(Open only to accredited industry members)
Our love of movies has not changed, but the way we see them has. Leading industry professionals discuss the present and future of production and distribution of studio, independent, and foreign-language film in the US. Producer Paula Wagner (The Others, Vanilla Sky, Mission: Impossible), founder of Chestnut Ridge Productions, will moderate.

The short film has become one of the most beloved offerings for the film festival aficionado, and more recently, the Internet guru. This panel will discuss the short film form, its role in the film industry, and how the fast-evolving field of digital media will change the way we view and market short films.

This year’s Festival features a number of extraordinary films by emerging filmmakers from across the Americas—from Mexico to Chile. Come listen to them talk about their craft and reflect on their perspectives on filmmaking in a global context.

Emmy Award®-winning filmmaker and writer Elaine Madsen, producer and Oscar®-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and other inspirational women from the Chicago area will reflect on their diverse professional experiences, life lessons learned, and personal accomplishments. Doreen Bartoni, Dean of the School of Media Arts at Columbia College will moderate.

You’ve made your movie… now what? Several first- and second-time directors will explore the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of taking their films on the festival circuit and finding distribution locally and abroad. Tom Fraterrigo of Columbia College’s Department of Film & Video will moderate. Panelists include local filmmaker Brian Caunter (Chicago Overcoat).

A film’s iconic soundtrack or original score is often one of its most memorable parts. Come listen to experienced film composers, musicians, and directors break down the process of finding collaborators, sourcing new and existing music, and producing the perfect harmony between sound and image. Panelists include Bruce Webb (The Be All and End All), Charles Kim of the Old Town School of Folk Music, Jim Elkington of Chicago band The Zincs, and others.

Since 1993, thousands of women have been killed in Juárez, Mexico. The artworks in the new exhibition at the National Museum of Mexican Art chronicle the struggles wrought by these grievous deaths. Filmmaker Carlos Carrera, who takes on the subject in his harrowing film Backyard, will join exhibition curator Dolores Mercado in a conversation about his experience of translating tragedy into art.

Many screenwriters and directors approach the filmmaking process through the lens of their own personal life histories. Festival and local filmmakers will discuss the creative practice of translating unique personal experiences into film narrative.

Every film is the product of a team of skilled individuals who participate in an ongoing creative exchange that informs the filmmaking process. Roger Bobb, award-winning supervising producer of Tyler Perry Studios, will reflect on his experiences with creative collaboration in the film industry. Vaun Monroe of Columbia College’s Department of Film & Video will moderate.