Big Apple Film Festival

The independent film landscape has changed drastically in throughout the years, creating new opportunities, as well as new challenges for indie filmmakers. In this episode, Big Apple Film Festival Podcast host JONATHAN LIPP (BAFF Founder/Director) chats with filmmaker/actor/producer Michael McGlone on how the industry has changed in the last thirty years, opportunities available today for aspiring filmmakers, as well as enlightening perspectives for emerging filmmakers, artists and entrepreneurs. MICHAEL MCGLONE attended the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, wherefrom, a year later, in his words he "self-graduated." Not long after, through an ad in the paper Backstage, he landed the role that would mark the beginning of his career as an actor. That role was the beloved Patrick McMullen, the excessively moral and excessively conflicted youngest brother in the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize Winning film The Brothers McMullen, the directorial debut of filmmaker Edward Burns. Following this success, McGlone would go on to star in She's the One alongside Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Edward Burns, Amanda Peet and John Mahoney. This was followed by numerous critically acclaimed roles in films such as The Bones Collector co-starring with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, HBO's Subway Stories, Hardball co-starring with Keanu Reeves and many more. As prolific in television, McGlone's numerous recurring roles include the fan favorite Detective Szymanski on Person of Interest, Bobby McKeen in Starz' dramatic series Crash, NCIS Hawaii and SpikeTV's The Kill Point. In a return to the screen with Eddie Burns you can also see him in their third feature film together, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, in which McGlone plays the fiery Quinn Fitzgerald... Also a writer, director, producer, musician and performer McGlone's life is often full with work on simultaneous projects. Whether his award winning Kenny The Gun, his various poetry and novels, stand-up comedy or Music, McGlone has always pursued the most abundant expression of his multi-talents.

BIG APPLE FILM FESTIVAL INDUSTRY NETWORKING AND MENTORSHIP Family and character driven films have long been a significant part of the movie industry in the United States and around the world. Creating these fun films for all age groups is a unique craft unto itself, and in many ways an industry of its own within the film and TV business. In the session, veteran writer Alec Sokolow behind the mega successful Toy Story will provide strategies and guidance on how to develop authentically fun films for all age groups, what the industry is looking for in today's market place, how to pitch a new concept for mass audiences. ALEC SOKOLOW Writer ALEC SOKOLOW is an Oscar nominated & original screenwriter of "Toy Story" whose movies have topped one billion dollars in world wide box office. A Hollywood lifer who has written and written on "Money Talks," "Goodbye Lover," "Cheaper By the Dozen," "Garfield," "Garfield; A Tale Of Two Kitties," "Evan Almighty" among dozens of other major studio projects. Sokolow has also written the story and meta mythology for Activision's massive "Skylander's" video game franchise that has topped one billion dollars in global sales. The New York City born and raised native has worn many hats in his illustrious career. Producer. Animation Director. Late Night Comedy writer. Radio talk show host. Children's book author. Documentarian. Public speaker. NYU Professor. He currently resides in NYC with all of his imaginary friends.

A pitch deck is possibly one of the most important tools in presenting your script or proof of concept to a studio, producer, agent, manager or potential investor. The goal of an effective pitch deck is to clearly communicate the creative elements, such as your story, key plot points, and character development, as well as the aspects of the project that will be most important to investors, such as a potential cast, marketing plan, PR campaign and budget. In this session veteran producer and manager Elissa Friedman will identify the elements that make a successful pitch deck, how to structure your pitch deck and strategies for grabbing the attention of industry executives. MENTOR Elissa Friedman Literary Manager, Zero Gravity Management Elissa Friedman is a manager, producer, and former development executive with over fifteen years of industry experience. Before becoming a literary manager at Zero Gravity Management and NEER Films, Elissa ran production and development at Covert Media and QED International, the company behind such as films as "Fury", starring Brad Pitt, 'Dirty Grandpa" starring Zac Efron and Robert DeNiro and Peter Jackson's "District 9", available on HBOmax and Hulu. She produced such films as Ophelia starring Naomi Watts and Clive Owens, Rock the Kasbah starring Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Zooey Deschanel and Kate Hudson and The Secret: Dare to Dream starring Katie Holmes and Josh Lucas. She has an MBA from USC and was named one of Variety Magazine's New Leaders in Film. Elissa is based in New York.

Aspiring creators often have unique and innovative concepts for new TV/streaming series, including scripted series, reality shows, or docuseries. However, the challenge is how to find the right financiers, TV/streaming networks, showrunners, producers, or studios who would be willing to take a chance on a new show. In this session, producer and director Whitney Ransick provides strategies, advice and feedback on how to organize their concept into a complete package, how to find producers, networks and agencies that might have an interest in your material, how to successfully package your concept, prepare an effective pitch deck and more... MENTOR Whitney Ransick Producer/Director Whitney executive produced the critically acclaimed series The 12th Victim, a true crime docuseries at Showtime, with partners Morgan Neville and Submarine Productions. A member of the DGA, Whitney has directed over 40 hours of episodic TV including ER, Homicide, Cracker, Smallville, Supernatural, Jerry Bruckheimer's Soldier of Fortune and Steven Spielberg's High Incident. He also directed the feature films Handgun, Shock TV, and the documentary Misfire. Projects he has set up include his script Thieves at RKO, his police procedural The Precinct at CBS, the book adaptation of The Intruders at Focus Features, and The 12th Victim at Showtime.

