NewFest38 Industry + Filmmaker Day

Christine Vachon (Producer, Co-President of Killer Films)
Christine Vachon is an Independent Spirit Award and Gotham Award winner who co-founded powerhouse Killer Films with partner Pamela Koffler in 1995. Over three decades, they have produced more than 100 films, including some of the most celebrated and important American independent features: KIDS, I SHOT ANDY WARHOL, HAPPINESS, BOYS DON’T CRY, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, FAR FROM HEAVEN, ONE HOUR PHOTO, STILL ALICE, CAROL, BEATRIZ AT DINNER, and DARK WATERS. In television, Vachon executive-produced the Emmy and Golden Globe-awarded miniseries MILDRED PIERCE for HBO as well as the Emmy Award-winning limited series HALSTON for Netflix. Recent releases include Todd Haynes’ MAY DECEMBER (Netflix), starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, and Celine Song’s PAST LIVES (A24), which marks her first Oscar nomination in the Best Picture category.

ROUNDTABLE 1

Ask Me Anything: Agents, Managers & Starting Your Career Today with CAA

As barriers to our industry and Hollywood continue to rise for queer storytellers, the relationship between emerging talent and their representatives remains vital. In this candid, AMA-style conversation, agents and managers from CAA will speak directly with the audience about how representation is evolving amidst a turbulent industry, what stands out to them when identifying fresh voices, and how creatives can take greater control of their careers. Audience members may broach a variety of topics, including how reps working in today’s challenging terrain are protecting, empowering, and knocking down doors for their queer clients.

Featuring Facilitators: Ben Levine (he/him), Talent Agent, CAA, Di Glazer (she/her), Theatre Agent, CAA, Kevin Lin (he/him), Talent and Literary Agent, CAA, Alex Gold (he/him), Theatre Agent, CAA

ROUNDTABLE 2

Labs, Incubators & the Next Wave of Talent

In an era where diverse voices are more vulnerable than ever, artist development programs remain a crucial avenue for new and emerging artists to break into filmmaking. This intimate roundtable brings together representatives from leading talent development initiatives to discuss how they’re identifying, nurturing, and championing the next generation of original queer storytellers in the face of an unprecedented media ecosystem.

From mentorship and creative support to financing, networking, and career strategy, this conversation will explore how these organizations are helping emerging voices navigate an increasingly decentralized film landscape, and how they intend to shape the future of queer cinema from the ground up.

Featuring Facilitators: Robert Baltazar (he/him), VP of TV Programming Inclusion, NBCUniversal, Kia Brooks (she/her), Managing Director, The Gotham Film & Media Institute, Arno Mokros (he/they), Co-Founder & Co-Director, UFO; New Voices Grant Coordinator, NewFest

NETWORKING LUNCH (Sponsored by Kickstarter)

1:00 PM to 2:15 PM

ROUNDTABLE 3

Beyond the Theatrical: New Models of Distribution

The relationship between audiences and their access to films has rapidly transformed since the advent of streaming. As this bubble has seemingly popped (or at the least is in constant evolution), distribution and acquisition models for queer content have been particularly affected. 

Bringing together representatives of emerging and alternative forms of distribution, this conversation will center both the exciting opportunities and difficult challenges facing queer storytellers and the preservation of past and future work. Queer audiences are hungrier than ever to find themselves reflected on screen. How can new approaches to distribution help build infrastructure for work from new creators and protect the vital history of queer cinema?

Featuring Facilitators: Aidan Dick (they/them), COO of Video Store.Age, Matt Pifko (he/him), Acqui:sitions Manager, Kanopy, Chris Walker (they/them), Co-Director of Strategy & Distribution, OTV

ROUNDTABLE 4

Making the Cut: Emerging Talent in Post-Production

As new models of filmmaking reshape the industry and technologies continue to evolve rapidly, opportunities for emerging talent in post-production are evolving alongside them. This roundtable brings together post-production professionals to unpack the implications of new tech and empower the next generation of queer editors, colorists, sound designers, VFX artists, etc. to bolster their crafts. Panelists will share practical insights on breaking in, navigating new modalities, and maintaining the beating heart of post-production artistry.

Featuring Facilitators: John Dargan (he/him), Story Producer & Post-Production Coordinator, Keith Reamer, ACE (he/him), Editor, Alexia Salingaros (she/her), Colorist

Rebuilding a New Industry

The future of the film industry won’t be shaped by any one company, platform, or creative voice; it will emerge through the collective imagination of its most original and passionate voices. As traditional filmmaking models continue to shift, success and sustainability no longer look the same. Rather than allow ourselves to be discouraged by the unprecedented times we’re living in, this conversation provokes us to chart a radical new course. 

Bringing together leaders from across the filmmaking ecosystem, this roundtable explores a rapidly evolving landscape and where the greatest opportunities lie ahead. Panelists will imagine the next era of filmmaking and how the queer community can not only thrive within this changing industry, but actively shape its future, creating a New Hollywood that is more innovative, inclusive, and artist-driven than ever before.

Featuring Panelists: Andy Fidoten (he/him), Filmmaker (SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ME), Gene Graham (he/him), Director, Producer, Editor (GAYS AGAINST GUNS), Antreise Lacey (she/her), Manager of Distribution & Operations, NEON, Gerry Rich (he/him), Film Marketing Consultant & Author.

Moderated by Jenni Olson (LGBTQ Film Historian and Filmmaker, she/her)

The Spotlight Panel will be followed by a Mixer Sponsored by NBCUniversal LAUNCH from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM. 

Closing Remarks by Rafael Espinal, Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment