pm Hotel pick ups to go to Yale Hill for Cocktails & Dinner 7:00pm Filmmaker Summit Dinner at Mary Mott and Gordon Simmering’s at Yale Hill 9pm Return to The Red Lion Inn After Dinner - After Party, Until Close at The ‘Lion’s Den’ at the Red Lion Inn

Red Lion Inn 30 Main Street, Stockbridge, MA 01262

Y A D

, Y A D 7 S R THU 1, 201 E N U J

9:30am Shuttle to Yale Hill Barn for the day 9:45am-10:30am Breakfast at the Barn

2:30pm -3:30pm Keynote Speaker, Sheila Nevins

10:30am -11:30am Alex Kurze & Liz Davis DIGITAL MEDIA TRENDS TOWARDS INTERACTIVE CONTENT & HOW THAT FITS INTO AN INDEPENDENT MARKET

3:30pm Closing Remarks & Celebratory Champagne Toast

11:30am -12:30pm Peggy Rajski CREATIVE PRODUCING: FIRST IN, LAST OUT! 12:30pm-1:30pm Lunch 1:30pm-2:30pm Greg Rhem, Diana Holtzberg & Liz Holm SCRIPT 2 SCREEN 2 DISTRO

3:45pm Shuttle to Hotels 4:30pm Hotel pick ups to attend BIFF Opening Night 5:00pm Opening Night festivities begin

Yale Hill Barn 28 Yale Hill Road, Stockbridge, MA, 01262

D O

R O T A ER

FARIHAH ZAMAN Farihah Zaman is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker, critic, and programmer who is currently the Production Manager for Field of Vision, the visual journalism unit founded by Charlotte Cook, A.J. Schnack and Laura Poitras. Her diverse background in the film industry includes working as the Acquisitions Manager at indie distribution company Magnolia Pictures, and serving as the the Program Manager of The Flaherty Seminar, organizing their historic, contentious annual event and launching a monthly screening series at Anthology Film Archives. Her first feature film is the award-winning documentary REMOTE AREA MEDICAL, which was followed by the short KOMBIT (2014 Sundance Film Festival) and second feature THIS TIME NEXT YEAR (2014 Tribeca Film Festival). She has written for Reverse Shot, Elle Magazine, Film Comment, Huffington Post, Filmmaker Magazine, and AV Club, among others.

N EY

E T O

E SP

R E K A

SHEILA NEVINS

PRESIDENT, HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS Sheila Nevins is president, HBO Documentary Films, for Home Box Office, responsible for overseeing the development and production of all documentaries for HBO, HBO2 and Cinemax. She was named to this position in February 2004. As an executive producer or producer, she has received 32 Primetime Emmy® Awards, 34 News and Documentary Emmys® and 42 George Foster Peabody Awards. During her tenure, HBO’s critically acclaimed documentaries have gone on to win 26 Academy Awards®, the most recently of which was A GIRL IN THE RIVER: THE PRICE OF FORGIVENESS in 2016. Other Oscar® winners include CITIZENFOUR (2015), CRISIS HOTLINE: VETERANS PRESS 1 (2015), SAVING FACE (2012), STRANGERS NO MORE (2011), MUSIC BY PRUDENCE (2010), SMILE PINKI (2009), THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU DISTRICT (2007), BORN INTO BROTHELS (2005), CHERNOBYL HEART (2004), MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING (2002), KING GIMP (2000), ONE SURVIVOR REMEMBERS (1996), I AM A PROMISE (1994), EDUCATING PETER (1993) and YOU DON’T HAVE TO DIE (1989). The series “Cinemax Reel Life” has featured a number of awardwinning documentaries including BIG MAMA, winner of the 2001 Academy Award® for Best Short Subject, THE PERSONALS: IMPROVISATIONS ON ROMANCE IN THE GOLDEN YEARS (1999) and

BREATHING LESSONS: THE LIFE AND WORK OF MARK O’BRIEN, an Oscar® winner in 1997. Nevins has been honored with several prestigious career achievement awards including, most recently, the 2009 Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and was made an NYU Tisch School of the Arts Honoree. She is also the recipient of a 2008 Gotham Awards Tribute; a 2005 Emmy® Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the art of the documentary, the first time the National Television Academy awarded a Lifetime Achievement recognition to a documentarian; and a Personal Peabody in 1999 in recognition of her work and ongoing commitment to excellence. In 2003, Women in Film presented Nevins with a Lucy Award for her outstanding achievements in advancing documentary filmmaking. In 2002, the National Board of Review presented her with the Humanitarian Award for her contribution to the advancement of social reforms and the promotion of human welfare through film. In 2000, Nevins was inducted into Broadcasting & Cable’s Hall of Fame, and in 1998 she garnered the IDA Career Achievement Award and the New York Women in Film & Television Muse Award for Outstanding Vision & Achievement. Nevins was named vice president, Documentary and Family Programming in 1985; appointed senior vice president, Original Programming, in 1995; and promoted to executive vice president, Original Programming, in 1999. She has supervised the production of more than 1,000 documentary programs for HBO, and won the first George Foster Peabody Award ever presented to a cable program for “She’s Nobody’s Baby,” which was produced with Ms. Magazine. Nevins is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Nevins is the New York Times bestselling author of “You Don’t Look Your Age… and Other Fairy Tales,” published by Flatiron Books. Nevins holds a BA from Barnard College and an MFA from Yale University School of Drama in Directing.

E N PA

S T LIS

DIANA HOLTZBERG

PRODUCER, WRITER AND AGENT, PRESIDENT - EAST VILLAGE ENTERTAINMENT Diana Holtzberg is a producer, agent, writer, consultant and lecturer. She founded East Village Entertainment (EVE) in 2007, a New York City-based entertainment company and agency that is devoted to media that enlightens, entertains, inspires. Diana has won two Emmy Awards and has received two Emmy nominations. She won a News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Arts and Culture Programming in 2009 for THE ART OF FAILURE: CHUCK CONNELLY NOT FOR SALE, a Heartland Emmy Award for Best Topical Documentary in 2016 for EDUCATION, INC., a Best Long Form Sports Emmy nomination for BACK ON BOARD: GREG LOUGANIS in 2016 and a News and Doc Emmy nomination for Best Informational Long Form for OUTLAWED IN PAKISTAN in 2014.

LIZ DAVIS

SENIOR SALES MANAGER, JB&A

ELIZABETH HOLM WRITER/PRODUCER

Elisabeth Holm is the co-writer and producer of Gillian Robespierre’s LANDLINE, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and will be released by Amazon Studios this summer. She is also the 2014 Sundance Red Crown Producer’s Awardwinner for her work on Robespierre’s OBVIOUS CHILD. From 2011-2014 she served as Kickstarter’s Film Program Director. She produced Keith Miller’s Slamdance and FIPRESCI Prize-winning WELCOME TO PINE HILL, associate produced Joe Berlinger’s Oscar-nominated PARADISE LOST 3, was profiled in Forbes’ and The L Magazine’s “30 Under 30,” and is a Sundance Women’s Initiative Fellow. A born and raised New Yorker, Elisabeth is exceptional at take-out.

Liz Davis began in film distribution for a subsidy of Universal, buying and selling features and tv shows to networks, and developed. Not long after, she began freelancing as a camera assistant, which lead to becoming an on-set DIT. Next, she transitioned from the live-streaming aspect of the business, when more and more brands had the desire to bring video in house as a way to build brand awareness, and also monetize content working with brands to design live-streaming studios, as well as teach them the do’s & don’ts of digital content. This parlayed her to become Creative Director for Magnet Media, a digital agency in Manhattan where she wrote and directed digital campaigns and strategy for brands such as Complex Media (now Complex Networks), Spectrum, and The Associated Press. Most recently, Liz is a Senior member for JB&A, a technology solutions distributor for the video industry, which represents brands that are leading the charge in emerging technologies in the industry, specifically live-streaming, and IP workflow.

PANELISTS

ALEX KURZE

FREELANCE PRODUCER AND GENERAL RENTAL MANAGER AT ABEL CINE, NYC Alex is a freelance producer and the General Rental Manager at the esteemed camera house Abel Cine in New York. As a producer he has put together numerous highly decorated lms that have screened at festivals all over the world and been selected at venues such as Cannes, Tribeca, Austin and many more. Most recently he had a short lm on the Academy Awards short list or others nominated for a Webby award. As a member of the Abel Cine family he has provided camera equipment and consulted the commercial, TV and feature market for over 5 years now with such staple shows like SNL, LOUIS CK, BROAD CITY and various other. With a wide range from slow motion cameras, high end cinema, broadcast, compact HD down to DSLR and GoPros he has covered a little bit of everything and supported pretty much any nature of a show which has only helped Alex grow in his understanding of the needs of productions of any scope. He continues to produce and create content while supplying the market with gear and his expertise.

PEGGY RAJSKI

PRODUCER, ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER, EDUCATOR, HUMANITARIAN AND CONSULTANT Peggy Rajski is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, educator, humanitarian and consultant. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s produced over a dozen feature films with notable talent in front of and behind the camera, directed and co-produced the Oscar-winning short film TREVOR and created The Trevor Project--the groundbreaking not-for-profit recognized nationwide for its lifesaving work with LGBTQI youth. Peggy coaches filmmakers on pitching and project development, and has been teaching and serving as the Producing Area Head in NYUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tisch Graduate Film program since 2011.

DOUGLAS TRUMBULL

ACADEMY AWARD WINNING, SPECIAL EFFECTS ICON AND VISIONARY

GREG RHEM

DIRECTOR OF DOCUMENTARY PROGRAMMING FOR HOME BOX OFFICE Greg Rhem is Director of Documentary Programming for Home Box Office. For twenty-two years, he has help discover distinctive programming for HBO Documentary Films. Some of his finds have been: the Oscar®-winning FREEHELD, BORN INTO BROTHELS, THOTH, and BREATHING LESSON: THE LIFE AND WORK OF MARK O’BRIEN; and Oscar®-nominated PRISON TERMINAL: THE LAST DAYS OF PRIVATE JACK HALL, MONDAYS AT RACINE, THE LAST CAMPAIGN OF GOVERNOR BOOTH GARDNER, JOURNEYS WITH GEORGE, and SPELLBOUND. Greg holds a M.A. in Media Studies from the New School University, and a B.A. degree in English and Film Studies from the University of Rochester.

Academy Award winning, special effects icon and visionary Legendary filmmaker and visual effects pioneer, Douglas Trumbull, was one of the Special Photographic Effects Supervisors for 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968). He went on to become the Visual Effects Supervisor for such classics as CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977), STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979), and BLADE RUNNER (1982), each of which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. Mr. Trumbull directed SILENT RUNNING (1972), BRAINSTORM (1983), BACK TO THE FUTURE… THE RIDE (1991) and numerous other special format films. He is the recent recipient of an Academy Award in the area of Scientific and Technical Achievement as well as the International Monitor Award and American Society of Cinematographers’ Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions in the field of involved in the evolution of visual effects using virtual digital sets and electronic cinematography.

PANELISTS

MOLLY THOMPSON SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, FEATURE FILMS AT A+E STUDIOS

Molly Thompson is Senior Vice President, Feature Films at A+E Studios. She is the founder and head of A&E IndieFilms, the feature documentary production arm of A+E Networks. Since its inception in 2005, A&E IndieFilms has gained an unprecedented track record, garnering four Academy Award® nominations for LIFE, ANIMATED, CARTEL LAND, MURDERBALL and JESUS CAMP, and Sundance wins in several categories for LIFE, ANIMATED, CARTEL LAND, AMERICAN TEEN and THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE, along with hundreds of other awards and nominations. Current A&E IndieFilms titles include the critically acclaimed CITY OF GHOSTS from Matthew Heineman and A GRAY STATE from Erik Nelson. Thompson also serves as executive producer on films produced under the HISTORY Films banner, including CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS, NO PLACE ON EARTH and THE UNKNOWN KNOWN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DONALD RUMSFELD. Recent HISTORY Films productions include 2015’s DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON and the Johnny Knoxvilleproduced BEING EVEL, both of which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. She has also executive produced two

narrative features for Lifetime Films — 2015’s LILA & EVE, starring Viola Davis and Jennifer Lopez, and the upcoming PARIS CAN WAIT, starring Diane Lane and Alec Baldwin. Among the acclaimed films from the A&E IndieFilms library are, Nanette Burstein’s AMERICAN TEEN, which received the Directing Award at Sundance Film Festival; Amir Bar-Lev’s MY KID COULD PAINT THAT; R.J. Cutler’s THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE; Amir Bar-Lev’s 2012 Emmy Award®-winning THE TILLMAN STORY; Alex Gibney’s 2011 PGA Award and DGA Award nominee CLIENT 9: THE RISE AND FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER; Bart Layton’s BAFTA Award-winning THE IMPOSTER; Mike Myers’ directorial debut, SUPERMENSCH: THE LEGEND OF SHEP GORDON; DRUNK, STONED, BRILIIANT, DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON from Doug Tirola; winner of the Directing Award in the US Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, the 2017 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature, LIFE, ANIMATED by Roger Ross Williams; AUTHOR: THE JT LEROY STORY from Jeff Feuerzig; and the DGA Award, James Polk Award and Emmy Award winner and 2016 Academy Award nominated film for Best Documentary Feature, Cartel Land from Matthew Heineman.

A M LM

S R KE

NOWHERE TO HIDE

ZARADASHT AHMED

KURDISH/NORWEGIAN FILMMAKER Zaradasht Ahmed is a Kurdish/Norwegian filmmaker, born and raised in northern Iraq. His latest film NOWHERE TO HIDE won the IDFA Award for Best Feature Documentary in November 2016, as well as the 2017 Best documentary at One World FF, and the Audience award at Thessaloniki FF. These days he is busy travelling the festival circuit. Other films include the awardwinning documentary THE ROAD TO DIARBAKIR and FATA MORGANA. Zaradasht has extensive experience in documentary filmmaking in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.

FILMMAKERS

MY FATHER’S TOOLS

HEATHER CONDO FILMMAKER STEPHEN JEROME ARTIST & SUBJECT IN FILM

Stephen Jerome is from Gesgapegiag, Quebec. He has been making black ash baskets for over 35 years. He was taught by his handicapped father, Francis Jerome. He continues to make baskets and supply others with wood so they can make their own. He has taken up teaching young people in his community part time. He hopes that someone will follow in his footsteps.

THE ASCENT

AUSTIN BUNN PRODUCER/WRITER

Austin Bunn is the screenwriter of KILL YOUR DARLINGS (Sundance), starring Daniel Radcliffe, and the author of shortstory collection THE BRINK. His short documentary IN THE HOLLOW (Vimeo Staff Pick, Short of the Week) has played over thirty film festivals. He has written screenplays for Fox 2000, Lionsgate, Participant Media, and Page1 Productions. He teaches at Cornell University.

Heather Condo was born in Quebec but grew up in Massachusetts. At 33 she moved back to the reservation with her three children to be near her family. She works as a Medical Archivist for the members of the community. She has known Stephen Jerome since they were teenagers. When they started to date she saw his work and how people reacted to it. She knew his work should be captured for future generations. When Wapikoni came to the reservation it was her chance. Her son, Zack, had made a film with Wapikoni in 2014 and loved how his came out. This is the start of incredible journey for her and Stephen and she looks forward to making more films about aboriginal artist