Professional screenwriters share their career journey, and provide valuable advice to aspiring writers, at the Big Apple Film Festival Screenwriters Conference. Hosted by Big Apple Film Festival moderator, Craig Price. JOSE RIVERA José Rivera's screenplay The Motorcycle Diaries was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar— making him the first Puerto Rican writer ever nominated for an Academy Award—as well as a BAFTA and Writers Guild Award and received top screenwriting awards in Argentina and Spain. Other films include On the Road, Trade and The 33. Rivera co-created and produced Eerie, Indiana, (NBC) and was a consultant and staff writer on Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (Showtime). He has written 18 episodes of the Netflix series based on One Hundred Years of Solitude. Rivera wrote and directed the short films The Fall of a Sparrow and The Civet, both of which were official selections of the Big Apple Film Festival. His latest screenplay is A Song for the Recycled Orchestra. He has served on the boards of TCG and the Sundance Institute and was a Creative Advisor at Sundance Screenwriting Labs in Utah, Jordan and India. Jose is a recipient of two Obie Awards for Marisol and References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, both produced by the Public Theater. Plays seen at the Goodman include Cloud Tectonics, Boleros for the Disenchanted, Massacre (Sing to Your Children), Another Word for Beauty, Sueño and The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona, which appeared as part of New Stages. JAMIE NASH Jamie Nash optioned his first screenplay in 2004 to Haxan Films . That script then turned into his first produced film, the horror-feature Altered. distributed by Universal Home Entertainment and Rogue Pictures. It also started a decade-long collaboration with Eduardo Sanchez, co-director of famed found-footage flick The Blair Witch Project.

Lovinder Gill moderates this conversation as part of the Big Apple Film Festival Producers Conference, featuring Reinaldo Marcus Green and Kent Sanderson. REINALDO MARCUS GREEN has been honored with the Breakout Director Award from the African-American Film Critics Association for his work on King Richard, starring Will Smith, which earned 6 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture; he has also been nominated for his direction from the Black Reel Awards and the Image Awards, and the film received audience awards from the Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, and Heartland Film Festivals. He previously directed "Joe Bell" starring Mark Wahlberg, as well as all 6 episodes of the HBO limited series WE OWN THIS CITY, written by George Pelecanos and David Simon. His first feature film, Monsters and Men, was awarded Outstanding First Feature at Sundance. He is currently in prep on Paramount's Bob Marley biopic. Kent Sanderson is the Head of Acquisitions and Ancillary Distribution at Bleecker Street Films.

Agent Danny Alexander (APA Agency) provides career advice to aspiring filmmakers, screenwriter and series creators, at the Big Apple Film Festival Agents and Managers Conference. Danny Alexander works in the TV literary department at APA, working directly with writers such as John Carpenter (Halloween), Derek Kolstad (John Wick) and Mike Le (upcoming Patient Zero with Natalie Dormer and Stanley Tucci). Prior to working at APA, Danny was at Kaplan Perrone Entertainment where he worked with a wide array of comedy and drama writers. Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) is the fourth largest talent agency in Los Angeles with offices in Beverly Hills, New York, and Nashville. Clients include Adam Sandler, Sam Elliot, Amy Acker, Jason Momoa, Jesse McCartney, Kim Basinger, Mena Suvari, Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, Emily Deschanel, Louis C.K., Chevy Chase, Eva Longoria and many, many more. They've also packaged movies and television series with virtually every major network and Hollywood studio.

In this discussion, veteran producer and production manager Kwame Parker joins the Big Apple Film Festival Producers Conference to discuss the process of selling your film, series or script to Netflix and other major streaming platforms. Kwame Parker is an accomplished producer and production manager, currently developing various projects for Netflix. He received an Academy Award as executive producer for GREEN BOOK (Best Picture Winner, 2018). Kwame's additional producing and production management credits include: AFTER EARTH (directed by M. Night Shymalan, starring Will Smith, Jaden Smith), STATE OF PLAY(starring Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams), ROBIN HOOD(starring Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx) and many more...

Big Apple Film Festival Distribution Summit SPEAKERS: SAL SCAMARDO, FILMRISE, VICE PRESIDENT OF DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING, JOSH NADLER, SONY PICTURES/AFFIRM FILMS, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND ACQUISITIONS and GARY RUBIN (SALES AGENT) Jonathan Lipp (Moderator, Big Apple Film Festival Founder/Director) ​ SAL SCAMARDO is Vice President of Distribution and Marketing at FILMRISE, an industry-leading film and television distribution company and streaming network. FilmRise content can be found in theaters, FilmRise proprietary channels and on many popular streaming platforms including Amazon, Netflix, The Roku Channel, HBO, Pluto, Apple and more. ​FilmRise has raised $112 million in capital to fund its aggressive acquisition strategy and has acquired over 20,000 titles in a wide range of genres — and the company is constantly adding to its extensive roster of releases. ​Its diverse collection of movies includes Oscar® nominee MEMENTO, directed by Christopher Nolan; MONSTER, which won a Best Actress Academy Award® for Charlize Theron; the Oscar®-nominated THE ILLUSIONIST, starring Edward Norton; Best Picture Academy Award® winner SPOTLIGHT; and HBO's Emmy Award®-winning GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF. ​ JOSH NADLER is Director of Development and Acquisitions at Sony Pictures Entertainment Affirm Films. He started in TV and Film production, then moved over to creative development. During the past 13 years, Josh helped build Sony's faith based division, Affirm Films. He's worked on over 30 films including Soul Surfer (starring AnnaSophia Robb, Golden Globe nominee Dennis Quaid, Academy Award winner Helen Hunt, Carrie Underwood) Heaven is For Real (starring Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear, Academy Award nominee Thomas Haden Church), Risen(starring Emmy nominee Joseph Fiennes), and Miracles From Heaven (starring Emmy nominee Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah). Affirm Films is also distributor on the Academy Award nominated film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (starring Tom Hanks). ​ GARY RUBIN is a film sales agent, and has over 30 years of experience in the motion picture and television businesses encompassing acquisitions, production, distribution and management responsibilities. In those years he acquired nearly 100 films, and helped create multiple nine figures in domestic sales. ​ Rubin has previously served as Executive Vice President, TV Sales and Acquisitions, for Artisan Entertainment(The Blair Witch Project), executive produced films for the Disney Channel and formed First Independent Pictures, a specialty distribution company, known for distributing films starring various Academy Award and Golden Globe winners and nominees including Working Title's SIXTY SIX starring Helena Bonham Carter; BIG FAN starring Patton Oswalt and Michael Rapaport; and HOLY ROLLERS starring Jesse Eisenberg.

