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Queen Sugar and Time for Action Forum: IFP Announces IFP Week Public Programming
IFP, Filmmaker’s parent organization, announced today the public events for the upcoming 40th anniversary edition of IFP Week, its signature event. Taking place from September 15-20, 2018, the programs will include public screenings and talks, “all centered on cutting-edge independent content for the big screen, the small screen, and now your headphones.”
From the press release:
Under the leadership of Head of Programming Amy Dotson and Programming Producer Bill Curran, the IFP Week public talks and events take place in and around Brooklyn, NY at BRIC, The William Vale Hotel, the Brooklyn Army Terminal, DUMBO Loft, and IFP’s headquarters, the Made in NY Media Center by IFP.
Programming highlights include Terence Nance and the creative team behind his new, highly acclaimed HBO series, Random Acts of Flyness, and a look at Ava DuVernay’s series Queen Sugar with her all-star directing team, including Julie Dash. An additional day of Screen Forward Talks programming, Time for Action, is scheduled for Saturday, September 15.
In a new collaboration with Rooftop Films, IFP week will present “Sneak Preview” screenings of new rising artists including: Cathy Yan’s Dead Pigs and Sandi Tan’s Shirkers. Also new for the 2018 Film Week are the “What Now” talks presenting some of the industry’s most unique and groundbreaking storytellers. Returning for a second year are the “Direct Access” talks providing filmmakers an inside look at the intricate details of the filmmaking world including financing and distribution.
One of IFP Week’s most prolific and longest-running events, “Meet the Decision Makers” returns to engage filmmakers with some of the industry’s top professionals.
Additional information on all programs available below. To purchase tickets to Screen Forward Talks, What’s Now Talks, Direct Access and Meet the Decision Makers please visit ifpweek.com.
Full public programming slate to include:
Screen Forward Talks: Notes to the Future – IFP’s 40th Anniversary Celebration @ BRIC
IFP Week’s marquee event, with an all-star line-up of filmmakers and creators past and present, will be held on Sunday, September 16. With 40 years under its belt, thousands of projects, and countless stories, we’ll celebrate IFP’s history with these talks showcasing the progress and promise of independent storytelling across platforms.
The event will feature creator Terence Nance (An Oversimplification of Her Beauty); executive producers Kishori Rajan and Kelley Robins Hicks, and writer/director Darius Clark Monroe with a behind-the-scenes look at their HBO series, Random Acts of Flyness; a look at Ava DuVernay’s OWN series Queen Sugar with her all-star directing team, including showrunner Kat Candler (Hellion), producing director DeMane Davis (Lift), and series directors Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust) and Lauren Wolkstein (The Strange Ones); and a line-up of special surprise guests and luminaries from IFP’s 40 years.
Screen Forward Talks: Time for Action Forum @ Made in NY Media Center by IFP
New for the 2018 Film Week, IFP is adding an additional day of programming on Saturday, September 15 and expanding its Screen Forward Talks to launch the Time for Action Forum. This energizing, inspiring, forward-looking day of panels and participatory talks will center on representation, inclusion, and political activism in media. Through a combination of moderated panel conversations, town hall and open mic-style and breakout roundtable discussions, these conversations tackle the #MeToo movement and its ripple effects through the industry; racial politics through humor and satire; taboo breaking representations of gender and sexuality on screen; and being a political artist in 2018.
The Time for Action Forum aims to create a fluid, open dialogue between our invited speakers and our attendees: by breaking down these barriers, we can get to work on progress and change in our industry—for the artist, citizen, and human in us all. Panelists and featured guests for the day to be announced.
IFP Public Screenings & Labs Showcase with Rooftop Films
Presented in partnership with Rooftop Films, IFP is thrilled to present a series of “Sneak Preview” screenings showcasing new storytellers during IFP Week 2018.From two recent IFP alumni whose careers made waves in 2018—Cathy Yan’s Dead Pigs and Sandi Tan’s Shirkers—to IFP’s annual Lab Showcase annual IFP Filmmaker Labs “Sneak Preview” Showcase, these free offerings have become a staple of IFP Week programming.
The Labs Showcase gives audiences a first-look at excerpts of exciting new films, before their festival premieres. Featuring new films from the emerging talent of the 2018 IFP Labs, the IFP labs have a played a vital role in launching the first features and careers of many of today’s top film and television directors including Andrew Dosunmu (Where is Kyra?), Alex Karpovsky (Girls), David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon), Terence Nance (18 Black Girls…), Matt Ruskin (Crown Heights), Amy Seimetz (The Girlfriend Experience), Tim Sutton (Dark Night), and Chloé Zhao (The Rider). Alumni of the IFP Labs recently came off a successful year, on the festival circuit and in theatrical release. Recent projects of note include Elan and Jonathan Bogarín’s 306 Hollywood, Christina Choe’s Nancy, Paula Eiselt’s 93QUEEN, Nijla Mu’min’s Jinn, RaMell Ross’ Hale County This Morning, This Evening, Sandi Tan’s Shirkers, and Cathy Yan’s Dead Pigs, as well as many others that continue to expand their careers in audio storytelling, new media, and television. Past Lab Fellows continue writing or directing for shows such as Atlanta, The Girlfriend Experience, Girls, Queen of the South, and Queen Sugar.
