Made in NY: Excellence in Indie Filmmaking – August 13th

June 11, 2013

Made in NY:Excellence in Indie Filmmaking on August 13th

Made in NY: Excellence in Indie Filmmaking

Join us for a special “Made in NY” Talk in Partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment!

SAG Foundation in Partnership with
the New York Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment Present —

 Made in NY:  Excellence in Indie Filmmaking

As a part of “Made in NY” Talks, a free series of conversations focused on jobs in the local entertainment industry, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment in partnership with Screen Actors Guild Foundation will present “Made in NY Talks: Excellence in Indie Filmmaking” on August 13th.  The talk will bring industry professionals from the world of independent film to share their experiences of bringing their unique voices to the screen.  The conversation will gather together a talented group of filmmakers and casting directors who have used New York City as the inspiration and setting for countless indie films as they discuss their careers and why New York City remains a favorite place to bring their artistic vision to life.

Moderated by First Deputy Commissioner Todd Asher.

The event is open to SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity members as well as New York City residents interested in learning more about opportunities in the entertainment industry (RSVP Required).  This event will be filmed for the SAG Foundation’s online educational archives. It will also be broadcast on NYC life (Channel 25), part of the official network of the City of New York, and be available to watch on the NYC Media Video on Demand Player at nyc.gov/vod.

Meet the Panelists

Rashaad Ernesto Green
Graduate of Dartmouth College and NYU Graduate Film School, recipient of the Princess Grace Foundation Award and Spike Lee Fellowship, New York native Rashaad Ernesto Green was included on the 2010 edition of Filmmaker Magazine’s elite 25 New Faces of Independent Film list as well as indieWIRE’s 2009 Ten New Voices in Cinema.  His short films have screened on HBO, BET, Sundance and won accolades at festivals internationally.  He’s been supported by HBO, NBC, Time Warner, Sundance, Tribeca Film Institute and IFP.  Rashaad’s first feature and thesis film GUN HILL ROAD premiered in the 2011 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Competition, opened #1 for Independent films at the box office summer of 2011 and is now available on DVD.
www.gunhillroad.com
www.mialmafilms.com

Chiemi Karasawa

Founder and CEO of Isotope Films, Chiemi Karasawa has worked in film, television and commercial production for over 20 years alongside such notable directors as Spike Jonze, Jim Jarmusch, Larry Clark, Sam Mendes, Stephen Frears and Martin Scorsese.  Most recently, she directed and produced the highly anticipated documentary, ELAINE STRITCH:  SHOOT ME.

She began her career as a Script Supervisor in film and television productions such as: KIDS, HIGH FIDELITY, SUMMER OF SAM, GHOST DOG, ADAPTATION, SOPRANOS, SEX IN THE CITY, SHINE A LIGHT, SHUTTER ISLAND & PUBLIC SPEAKING.

She has served as a speaker on Documentary Producing at NYU, SVA, and the Woodstock Film Festival, and has served on Documentary Screening Committees for The Spirit Awards and the Gucci/Tribeca Documentary Fund. She is a Boston University College of Communication graduate with a degree in Broadcasting & Film.
http://www.isotopefilms.com 

Celine Rattray
Celine Rattray is co-president of Maven Pictures, a New York-based film development, production and financing company formed in partnership with Trudie Styler.  Maven Pictures’ filmGirl Most Likely; starring Kristen Wiig, Annette Bening and Matt Dillon; premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and was released by Lionsgate this summer. Maven is in post-production on Filth, starring James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent and Jamie Bell. Maven is also in post on the timeless holiday musical drama Black Nativity, starring Academy Award winners Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson. It will be released by Fox Searchlight this Thanksgiving.

Focusing primarily on innovative storytelling with premier talent, Rattray has produced 30 independent films over the last decade, including 12 Sundance Film Festival and five Toronto titles. Rattray produced The Kids are All Right, the 2010 Sundance darling directed by Lisa Cholodenko and starring Julianne Moore, Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo, which garnered four Academy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as four BAFTA and five Independent Spirit Award nominations. Rattray also producedBernie, starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey, a 2012 Gotham Award and Independent Spirit Award best picture nominee.

Celine currently serves on the board of BAFTA New York. In 2008, Rattray was selected by Crain’s New York for its prestigious “Forty Under 40” list, which features an impressive and diverse group of executives who have excelled in their fields. Prior to producing films, Rattray was HBO’s Director of Marketing and Business Development. During her three years at HBO, Rattray’s main responsibilities included the development and launch of HBO on Demand.  Under Rattray’s supervision, HBO on Demand grew into a major revenue stream for the network, and is currently available nationwide. Rattray graduated with a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy from Oxford University. She worked as an associate in McKinsey’s Media and Entertainment practice from 1998 to 2000, with clients including the BBC, Channel 4, the British Film Institute and Time Warner.

Ira Sachs
Ira Sachs’s films include Keep the Lights On (2011), Married Life (2007), The Delta (1997), and the 2005 Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning Forty Shades of Blue. The recipient of a 2013 Guggenheim Fellowship, Sachs teaches in the MFA Program for Film at NYU, and is also the founder of the NYC-based arts programs, Queer/Art/Film and Queer/Art/Mentorship. His newest film, Love Is Strange,starts shooting this summer in New York with John Lithgow and Alfred Molina.

Paul Schnee
Paul Schnee, with casting partner Kerry Barden: DreamWorks’ The Help (2012 SAG Award for Best Ensemble Cast); Winter’s Bone, (2010 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, 2010 Gotham Award for Best Feature and Outstanding Ensemble Cast); Weinstein Company’s August Osage County (directed by John Wells, starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts); Alcon Entertainment’s Prisoners (starring Hugh Jackman, directed by Denis Villneuve); Damsels in Distress (Venice Film Festival 2011); and Silent House (Sundance 2011). At the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Barden/Schnee Casting was represented by six films, including new release Compliance (directed by Craig Zobel).

*Panelists are subject to change.