(Moderator, Jonathan Lipp, Big Apple Film Festival Founder/Director) In this session, visual effects coordinator and supervisor Matthew Gratzner provides strategies on how to give your film the highest quality cinematic look, and some predictions on how the future of visual effects in film will look in the coming years. MATTHEW GRATZNER is seasoned film industry professional, who has flourished as an art director, visual effects supervisor and co-founder of the Academy Award winning, New Deal Studios, Inc. (http://shannon-gans-i8ui.squarespace.com). Between VFX projects Matthew directed several commercials and short films. After a number of successful years, Matthew decided to leave VFX to focus solely on writing and directing. Then the opportunity with the film, The Aviator, started a 10 year relationship with Martin Scorsese as a key member of Rob Legato's VFX team as Visual Effects/Miniature Effects Supervisor as well as Visual Effects Art Director. Matthew was integral to creating scenes such as the horrific plane crash in The Aviator, the many subtle effects shots in The Departed, realizing the eerie environments for Shutter Island, and creating the epic train crash in Hugo. He received a BAFTA nomination for The Aviator for best VFX, and Emmy nomination for best VFX on the Tom Hanks/HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon. Matthew also received a Clio and a Cannes Golden Lion for commercials as well as multiple VES Awards. Matthew is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. While Matthew never attended film school, he felt being on set with Martin Scorsese was a master class in filmmaking— which encouraged his passion to create content— pioneering cinematic virtual reality and co-writing and directing two independent feature films currently in post. Matthew loves and feels most comfortable working with actors-- and thinks that while visual effects, art direction and stunt work are all extremely important visually—without the emotion of compelling characters and a strong story, a project's success is diminished greatly. Matthew also has several projects in development with his latest company, Proof of Concept Entertainment, Inc. (www.proofofconceptent.com) Currently Matthew is in the process of releasing Mutiny!, his latest short film—a swashbuckling, comedy-action-adventure set in the 17th Century. (www.mutinyshortfilm.com). Mutiny is an official selection of the 2021 Big Apple Film Festival. For more information on Matthew visit www.matthewgratzner.com.

BIG APPLE FILM FESTIVAL AGENTS AND MANAGERS CONFERENCE Agent, Co-Founder, CULTURE CREATIVE ENTERTAINMENT Paul Weitzman Topics Include: Pitching Your Film, Script or Series to Agents, Producers, Showrunners and Streamers, Legal Rights and Clearances Paul Weitzman has been a literary agent for more than 20 years representing writers, directors and producers across all literary platforms which include prime time network, cable, streaming services, animation and feature films. He began his career at the entertainment law firm, Christie & Berle, then a stockbroker and corporate executive with Baraban. He transitioned to the literary agency business in 1997, where he worked for The Shapiro-Lichtman Literary Agency before joining The Preferred Artists Literary Agency. Paul was the Co-Head of the Literary department at Abrams Artists Agency for five years before founding Culture Creative Entertainment in 2019.

BIG APPLE FILM FESTIVAL AGENTS AND MANAGERS CONFERENCE Martin To (Agent, A3 Artists Agency) Big Apple Film Festival Moderator, Dianne Wieler ​ Topics Include: Maximizing Exposure For Your Film, Script or Series, Legal Rights and Clearances Martin To is currently an agent at A3 Artists Agency. He got his start at United Talent Agency, where he worked for six years. He then went on to be a manager with Paul Alan Smith when Paul left ICM. Martin was at Paradigm Talent Agency before joining A3, along with half of Paradigm's Lit Department. Martin is a native Texan, attended New York University, and then went on to study at The University of Alabama School of Law before moving to Hollywood to help pursue other people's dream. ​ With offices in NY, LA and UK, A3 Artists Agency is a full service agency representing screenwriters, filmmakers, actors, literary content and theater. For more than 40 years, A3 Artists Agency has earned a reputation and garnered access to all the major players in the industry. With a new approach, A3 works with clients across all departments to maximize their brands, exposure and income from all possible sources.

Big Apple Film Festival Industry Summit Moderator Jonathan Lipp (Big Apple Film Festival Founder/Director) Reinaldo Marcus Green is a writer, director, and producer. His first feature, Monsters and Men had its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The film received a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding First Feature. Reinaldo directed the first three episodes of the Netflix series, Top Boy, executive produced by Drake and SpringHill Entertainment. He has since completed his sophomore feature Joe Bell, starring Mark Wahlberg which premiered at TIFF 2020 and will be distributed this summer by Amazon and Roadside Attractions. Reinaldo directed the Warner Brothers film King Richard starring Will Smith, which is currently available worldwide. He will direct the upcoming HBO Limited Series We Own This City, written and executive produced by David Simon and George Pelecanos. Following, he's attached to write and direct the upcoming Bob Marley biopic at Paramount.