This year’s free screenings and public parties include:
Saturday, September 15: Dead Pigs @ Brooklyn Army Terminal
Cathy Yan | USA, China | 130 minutes
A bumbling pig farmer, a feisty salon owner, a sensitive busboy, an ambitious expat architect and a disenchanted rich girl converge and collide as thousands of dead pigs float down the river towards a rapidly modernizing Shanghai. Based on true events.
Free for all with RSVP, reception after the screening.
Monday, September 17: IFP Filmmaker Labs “Sneak Preview” Showcase @ The William Vale Hotel
Hosted annually during IFP Film Week, the IFP Filmmaker Labs Showcase gives audiences a first look at exciting new feature films, before their festival premieres. This outdoor screening features excerpts from select Narrative and Documentary films from the emerging talent of the 2018 IFP Labs, the nation’s only program that supports diverse feature filmmakers when they need it most: through the completion, marketing, and distribution of their first features.
Free for all with RSVP, reception after the screening.
Thursday, September 20: Shirkers @ Greenwood Cemetery
Sandi Tan | USA | 96 minutes
In 1992, teenage VHS-bootlegger Sandi Tan and her fellow film-geek pals Jasmine Ng and Sophie Siddique shot Singapore’s first road movie with their enigmatic American mentor, Georges. It was called “Shirkers.” Sandi wrote the script and played the lead, S, a 16-year-old assassin collecting and then eliminating her own tribe. After shooting wrapped, Georges absconded with all of the footage…The 16mm Kodak cans are recovered 20 years later, sending Sandi, now a novelist in Los Angeles, on a personal, singular odyssey across two continents in search of Georges’ vanishing footprints—and her own.
Free for IFP badge holders and ticketed for non-IFP.
What’s Now Talks @ Made in NY Media Center by IFP
New for 2018! To kick off each weekday (Monday September 17-20), IFP will host a series of intimate conversations with some of the most interesting and outspoken storytellers and leaders today at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP in Dumbo, Brooklyn. These presentations take an in-depth look at the current wave of creators: their work and what it means to stay innovative.
Confirmed presentations will include:
Monday, September 17: What’s Now Talks: How Do We ReFrame the Conversation on Gender and Intersectionality?
Presented in association with ReFrame. Panelists to be announced.
Tuesday, September 18: What’s Now Talks: On Frankenstein A.I.
Participants include Frankenstein A.I. creators Lance Weiler and Nick Fortugno, with more to be announced.
Tuesday, September 18: What’s Now Talks: Classic Stories for New Platforms
Presented in association with The Space. Panelists include Simon Callow (actor, A Room with a View, Four Weddings and a Funeral), Tom Cairns (director, A Christmas Carol), and Natalie Ibu (artistic director, Tiata Fahodzi), with Fiona Morris, John White, and Kate Wilson from The Space plus more to be announced.
Wednesday, September 19: What’s Now Talks: A Look at ESPN’s 30 for 30 Podcasts
Presented in association with ESPN and 30 for 30 Podcasts. Guests include 30 for 30’s Jody Avirgan, with more to be announced. The 30 for 30 team will also discuss the results of their collaboration with IFP and the Made in NY Media Center, the ESPN 30 for 30 Podcasts Story Workshop.
More What’s Now Talks to be announced.
Direct Access @ Made in NY Media Center by IFP
Back for a second year, this day-long program gives attendees up-close access to industry representatives in an intimate setting. Each day, 25-30 participants go through seminars and discussions to put their project goals on track, from financing, to digital distribution, to launching into audio and episodic storytelling.
Our 2018 Direct Access schedule includes:
Monday, September 17: Direct Access – Film Financing: Get the Money
Money makes the industry go around. Join the motion and take part in this day of film financing how-to’s and why-not’s.
Tuesday, September 18: Direct Access – Digital Distribution: Start Streaming
Get your project screened, streamed, and seen. Learn the ins-and-outs on this day dedicated to digital distribution.
Wednesday, September 19: Direct Access – Audio & Podcasting: Press Record
Venturing into the world of audio? Make your way through the maze of platforms, programs, and networks with the help of top industry execs.
Thursday, September 20: Direct Access – Series Creators: Go Episodic.
Series storytelling is larger than television and streaming. Surf past the channels and get your project made.
Meet the Decision Makers @ DUMBO Loft
At our longest-running and most in-demand public event, attendees rub shoulders with top executives from leading entertainment and media companies who can help turn your project into a production, at small roundtable talks.
Tuesday, September 18: Meet the Decision Makers: Series
New for 2018! Meet with representatives from leading digital series and television networks.
Wednesday, September 19: Meet the Decision Makers: Audio
New for 2018! Meet with representatives from leading audio companies and platforms. Participants include representatives from PRX, Stitcher, Midroll, and more to be announced.
Thursday, September 20: Meet the Decision Makers: Film
Get unparalleled facetime with agents, distributors, funders, programmers, and more. Participants include representatives from 30West, APA, Bleecker Street, WGA East, Cinetic, DOCNYC, DocSociety, HotDocs, Impact Partners, IFC Films, Oscilloscope, Rooftop Films, SXSW, San Francisco International Film Festival, Submarine, Visit Films, and more to be announced.
