American Film Convention (AFC) organisers have announced further details of the 40-strong panel programme at the inaugural event scheduled for October 15-17 in Downtown Los Angeles.
Distribution expert Peter Broderick of Paradigm Consulting will kick off the AFC Talks sessions at Magic Box on October 15 with the keynote, Supercharge Your Distribution!
That day’s sessions will include an examination of the exhibition space featuring Neil Williams from event cinema company Gathr and Christie Marchese from social cinema platform Kinema, alongside Peter Ambrosio of arthouse chain Lumiere and Evan Saxon of distribution, marketing and rights management specialist Abramorama.
Filmmaker Keith Ochwat will present on alternative and educational distribution, and AFC director of conferences and workshops Jon Fitzgerald will hold a conversion with Justin Giddings of Greenlight Yourself, who has helped 350 filmmakers crowdfund more than $11m.
October 16 brings Searchlight Pictures’ head of development and production Gina Kwon and Reid Shane from The Morning Show on a television panel, and a sales session featuring sales executive Alex Nohe, attorney Steven Beer, and producer and Matthew Helderman of BondIt Media Capital and Buffalo 8.
Inception and The Dark Knight Rises cinematographer Wally Pfister will share insights into his career and the industry, as will American Sniper producer Andrew Lazar, Super Troopers franchise director Jay Chandrasekhar, and ‘The Writers Journey’ author Christopher Vogler.
Elaine Sturgess from BooksOffice will discuss literary adaptations and Lisanne Sartor from non-profit mentoring organisation Cinestory Foundation will talk about nurturing emerging screenwriters. A session on selling to VoD platforms will hear from Bryan Louzil of free streaming service Mometu and Mario Niccolo Messina of independent studio Insurgence, formerly known as V Channels.
The final day will see IndieRights co-founders Linda Nelson and Michael Madison present on international sales, and insights from managers and representatives including Sara Bottfeld of Industry Entertainment, former Gersh department head Richard Arlook, and manager Jason Lubin of First Story Entertainment.
Henry Eshelman and Daniel Harlow will talk about branding and marketing, and the day will end with a talk by Slamdance Film Festival co-founder Dan Mirvish.
“At the heart of the American Film Convention is a mission to empower and support filmmakers on their journey,” CEO Mitesh Patel said. “As we kick off our first year, we acknowledge that every great endeavour starts with humble beginnings.”
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