Director of Publicity at Magnolia Pictures discusses strategies for filmmakers to market and publicize their films, as well as film festival strategies and distribution. Moderated by Big Apple Film Festival Founder/Director Jonathan Lipp. Magnolia Pictures is a leading independent film distributor for nearly 20 years, Magnolia Pictures is the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, boasting a library of over 500 titles. Recent releases include two-time Oscar nominee COLLECTIVE, Alexander Nanau's jaw-dropping expose of corruption at the highest levels of government; France's Official Oscar entry and Golden Globe-nominated TWO OF US; STRAY, Elizabeth Lo's debut feature that takes a dog's eye-view of the streets of Istanbul and the highly-regarded strays that roam them; Rodney Ascher's mind-bending sci-fi ride A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX; SOME KIND OF HEAVEN, Lance Oppenheim's documentary chronicling the surreal world of The Villages, the nation's largest retirement community in Florida; ZAPPA, Alex Winter's unfiltered portrait of the visionary musician and artist; THE FIGHT, following a team of scrappy lawyers inside the ACLU as they battle former President Trump's historic assault on civil liberties; JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE, Dawn Porter's chronicle of the life and career of the legendary civil rights activist and Democratic Representative from Georgia; Hirokazu Kore-Eda's 2018 Cannes Palme d'Or winner and Oscar-nominated SHOPLIFTERS; Box office sensation and Oscar-nominated RBG; Ruben Östlund's 2017 Cannes Palme d'Or winner and Oscar-nominated THE SQUARE; and Raoul Peck and James Baldwin's Oscar-nominated I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO. Upcoming releases include ABOUT ENDLESSNESS, Roy Andersson's visually stunning Venice Best Director winner; visionary comic book writer/artist/filmmaker Dash Shaw's vibrant, fantastical animated feature CRYPTOZOO; Radu Jude's Berlin Golden Bear-winner BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN; and Udo Kier hairdresser comedy SWAN SONG.

ADAM SOROTA is a senior director and production advisor at NBCUniversal Entertainment Division. Adam has launched a variety of network series and 5 major cable networks. His comedy short film "A Bathroom on Drake", featuring Jerry Springer, was awards Best Short Film at the Big Apple Film Festival. He has previously directed projects for FOX, ESPN, MTV and BET. ​Adam has extensive experience directing and producing in Live Multi Camera, Film, Commercial and Field production, as well as extensive experience from pitch, budgets, build and launch for Pilots, Series and Network launches. ​In this seminar, Adam provides strategies and feedback to filmmakers and series creators seeking to license their projects to TV networks and/or streaming platforms. Moderated by JONATHAN LIPP (Big Apple Film Festival Founder/Director)

Strategies and advice on marketing yourself as a screenwriter (Big Apple Film Festival Networking Conference) BOB SAENZ Bob Saenz is a screenwriter and actor. He has his written and produced numerous works including Hallmark's "Help for the Holidays", "Rescuing Madison", "Sweet Surrender", On the 12th Day of Christmas", "Sound of Christmas", "The Right Girl", "Christmas in Love", the black comedy thriller "Extracurricular Activities". He does rewrites and polishes on film and TV projects for Producers and Production Companies.​ DANIEL TALBOTT Daniel Talbott is a writer, director, actor, and a Lucille Lortel Award winning theater producer. He's a writer on the second season of 'The Conners' on ABC; was a writer for Weinstein Company and Spike TV on 'The Mist', based on the Stephen King novella; and his hour-long drama pilot 'Summer' was optioned and in development with Sonar and Oscar nominated Killer Films. His television series 'Rome, Georgia' was purchased by Wiip Television, and he is in development with Jim Parsons' company That's Wonderful Productions for a feature, 'Yosemite'. He is on the lit team of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and is the artistic director of Rising Phoenix Rep. JONATHAN LIPP (Moderator) Big Apple Film Festival Founder/Director

A panel discussion on audience building and distribution for independent filmmakers. JONATHAN LIPP - Moderator/Big Apple Film Festival Founder and Director MARCIA MAYER - Producer and sales executive, Independent Spirit Award nominee and winner of the Los Angeles Film Festival Alfred P. Sloan Fast Track Grant. Producing credits include Song of Back and Neck starring Paul Lieberstein, Paul Feig, Rosemarie DeWitt (Tribeca Film Festival), Dirty Hands(Independent Spirit Award nominee, Tribeca Film Festival), Inez & Doug & Kira (Big Apple Film Festival NYC premiere). Sales credits include Cheerful Weather for the Wedding starring Felicity Jones and Elizabeth McGovern, The Art of Getting By starring Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Sasha Spielberg(Sundance Film Festival), Restrepo(Academy Award nominee Best Feature Documentary), In Her Skin starring Guy Pearce.   DAVID PATERSON - David Paterson is the writer and producer of Disney's BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA and THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS, starring Glenn Close, Kathy Bates, Octavia Spencer, Julia Stiles and Sophie Nelisse. His debut feature film LOVE LUDLOW was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and released by Starz Network and Warner Home Video.   BARRY HEYMAN - Barry J. Heyman, Esq. is the founding and principal attorney of Heyman Law, a boutique law firm established in 2004 with practice areas focusing on business, entertainment, fashion, intellectual property and new media. Heyman Law clients include creative talent, businesses, and entrepreneurs. The firm provides legal counsel to creators ensuring they understand the legal and business matters in order to protect their creative endeavors.   DIANE KRAUSZ - Diane has been representing artists for over 30 years. Her areas of expertise include: contract negotiations and drafting, disputes, licensing and merchandising, minors in entertainment, theatre and live performances, independent film and literary rights.   February 10th, 2020 Cinepolis Theater, NYC

Experienced producers and Tribeca Film Festival programmer discuss strategies for independent filmmakers to promote and market their films as they begin the process of entering the film festival circuit. DAN KARLOK - Dan Karlok is a two-time Emmy award winning and Grammy nominated director and cinematographer. Crappy Mother's Day is his first full length feature film. His other work includes directing an episode of the acclaimed Law and Order series. Dan’s other notable accomplishments include shooting Ride with Bob, a documentary featuring Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yoakam and the Dixie Chicks, and the comedy feature film The Last Request, featuring Danny Aiello, Joe Piscopo and Barbara Feldon. His documentary, Antone’s Home of the Blues, premiered at the SXSW Film Festival as the Opening Night Film. SARAH DAWSON - Sarah is currently an Associate Programmer of Feature Films and the Senior Industry Coordinator for the Tribeca Film Festival. Additionally, she offers distribution and marketing consultation services for independent filmmakers. Prior to Tribeca, she ran digital marketing and distribution strategy at Giant Pictures, a boutique digital distribution company based in NYC, acquiring independent narrative and documentary films. Sarah began her career at Lionsgate-owned streaming service Tribeca Shortlist, working in acquisitions and creative programming. She received her BFA from Chapman University and master's from NYU. RAQUEL BRUNO - Raquel Bruno is the founder of Drive Entertainment Group. Bruno has book and produced numerous events for companies including Spike TV, MTV Movie Awards, IFC, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for the ABC/Disney Special: Disney Parks' Magical Christmas Celebration.

Information for filmmakers on obtaining all necessary Rights, Clearances and Legal Agreements when making and distributing an independent film, including music rights, archival footage, book adaptation rights, bio pic life rights, copyrights and more... Rosalind Richter (Entertainment Attorney and Producer, credits include "My Depression, the Up and Down and Up of It", starring the voices of Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi and Fred Armisen, "Welcome to Marwen" with Robert Zemekis directing and starring Steve Carrell, Emmy award winning documentary, "I Am Evidence," produced by Mariska Hargitay with HBO, feature documentary Academy Award nominee "My Architect" Gabriella Ludlow (CinePointe Advisors, has over 25 years of business affairs and project management experience in the entertainment industry. She has provided consulting services, as well as business affairs and production legal services on more than 150 feature and documentary film projects, including Motherless Brooklyn, Lady Bird, The Disaster Artist, The Meyerowitz Stories, The Grudge, etc.) Jonathan Lipp (MODERATOR, Big Apple Film Festival Director)

The Filmmaking Process: Screenwriting, Casting, and Pre-Production November 20th, 2019 Cinepolis Theater, NYC Sal Scamardo (VP FilmRise, company credits include Oscar® nominee MEMENTO, directed by Christopher Nolan; MONSTER, which won a Best Actress Academy Award® for Charlize Theron; the Oscar®-nominated THE ILLUSIONIST, starring Edward Norton; Best Picture Academy Award® winner SPOTLIGHT; and HBO’s Emmy Award®-winning GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF. Televsion titles include such classics as 3rd ROCK FROM THE SUN and ROSEANNE; chef Gordon Ramsay’s immensely popular cooking shows, including HELL’S KITCHEN and KITCHEN NIGHTMARES. Jeffrey Roda (screenwriter/director, Jeff Roda has written screenplays for DreamWorks, Universal, Paramount Pictures, New Regency, TriStar, and television pilots for HBO, CBS, and Warner Bros. Additionally, he was a producer on the Sony Pictures Classics feature, Love Liza, starring Academy Award winning actors Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kathy Bates. Lillian LaSalle (President of Sweet 180 Management, Peabody Award Winning Talent Mgmt and Production company, representing actors, writers and directors. Lillian's producing credits include Southern Belles starring Anna Faris, Just Like the Son starring Mark Webber, American Cannibal - Tribeca Film Festival Jury Award nominee. Lillian's directorial debut, My Name is Pedro, had its NYC premiere at the Big Apple Film Festival) Sara Alexander (Alexander Creatives, represents artists for film, television, commercials, branded entertainment and new media. Sara represents directors, producers, writers, DPs, production designers, costume designers, editors. She also represents literary content including screenplays, books to film, and television series). Donal Lardner Ward (actor, writer, director, producer whose credits include Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums and Julie Delpy's Looking For Jimmy. He was a staff writer for the HBO series How to Make it in America, produced by Mark Wahlberg and recently directed We Only Know So Much, co-written with Elizabeth Crane. The film, starring Jeanne Tripplehorn, Damian Young, and Loudon Wainwright III, had its NYC premiere at the Big Apple Film Festival.)