93 DAYS

STEVE GUKAS TRIBAL JUSTICE

RUSSELL GREEN EDITOR

Russell Greene is a film editor and director based in Brooklyn, NY where he lives with his wife and two children. His edited films have appeared in top US and international festivals including Sundance, Venice, New York, SXSW, Tribeca, IDFA, Full Frame, Edinburgh and Los Angeles. His feature film credits include TRIBAL JUSTICE, THE WITNESS, FAMOUS NATHAN, HARRY DEAN STANTON: PARTLY FICTION, ORDINARY MIRACLES: THE PHOTO LEAGUE’S NEW YORK, HUNGRY IS THE TIGER, A FINE LINE and 2B. Other editorial credits include NEWTOWN, WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? and BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED. In addition to feature films, Russell has written, edited and directed numerous short films, commercials, web series and branded content films. They include the award winning short film EASY STREET and the acclaimed web series MADE HERE ABOUT NY PERFORMING ARTISTS. From 2004 to 2012, his editing partner was Angelo Corrao. Assistant Editor credits include the Academy Award Nominated NERAKHOON: THE BETRAYAL and the Sundance award winning PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE.

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR Steve is a Producer/Director with experience spanning Television, Theatre, Advertising and Film. Steve obtained a Diploma in TV Production from the NTA Television College in Jos, then went on to read Theatre Arts at the University of Jos from where he graduated with a BA. He is also an alumnus of the Prestigious London Film School. Steve is the producer of NAMIBIA – THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION the film starring Danny Glover and Carl Lumbly premiered at the 2006 Pan African Film Festival in L.A and has gone on to win many awards. His other credits as producer/ director include, A PLACE IN THE STARS, KEEPING FAITH, KATANGA, THREE SCORES AND TEN, A LIFE TO VIEW, SOWETO and MR. JOHNSON just to mention a few. He has also produced and directed several of commercials and documentaries. Steve is founder/CEO of Natives Filmworks Limited, a production company with offices in Abuja and London. Steve’s writing credit include story developments on the Nujoma project amongst others as well as a recently completed screenplay The Infidel. As a director, Steve’s strong suit lies in coaxing great performances out of actors as well as a strong sense of story and character. These he combines with a collaborative approach to film making that allows each picture he makes benefit from the creative vent of all the key creative members on the project.

FILMMAKERS

TAKE MY NOSE...PLEASE!

JOAN KRON FILMMAKER

LANDLINE

ELIZABETH HOLM WRITER/PRODUCER

Joan Kron is 89 and TAKE MY NOSE…PLEASE! is her first film, but not her first cultural project. After graduating in 1948 from the Yale School of Drama, she was a costume designer at NBC-TV when television was live and black and white. She segued into interior design and manufacturing limited edition art objects by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Indiana. In the 1960s, as chairman of the Arts Council of Philadelphia’s YM/YWHA, Kron shook up the city with avant-garde cultural programming (pop art, art on billboards, underground films, THE VELVET UNDERGROUND). At age 41, after a personal tragedy, with no training in journalism, she started writing for Philadelphia magazine, moving quickly to New York magazine, The New York Times (covering design) and The Wall Street Journal (covering fashion on the front page). For 25 years (from 1991 to 2016 ) she covered plastic surgery for Allure magazine. (During that time she was also a partner in her family’s buffalo ranch—but that’s another story.) The Oxford English Dictionary credits Kron and the co-author of their 1978 design book, with giving new meaning to the obscure term chosen for its title: High-Tech. An observation in Kron’s fourth book, Lift: Wanting Fearing and Having a Face-lift, that comediennes are the only celebrities who are honest about plastic surgery, was the inspiration for this film. At Kron’s first film festival (Miami IFF, in March), TMNP won its first trophy--the Knight Audience Recognition Award. Kron is already working on her second film.

A TREE. A ROCK. A CLOUD

AMY LYNN

FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

BULLISH FARMER About the Filmmakers:

KEN MARSOLAIS

“The Bullish Farmer” was directed and co-produced by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Ken Marsolais. He was the producer of such Amy Lynn is a member of Directors Guild of America since 1992. Broadway She classics as “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” directed by currently sits on the DGA 1st Assistant Director Committee (EAST),Edward Albee, and starring Colleen Dewhurst and Ben Gazarra; and Day’s Journey Into Night,” starring Jason Robards and Colleen and has served as a delegate on the DGA Council (EAST). 1989 “Long Dewhurst.

