NFFTY 2020 EVENTS SCHEDULE

Saturday, October 24
4PM PT

Award-winning quadruple-threat Jim Cummings joins us to share his experience on navigating the industry as an independent filmmaker from idea inception to dynamic distribution. He'll give his expertise for each step of the process, whether you're making a short, a feature, or a short-to-feature. Having found success himself on an untraditional path, Jim will shed a light on the realities and limitless possibilities of "doing it yourself."

Followed by a Q&A moderated by NFFTY alum Anna Baumgarten, a Short to Feature Lab Fellow whose short film Disfluency (NFFTY '18) is being developed into a feature film to be released in 2021.

Sunday, October 25
11 AM PT

This panel brings together a selection of NFFTY filmmakers to present on their experiences as college students enrolled in film and media production programs. The event is aimed at high school students considering their future educational options. Panelists will hail from a diverse range of programs and universities, from small liberal arts colleges to nationally recognized film schools. They will discuss the differences and similarities across program types, covering issues such as equipment access, instructor availability, internship opportunities, and the balance between technical instruction and creative practice. The panel will conclude with an open Q&A, where high school students can ask panelists specific questions about their college experiences, including the application process.

Sunday, October 25
1PM PT

Join us for a provocative conversation about artistic identity and filmmaking featuring Michael Mittelstaedt, Division Director of Film and New Media at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Attendees will learn to curate their key influences and develop their artistic identities in order to better access their creative ideas in visual storytelling.

Sunday, October 25
2PM PT

Hoards of screenwriters and storytellers use the Hero’s Journey, but the question is why? For this talk, we are going to pull the curtain back on Oz to see how the story gets woven. Surprise! What you are going to learn is that you already know. The Hero’s Journey is powerful, because it’s already in your bones—in your blood, in your pineal glands. Beneath the Hero’s Journey are the narrative patterns of day and night, wake and dream, lunar months, procreation, mortality and the seasons. You already know these stories—they have been taught to you in school, and they have been conditioning your body since before you were born. This talk is about leveraging the knowledge you already have to teach you something essential – something screenwriters need to know – the Hero’s Journey as story structure.

Monday, October 26
9AM

Distribution is one of the most mysterious and misunderstood topics for independent creators. Join us as we break down the current landscape of distribution for independent film and TV, including the economics of different avenues to take, the right questions to ask potential partners, and what needs to be done from pre-production through post-production to set yourself up for success.

Monday, October 26
Part 1: 3PM PT
Part 2: 6PM PT

Hear all of the finalist scripts from our Story Starts Here Competition read aloud in their entirety! Three pilots and three shorts - six yet-to-be-made projects that you could be the first to witness! Tune in at the awards ceremony Nov 1st to learn which scripts win a jury prize!

Tuesday, October 27
3PM PT

Join this illustrious panel of industry professionals for a discussion on how to get your short film distributed once you’ve done the rounds at awesome festivals like NFFTY! How do you leverage your internet premiere for maximum exposure and/or revenue? Find out from our panelists Sophie Carroll (DUST), Bri Castellini (Seed&Spark), Jason Sondhi (Short of the Week), and MarBelle (Director’s Notes).

Tuesday, October 27
6PM PT

Join us for a moderated Q&A as NFFTY alumnus Sean Wang guides us through highlights from Carlos López Estrada’s esteemed career, and Carlos fields questions from emerging filmmakers on his process and shares industry pro tips.

Wednesday, October 28
3PM PT

Join Blackmagic Design’s Product Specialist Shawn Carlson for a presentation highlighting how you and your filmmaking team can use DaVinci Resolve Studio for remote collaboration. Regardless of location, Shawn will discuss how editors, colorists, VFX artists, animators and sound engineers can work together simultaneously, on the same project at the same time. Covering the full range of post production, Shawn will highlight what today’s creatives need to consider when evaluating workflows for their next project.

Thursday, October 29
3PM PT

Join filmmaker Danny Madden (Beast Beast, Sundance & SXSW 2020) as he shares his tips and tricks on how to bring your best ideas to fruition with whatever resources you're working with. From super low-budget filmmaking to working with new talent, tune in for inspiration on how to step up your game by making the most with what you already have!

Friday, October 30
3PM PT

In this workshop, you will be introduced to the art of creating cutting-edge Micro Docs for social media distribution. These 1-5 minute mini-documentaries have become some of the most powerful and popular media available, reaching more people and having a bigger impact than most Hollywood movies. And they can frequently be shot using the camera in your smartphone. Filmmaker and NYFA Documentary Filmmaking Chair, Andrea Swift, and Academy Award nominated cinematographer and NYFA Documentary Cinematography professor, Claudia Raschke, will introduce the key concepts and demonstrate smartphone cinematography techniques for two types of shoots commonly used in micro docs.

Saturday, October 31
10AM PT

Digital media expert Anna Levine (DUST) leads a conversation of NFFTY alumni Gigi Saul Guerrero, Noah Wagner, Lizz Marshall, and Austin S. Harris as they discuss their work pushing the boundaries of genre filmmaking.

Saturday, October 31
12 PM PT

Similar to real life, the complex villains of Isabella Eklöf’s films are both attractive and repulsive at the same time, but what is the key to cast and work successfully with actors? In this Masterclass, the danish director and former NFFTY award-winner Lin Alluna talks to the award-winning Swedish director and scriptwriter Isabella Eklöf, who dares to have fun with her art, while ruthlessly using her personal experience as honest inspiration for her unusual films.

Saturday, October 31
2PM PT

The horror genre, arguably more than any other, has had the space to do bold things -- to be transgressive, and leave an indelible mark on the medium of film. Horror can also explore difficult or even unspeakable subjects, and move audiences through powerfully visceral and metaphorical imagery. Known for pulling back the curtain on the scariest moments in film, 3-time Sundance Film Festival alum Alexandre O. Philippe explores the history of horror, the importance of the genre, and why monsters make excellent metaphors – with a focus on Psycho, Alien, and The Exorcist.

Sunday, November 1
1PM PT

We’ve heard it said that the youth are the future, so who better to divine what’s next for the film industry than this panel of NFFTY alumni? An honest and open discussion with the participant filmmakers, we will hear what moves they're making and what artistic and career insecurity they are facing in our new reality. Join us as we close out NFFTY 2020 with this forum for sharing best practices and recovery tactics, and figuring out which short term pivots will turn into long term changes post-pandemic.