A conversation with film distribution professionals on current trends and strategies for independent filmmakers as they begin the process of distributing their films Recorded November 18th, 2019  Cinepolis Theater, NYC   FEATURING: Graham Fine (The Film Sales Company, sold over 200 films for domestic and international distribution and has raised financing for numerous fiction and documentary projects. Credits include "My Architect", Academy Award nominee for Best Feature Documentary, "E-Team", Sundance Film Festival Cinematography Award, "Waitress", written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, starring Kerri Russell, Sundance Film Festival premiere, Independent Spirit Award nominee)    Nick Savva (Giant Pictures Distribution, credits include "Love, Antosha" Sundance Film Festival premiere, featuring Chris Pine, Kristen Stewart, and Jennifer Lawrence, "Mr. Roosevelt", SXSW Audience Award, "King of Peking", Tribeca Film Festival, "Turn it Around: The Story of East Bay Punk" featuring Iggy Pop, Billie Joe Armstrong, Miranda July, produced by Green Day)    Christina Raia (Writer/Director and the Founder of CongestedCat Productions, her work has received coverage in press outlets such as Indiewire and BuzzFeed. She works for Seed&Spark as the head of education, teaching and empowering creators to build their audience and crowdfund their work. She also runs IndieWorks, a monthly screening and community-building series. Christina has been a guest speaker at IFP, Tribeca Market, DOC NYC, ITVFest, Writers Guild of America, NYU and more...)    Art Skopinsky (Monarch Films, domestic and international entertainment content sales agency that distributes Feature Films, single documentaries, TV Series and Webisodes on to TV, DVD, and Digital Platforms worldwide. Distribution partners include Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, iTunes, Google Play and more...)   Jonathan Lipp (MODERATOR, Big Apple Film Festival Director)

An interview with Aaron Fisher, writer/director/star/editor of "Inside the Rain", opening night film of the Big Apple Film Festival.  AARON FISHER is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City.  He has written and directed the short films Love Out of Mind, and The Hospital Visit. Of his film The Hospital Visit, two-time Academy Award-winning director Barbara Kopple said, “With a powerful vision on the effects of mental illness, Aaron Fisher directs ‘The Hospital Visit’ with utter authenticity, providing an intimate look at the brutal fragility of those suffering emotional disorders. Beautifully acted.” Aaron’s short film, Love Out of Mind, has been an official selection of numerous festivals, including the Big Apple Film Festival and the Max Ophuls Prize Film Festival in Germany.  Aaron’s first feature film is the recently completed INSIDE THE RAIN, co-starring Academy Award nominees Rosie Perez and Eric Roberts. 

RJ Millard(Obscured Pictures, formerly VP Publicity Focus Features, SVP Marketing and Publicity at Samuel Goldwyn Films/Roadside Attractions/IDP Distribution) and Celeste Erlander(VICE Media, formerly Amazon Studios) discuss strategies for filmmakers to build an audience and market their films. Includes strategies for indie film publicity, promotion, film festivals and distribution. Big Apple Film Festival Summer Conference August 28th, 2019 Cinepolis Theater, NYC

2019 BAFF Summer Edition Conference "Casting Your Indie Film" August 27th, Cinepolis Theater, NYC Celine Held and Logan George(Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film") Daniel Schechter(writer/director, "Life of Crime" starring Jennifer Aniston, "Safe Spaces" starring Justin Long and Fran Drescher) Adrienne Stern(casting director, ​credits include Adrift in Manhattan" starring Heather Graham, Victor Rasuk, William Baldwin, "The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle" starring Natasha Lyonne, "The Believer" starring Ryan Gosling, "Thirteen Conversations About One Thing" starring Matthew McConaughey and John Turturro. Television credits include the New York casting for That 70’s Show, Producing credits include "This Revolution" starring Rosario Dawson and "Twist" starring Nick Stahl.)

A conversation with filmmaker, screenwriter and professor Claude Kerven on the current state and future of the screenwriting and filmmaking industry. Claude Kerven’s career began with the debut of his short film "Candy Store," which won an Academy Award for Best Dramatic Student Film. In 1982, he directed a series of Afterschool Specials for ABC-TV, including the Emmy Award winning "Starstruck" and the Director's Guild of America-nominated "High School Narc." Kerven also directed over 25 short films for Saturday Night Live, including the much celebrated "Synchronized Swimmers." His most recent directorial work, "They Never Found Her," starred Elisabeth Moss and Fargo's Peter Storemare. Kerven also co-authored "Mortal Thoughts," for Columbia Pictures, starring Bruce Willis, Harvey Keitel and Demi Moore. As Chair of the 1-Year and 2-Year Filmmaking Programs at the New York Film Academy, a role he has held since 1994, Kerven has developed and implemented innovative course objectives to engage and effectively teach students in the areas of directing, screenwriting, acting for film, cinematography, editing, production workshops and producing.

A conversation with screenwriter and story analyst Staton Rabin. Ms. Rabin has worked as a script reader for Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, and the former William Morris Agency, and has taught screenwriting for Cunard aboard the Queen Mary 2. Staton has been a frequent guest speaker at New York University. Her unique approach to script analysis and screenplay marketing has also found a voice at "Script" Magazine, where she is a Senior Writer and has her own blog: "BREAKING IN" (www.scriptmag.com). Some of her clients have seen their movies get made, and several others have won screenwriting contests. Her own film projects have included "Betsy and the Emperor", a movie that was optioned and in development based on her novel from Simon & Schuster, with Al Pacino attached to star, as reported in "Variety".

A discussion on strategies for online indie film distribution with former Vimeo GM of Entertainment, Peter Gerard.