TONY AWARD & PULITZER PRIZE WINNER DIRECTOR/PRODUCER

Amy moved to New York City and began working as a Production “My goal in making ‘The Bullish Farmer’ is to inspire awareness Assistant on feature films and tv series such as: THE EQUALIZER, about the importance of the food we eat, gain support for small farms, and CADILLAC MAN, PARENTHOOD, THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, and help save rural America,” says Marsolais. DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/WRITER LAW & ORDER. The Producers of LAW & ORDER sponsored Amy to Nancy Vick, co-producer, filmmaker and writer, has extensive in business development and advertising. She has contributed to join the Directors Guild in June of 1992. In the past 25 years Amy experience THE BULLISH FARMER was directed and co-produced by Tony the arts, education, and human rights in her roles as executive officer and has enjoyed a career as a 1st & 2nd Assistant Director on featurepresident emeritus of several Award and Vick Pulitzer Prize winner Ken Marsolais. He was the non-profits. is a trustee of Video of Goa, India and NYC, a multiple award-winning social films and tv series. She has been a role model and teacher to Volunteers producer of such Broadway classics as WHO’S AFRAID OF entrepreneurial NGO. enumerable ProductionAssistants, Assistant Directors, and DGA VIRGINIA WOOLF, directed by Edward Albee, and starring Trainees. Amy’s resume includes work with Directors such as, Colleen Dewhurst and Ben Gazarra; and LONG DAY’S JOURNEY Woody Allen, Adrianne Lyne, Peter Chelsom, Martin Scorsese, Andy INTO NIGHT, starring Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst. Tennant, Adam McKay, James Mangold, Raymond Defilitta, Kirk “My goal in making THE BULLISH FARMER is to inspire awareness Jones, Michel Gondry, Walter Salles, Gus Van Sant, Julian Schnabel, about the importance of the food we eat, gain support for small Cameron Crowe, Antony Minghella, James Gray, Phillip Noyce, farms, and help save rural America,” says Marsolais. Nancy Vick, Joel Schumacher, Michael Mayer, and Karen Allen. Recent credits co-producer, filmmaker and writer, has extensive experience in include: TV Series, “Quantico”, “Blindspot”, “Divorce”, “Person of business development and advertising. She has contributed to Interest”, “Homeland”. Feature Films: “The Seagull”, “Cymbeline”, the arts, education, and human rights in her roles as executive “Anchorman 2”. Education includes undergrad degree at St. officer and president emeritus of several non-profits. Vick is a Michael’s College, Vermont, and Graduate work at The New trustee of Video Volunteers of Goa, India and NYC, a multiple School for Social Research, Film Theory, Photography. award-winning social entrepreneurial NGO.

NANCY VICK

FILMMAKERS

SERENADE FOR HAITI

CHRISTY MCGILL PRODUCER

Christy McGill is the producer of SERENADE FOR HAITI (Serenad pou Ayiti), a portrait of Haiti and its music as seen through the journey of a classical music school in urban Port-au-Prince over the course of seven years before and after the 2010 earthquake. A screenwriter, film producer and story editor, she has also served as a creative director for a variety of private companies and charitable organizations. Her work has included adaptation projects for narrative feature films, original television pilots, video shorts and the occasional magazine article. SERENADE FOR HAITI (SERENAD POU AYITI) is the second feature documentary Christy has co-produced, following the award-winning eco-doc, GHOST BIRD (directed by Scott Crocker), which took a multi-layered look at the possible sighting of an extinct species in a depressed region of rural America. GHOST BIRD won critical acclaim from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and New York Magazine as well as winning the Southern Soul of Independent Film Award, and Golden Eagle Award from Cine 2010, and official selection by HotDocs, San Francisco Film Society, Mill Valley Film Festival, Hot Springs and Fiestival Internazionale del Film de Roma. Christy graduated from Brown University with a bachelor of arts degree in American Civilization.Â She lives in the San Francisco bay area.

RUNNING THROUGH LIFE

HELENE MOLTKE-LETH AWARD WINNING FILM DIRECTOR, ARTIST & FORMER DJ

Helene Moltke-Leth is an award winning film director, artist and former DJ. Helene has earned recognition for her shorts films, documentary films and her television and radio productions over the past 20 years. In recent years Helene has immersed herself in a cinematic and poetic world with an analytic bite. She is continuously exploring her own artistic language expressed through the short artistic hybrid film, in the poem and in the staged photography. She is a part of the Independent FilmArt network Chaplins Hotel in Denmark.

TOKYO PROJECT

STACEY REISS PRODUCER

CIRCUS KID

LORENZO PISONI DIRECTOR

Lorenzo began as a circus performer in The Pickle Family Circus founded by his parents, Peggy Snider and Larry Pisoni. In1999, he became anactor, working onBroadway, off- Broadway, on television and in film. In 2009, with director Erica Schmidt, he created Humor Abuse, a play about growing up with a clown for a father. Winning numerous awards throughout the country over its four year run, the show inspired filmmaker Jennifer Westfeldt to convince Lorenzo to make a film about his relationship with his father, Larry. CIRCUS KID marks Lorenzo’s directorial debut.

Stacey Reiss is an Emmy award-winning producer who writes, directs and produces documentaries and narrative films. She is the producer of THE EAGLE HUNTRESS, which follows Aisholpan, a 13 year old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her family to become an eagle hunter. The film played at festivals around the world including Sundance, Telluride, Toronto, London, Rome and IDFA and was released by Sony Pictures Classics. The film was shortlisted for an Academy Award and nominated forPGA, DGA and BAFTA awards. It was named one of the top films of 2016 by the National Board of Review. Documentary credits include SUITED, a modern look at gender through the conduit of clothing (Sundance 2016;) THE DIPLOMAT, about the life and legacy of the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke (Tribeca 2015;) IT’S ME, HILARY, a portrait of the artist behind the iconic “Eloise” books (Sundance 2015;) and I KNEW IT WAS YOU, about the late actor John Cazale best known for as “Fredo” in “The Godfather.” (Sundance 2009.) All were acquired by HBO. Upcoming projects include TOKYO PROJECT (directed by Richard Shepard) starring Elisabeth Moss and Ebon Moss-Bachrach; UNTITLED LENNY SERIES helmed by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner; and two feature documentaries currently in production. Prior to making films, Stacey was a producer for DATELINE NBC for over a decade.

FILMMAKERS A TREE. A ROCK. A CLOUD

NORIKO SAKAMOTO EDITOR

Noriko Sakamoto first met Karen Allen while editing the awardwinning feature film YEAR BY THE SEA which was screened at BIFF in 2016. She enjoyed working closely with Karen to bring her vision to life on A TREE. A ROCK. A CLOUD. She is very excited to be back at BIFF this year. Noriko has 15 years of experience editing various TV shows and documentaries for Discovery, History, A & E and TLC. She lives with her family on New York’s Lower East Side.

TOKOYO PROJECT

RICHARD SHEPARD DIRECTOR

Richard Shepard has written and directed several feature films including DOM HEMINGWAY starring Jude Law and THE MATADOR starring Pierce Brosnan which was nominated for a Golden Globe. He won the Emmy Award for directing the pilot of UGLY BETTY, and has helmed 12 episodes of the HBO series GIRLS.

SWIM TEAM

LARA STOLMAN PRODUCER/DIRECTOR CREEDMORIA

ALICIA SLIMMER INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER

Alicia Slimmer is an independent filmmaker whose feature film, CREEDMORIA, has won numerous awards including the Jury Award for Best Feature Comedy at Cinequest, Audience Favorite at Brooklyn Film Festival and Industry Choice Award at Dances with Films, to name a few. The Hollywood Reporter recently said CREEDMORIA “boasts an exuberant comic vitality that keeps the viewer engaged and Dawson’s winning performance as the beleaguered heroine makes you root for her at every turn.”