An interview with Loretta Harms, producer of Lambert and Stamp(Sundance Film Festival), distributed by Sony Picture Classics, as well as the documentary Gibtown. Loretta is also an Award-winning, internationally shown Multi-Media and Installation Artist, and founder of Motocinema. To view the trailer for Lambert and Stamp visit http://www.sonyclassics.com/lambertandstamp/

Filmmaker David Allensworth discusses making his first feature film “Soul to Keep”, as well as how he secured distribution. David is a writer/director/producer in both scripted and unscripted content. David utilizes his strength in story development, production resources, and connections to financing to establish his company, Shady Tree Films, as an emerging leader in independent scripted and unscripted production. Through the shingle, he directed, co-wrote, produced, and secured financing for the feature horror/thriller, "Soul To Keep." Additionally, he wrote, produced, and directed the multi-award-winning short thriller "Hope's Portal" which splits the screen 3-ways, and secured and produced the multi-award winning short, "Alienated" starring Vincent Pastore (The Sopranos). With his writing partner David Wagner (Van Wilder, The Girl Next Door), he is in active development on several feature comedies, dramas, and TV series. Previously, he supervised production, and created/developed programming for 3 High Definition channels for Rainbow Media. He was also Executive in Charge of Production for several years for VH1. In those roles, he was responsible for dozens of pilots, specials, and series in the broad spectrum of reality, documentary, game show, and magazine formats. David is well-trained as a screenwriter and is a graduate of both the Professional Screenwriting Program at UCLA, and Film & Television from Cal State Northridge in Los Angeles. He is a Producer's Council member of the Producers Guild of America.

A conversation with Francisco Solorzano on acting and building a business around your craft. Francisco is an award winning filmmaker, actor who most notably wrote, directed and starred in the critically acclaimed/sold-out, first ever stage adaptation of DOG DAY AFTERNOON (Theatre Row Theatres). He's also known for his leading role in the two-act drama, SINS OF THE MOTHER (developed w/ Ethan Hawke, Chris Cooper, Bobby Cannavale, and Michael Stuhlbarg). Francisco has acted in and directed many productions with prolific companies such as The Flea Theatre, 59E59, INTAR, The New Ohio, LAByrinth, Rattlestick, Dixon Place, HERE Arts, Florida Stage, EST, Orlando Shakes, Stella Adler Theater, Art of Acting Studio in LA and many others. He has led the Barefoot Theatre Company as Founder/Producing Artistic Director for the past 18 years as well as co-founding the sister co., Barefoot Studio Pictures (recipient of several awards). Proud member of The Actors Studio's Playwright/Directors Unit, Actor's Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA. Film work includes The Riverside Bench (Austin Chang, Dir.); Lesson # 1 (w/ Shirley Rumierk; Alberto Ferreras, Director); Leash (Jennifer Derwingson, director), Love Simple (HBO Latino Film Festival), Between Something & Nothing (Berlin Film Festival), with Barefoot Studio Pictures, THE GIRL WITH THE JACKET written and directed by Caitlin FitzGerald, award winning FLOATING SUNFLOWERS (also dir.) w/ Anna Chlumsky, Lynn Cohen & Christopher Whalen. Most recently wrote and directed A NORTHERN STAR starring Lynn Cohen, Mateo Solorzano and the Barefoot Theatre Company Ensemble (Best Short Film at Barcelona International Film Fest; Best Screenplay Semi-Finalist at Hollyshorts Film Festival). Currently developing the short film, CONSENT as screenwriter (Finalist/Semi-Finalist Screenplay competition: HollyShorts Film Festival, LA Cinefest, Reel Erotic Film Festival).

Producer Josh Folan discusses building your audience and distributing your indie film. Josh Folan is a writer/director/editor/producer/actor that began making films in 2005, prior to which he studied finance at The Ohio State University. Filmmaking highlights since founding NYEH Entertainment in 2008 include 2018 Hamptons/Woodstock/Napa selection and Big Apple Film Festival award winner Ask For Jane, 2017 SXSW audience award winner The Light of the Moon, 2017 Tribeca best actor award winner Nobody’s Watching, 2015 Slamdance selection BODY, 2015 Raindance selection The Lives of Hamilton Fish, 2016 SOHO Int’l selection and 2017 Queens World best screenplay nominee catch 22: based on the unwritten story by seanie sugrue, 2011 Hoboken Int’l best screenplay nominee All God’s Creatures, Love Is Dead! and Amazon nostalgia doc series Batteries Not Included. Also an author and contributor to the independent filmmaking blog community, he penned the low-budget indie case study Filmmaking, the Hard Way. You can follow him (@joshfolan) and NYEH (@nyehentertains) on twitter and facebook if you’d like to keep up with his coming soons. There is also the NYEH Entertainment mailing list if you like things that make your phone vibrate.

Big Apple Film Festival chats with screenwriter, producer and founder of Virtual PitchFest, David Kohner Zuckerman. David Kohner Zuckerman is a Hollywood Producer whose credits include “A Perfect Christmas,” “The Fourth Noble Truth,” “Strictly Sexual,” “All I Want for Christmas,” “Chump Change” & “Caught in the Act.” Before heading DKZ Films, David ran Development for Silver Lion Films, where he worked on “Man on Fire” & “Crocodile Dundee in L.A.” David is also the owner of the popular website for writers, Virtual Pitch Fest.

Interview with Emily Kassie, whose new feature documentary “A Girl Named C” is screening at the 2019 Big Apple Film Festival (winter edition). Emily Kassie is an award-winning investigative journalist and filmmaker. She is currently the Director of Visual Projects at The Marshall Project. Her work focuses on human rights, corruption and violence, reporting for outlets including The New York Times, NBC, The Washington Post among others. She was the founding Creative Director of Highline, Huffington Post's investigative magazine, where she oversaw visual storytelling. She was awarded an Overseas Press Club Award for Best Digital Reporting on International Affairs, the National Magazine Award (Ellie) for Multimedia Story of the Year as well as the Punch Sulzberger Award for Online Storytelling from the American Society of News Editors, for her work on the Syrian and West-African refugee crises. In 2018, she won a Murrow Award award for her work with the New York Times covering Hurricane Harvey. Her New York Times documentary on sexual abuse in immigration detention was used as evidence in the Senate Judiciary hearing on family separation at the southern border. She is a World Press Photo multimedia winner, a two-time PDN multimedia winner and the recipient of four National Press Photographers Association awards including a Multimedia Portfolio of the Year in 2016. In 2018 she was named International Photography Award's Motion Photographer of the Year. In 2015 she won an Academy Award for student documentary for her film 'I Married My Family's Killer'. Her most recent film, A Girl Named C, premiered in October, 2018. She graduated with honors from Brown University and was a Gates scholar at Cambridge University, where she completed her masters degree in International Relations and Politics.

An interview with writer, producer, director and actress Marianne Hettinger. Marianne Hettinger has always been fascinated by movement, absurdity and complexities of human relationships. This was already apparent in her first short film, "Shenanigans Point" in 2001. Budget: $6.95. She sees Woody Allen, Mike Leigh and Pedro Almodovar as her greatest inspirations. German press: Die Welt online, click Wikipedia and German Wikipedia for more info. Having come to New York alone as a teenager from a small town in Germany, she has found her own unique style. "I thrive in adversity. If people say I can't do something, I will use it as fuel to ignite my dream", she said after she won "Best Director" at the Detroit Independent Film Festival 2010 with her first feature "Mango Tango". Born and raised in Augsburg, Germany and then Leitershofen, a suburb with a population of only 2000, Marianne Hettinger saw the movie "An American in Paris" for the first time at age 5. This was the birth of her dream to come to USA to dance and act like Gene Kelly. it would take her 7 hours roundtrip to get to the closest dance studio in Munich by bicycle, tramway, train and subway. But that didn’t stop her. From "American in Paris" to "German in New York", Marianne arrived as a nineteen year old alone in Manhattan with only $800 in her pocket, not knowing anybody. Soon she was accepted by the prestigious National Shakespeare Conservatory on a scholarship to study acting and directing. Simultaneously she studied dance on scholarships at the Alvin Ailey School, Steps on Broadway, the Martha Graham School and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. At age 20 she wrote, directed and acted in her first play "Heaven & Earth" at the Cubiculo Theatre in Manhattan. Because of her femme fatale figure she appeared as a model in "Sports Illustrated", Elle, Men’s Health, Harper’s Bazaar, Self and on national TV. Marianne eventually turned down an exclusive modeling contract with the famous ELITE MODEL MANAGEMENT because of her passion for acting and dancing. The versatile actor has been featured in over 50 features, independent films and television shows and commercials. She’s worked with such acclaimed directors as Tim Robbins, Frank Oz, Michael Apted, James Toback and Warren Leight and was a member of the "A THEATRE CO" theatre company founded by Thomas Everett Scott. As an A-list dancer she’s brought down the house on Broadway in "Latin Rhythms" with Chita Rivera, in a duet with Antonio Banderas on the Late Show with David Letterman and as a solo guest artist with many national and international symphony orchestras and as a US and Canadian Ballroom Champion (American Rhythm and Theatre Arts). Combining her talents, Marianne came full circle in 2009 when she wrote, directed, produced and acted in her first feature film MANGO TANGO that won her "BEST DIRECTOR" at the DETROIT INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL as well as the "JURY PRIZE FOR BEST FEATURE" at the VENTURA FILM FESTIVAL and "MOST POPULAR FILM" at the "FUENF SEEN FILM FESTIVAL" in Germany. Marianne Hettinger makes New York City her home, a place that feeds her creativity. With her projects she entertains and touches people's hearts in her own unique way.

Alyssa Rallo Bennett has developed and directed high-concept features alongside her partner Gary O. Bennett: ReRun, starring Christopher Lloyd(NYC premiere Big Apple Film Festival), Rain Without Thunder starring Jeff Daniels, Linda Hunt and The Pack(Tribeca Film Festival), which stars Lucie Arnaz, Elisabeth Moss, Zach Galligan. Rain was theatrically released and distributed by Orion Classics, featured in over a dozen major international film festivals from the Berlin Film Festival to the Toronto International Film Festival, distributed by Warner Brothers on available now on Amazon Prime. In 1991, Alyssa developed the Stonestreet Screen Acting & Production Conservatory as an immersive program within Stonestreet’s independent film studio walls and exclusively trains NYU Tisch Drama actors for the screen from audition to production. Many wonderful talents have developed themselves at Stonestreet including Miles Teller (Whiplash, Divergent), Camila Mendes (Riverdale), Jack Falahee (How To Get Away With Murder), Gil Zabarsky & Chris Modoono (Tenured, Teacher of the Year), Ashley Skidmore (Younger), Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). In addition to her creative ventures, Alyssa hosts the series Behind the Scenes at StoneStreet Studios. The show focuses on the process and art of filmmaking for independent and studio films. Guests have included Bryan Cranston, Aubrey Plaza, Mike Myers, Edie Falco, Kevin Bacon, James Earl Jones, and many more.

A discussion with filmmaker Harry Greenberger about his award winning film "Staring at the Sun", as well as his new project. Topics include casting, budgeting, festivals and distribution.