Lara’s work has appeared on NBC, MSNBC, TLC, AMC, VH-1 and The New York Times’ website. Her film PORTRAITS OF SURVIVAL, about coming to terms with the tragedy of 9/11 through art was selected for the Hamptons International Film Festival, aired on MSNBC and was awarded the Cine Golden Eagle. For SWIM TEAM, her first feature documentary film, she was named an IFP Documentary Lab Fellow, awarded the New York Women in Film and Television Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness grant and was provided with completion funding from the Karma Foundation. Lara has guest lectured on documentary production at NYU, served as a juror for the News and Documentary Emmy Awards and writes for the Huffington Post. She has a BA in Political Science from Columbia College of Columbia University and JD from Yeshiva University’s Benjamin Cardozo School of Law.

FILMMAKERS SOY CUBANA

ROBIN UNGAR FILMMAKER

Having dreamed of making documentary films for years, Robin found the subject for her first film when she encountered the Vocal Vidas in a small Cuban chapel. She captured the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance on an iPhone and, upon returning home to Los Angeles, raised the financing and put together a crew. Seven months later, she and her team returned to Cuba and shot the footage for SOY CUBANA. The film has played in over forty festivals to date and has won 9 awards for Best Documentary Short. While she continues her professional career as a speech-language pathologist, Robin has begun to develop new documentary projects which she hopes to produce in the coming year. EVAN PLAYS is a short documentary focusing on autistic adult musicians is currently in production in Baltimore.

COMPLICIT

HEATHER WHITE

C0-DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Co-Director/Producer: Heather White is a first-time documentary director. From 2011-2014 she was a Network Fellow at Harvard Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Edmond Safra Center for Ethics. She is the founder and former Executive Director (1995-2005) of www.verite.org, an award-winning non-profit organization recognized for its groundbreaking leadership in the areas of global supply chain monitoring and factory social audits.

RED LION INN 30 Main Street, Stockbridge, MA 01262 FAIRFIELD INN 249 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230 THE BARRINGTON 281 Main Street, Level 3, Great Barrington, MA 01230 BERKSHIRE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL P.O. Box 237, 40 Railroad St Great Barrington, MA 01230 413.528.8030, BIFFMA.ORG

T C

O C

A T N

John Clarke, heard of transportation, can be reached throughout your stay at (413) 644-6228 Should you need anything throughout the Filmmakers Summit or Festival, please contact the BIFF office directly at 413.528.8030. The festival web address is www.biffma.org. Thank you!

A VERY SPECIAL THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT GOES OUT TO OUR GENEROUS UNDERWRITERS Mary Mott and Gordon Simmering for hosting the Filmmaker Summit and generously underwriting the Filmmaker Cocktail Party Douglas and Julia Trumbull for opening up his magical state-of-the-art studio, hosting the Summit lunch, and generously donating time to the Filmmakers Summit The Red Lion Inn for the wonderful hospitality to our Filmmakers, Panelists and Jurors Kate Baldwin for generously underwriting the celebratory Summit cocktail and dinner party Chris Weld and Berkshire Mountain Distillers for his generous donation of his locally produced libations Tom Leveque, Girardi Distributors and Stella Artois for their continued support and donation of fine beer and filmmaker t-shirts. Mike Harney and Harney & Sons teas for the generous donation of fine assorted Harney Teas Carlo Huber and Carlo Huber Selections for the generous donation of his Austrian Wines Seth Nash and Blue Q for the fun filmmaker Camera Zipper Pouches Lisa Newmann and Coffee Snacks for the Java Me Up Bars The Fairfield Inn and Suites for the wonderful hospitality accommodating our Filmmakers Got2b styling products from A World of Style U.S. Cotton for the generous cotton products for all your beauty needs Borgo Maragliano and Surrau for the generous donation of amazing wines