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IFP Announces Public Programming for 41st Annual IFP Week

by Chase Harrison on August 19, 2019

IFP Week Public Programming 2019

Guest Speakers Include Joe Berlinger, Jon M. Chu, Todd Douglas Miller, Tyler Mitchell, Rachel Lears, Kasi Lemmons, Ira Sachs, E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Michael H. Weber, Alice Wu and more

Special Screening of Amazon Studios’ THE REPORT and
Conversation with Writer/Director Scott Z. Burns

IFP Week to Run September 15 – 19

NEW YORK, August 19th 2019 – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), announced today its public program during the 41st IFP Week, including a series of over 40 panel conversations, informative workshops and screenings. IFP Week, one of IFP’s signature annual events, will take place in Brooklyn, New York from Sunday, September 15 to Thursday, September 19.

The week kicks off on Sunday, September 15th with a series of panel conversations with filmmakers at BRIC, some including:

  • Keynote Presentation by Tyler Mitchell, Head of Impact at Imagine Impact.
  • “An Exciting Time” – a conversation with the creative visionaries behind TIME Studios, the recently formed premium content division of TIME.
  • “Politically Charged” – directors Rachel Lears and Alison Klayman discussing the impact of their politically charged documentary films Knock Down The House and The Brink.
  • “Sounds Like A Hit” – Chris Littler, writer of Limetown and Joanna Solotaroff, producer of “2 Dope Queens” on developing podcasts into series.
  • “Staying In The Room” – Andrew Chow of TIME, moderates a conversation on Asian-American representation in Hollywood featuring filmmakers Jon M. Chu, Alice Wu and producer/writer Teresa Hsaio

The day will culminate with a special screening of Amazon Studios CIA drama THE REPORT starring Adam Driver, Jon Hamm, Annette Bening, Maura Tierney and Michael C. Hall, followed by a conversation with writer/director Scott Z. Burns.

Additional programming includes newly launched daily “weekday strands,” a series of back to back panels with filmmakers, creatives and industry professionals focusing on a common theme each day. Some include:

  • “Tête-à-Tête” – Oscar winning documentary filmmaker E. Chai Vasarhelyi (Free Solo) and Emmy winning documentary filmmaker Todd Douglas Miller (Apollo 11) discuss their work, filmmaking instincts and contributions to non-fiction storytelling.
  • “Killer Ideas” – Oscar nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, & Paradise Lost Trilogy) and Skye Borgman (Abducted in Plain Sight) reflect on the rise of the true crime documentary series.
  • “Write, Adapt, Repeat” – Oscar nominated screenwriter Michael H. Weber (The Disaster Artist, The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns), producer Riva Marker (Wildlife, Beasts of No Nation) and Marcy Drogin on their creative process and literary adaptations.
  • “Based On A True Story” – director Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou) in conversation on the making of her upcoming biographical film Harriet moderated by Darrien Michele Gipson, Executive Director of SAGindie.
  • “A Guide To Recognizing Your Options” – Rachel Deahl of Publishers Weekly leads a conversation on the process of optioning book rights.
  • “Where Do We Go From Here?” – Lionsgate EVP of Physical Production Kelli Konop with John Hadity of Entertainment Partners discuss domestic tax incentives,
  • “Multi Multi Media” – Adam Neuhaus from ESPN and Tony Tackaberry from Lion Television discuss multi-hyphenate media companies, moderated by Ari Mark of Ample Entertainment.
  • “Don’t Call it A Commercial” – Matt MacDonald, Executive Creative Director at BBDO New York and Angela Matusik, Head of Corporate Brand, Content & Creative at HP discussing the evolution of branded storytelling.
  • “Case Study: Frankie” – Writer/Director Ira Sachs on international collaborations, the making of his film Frankie, and shooting in Portugal.

In addition, IFP Week will host their popular Direct Access program, where attendees have access to seasoned  industry veterans for workshops, seminars and intimate panels, and the Meet the Decision Makers program, where attendees interact with top executives at small roundtable talks. Participating companies and representatives include: Paul Bernon of Burn Later Productions, Jérôme Paillard, Executive Director of Marché du Film, Festival de Cannes, RJ Millard of Obscured Pictures, Ashley Snyder of Steiner Studios, and many more.

“Our goal this year is to break through the noise and present a dynamic, compelling and exciting offering of public programs to celebrate storytelling in all of its forms including film, TV, publishing, theatre, VR/AR and podcasting,” said Jeff Sharp, Executive Director of IFP. “We are excited to share this vision with our invited storytellers, some of whom are alumni of our program, public audiences and distinguished industry guests at our home in New York City, media capital of the world, where IFP Week began over forty years ago.”

Under the new leadership and curation of Executive Director Jeffrey Sharp, IFP Week Producer Jamie Zelermyer, Public Programs Producer Sam Pezzullo and Associate Producer Courtney Cox,  the IFP Week Conference public programming takes place in and around Brooklyn, New York at BRIC, The Amazon Studios HUB, The Center For Fiction, neighborhood screening venues, and IFP’s headquarters The Made in NY Media Center by IFP.

For additional detailed information on IFP Week and programming, as well to purchase tickets please visit our website at: https://ifpweek.com/conference/

LEADING SPONSORS
The IFP and IFP Week are generously supported by a group of loyal corporate, foundation and government benefactors. The 2019 Sponsors are Premier Sponsors HBO, Amazon Studios and Netflix; Spotlight Country Portugal – Instituto do Cinema e do AudioVisual (ICA); Gold Sponsors A&E IndieFilms, Breaker, NEON, and SAGindie; and Community Partner BRIC. IFP Week is also supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Time Warner Foundation.

ABOUT IFP
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) champions the future of storytelling by connecting film, series, digital and audio artists with essential resources at all stages of development through distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include IFP Week, IFP Labs (Film, Series & Audio Storytelling), Filmmaker Magazine, IFP Gotham Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, a tech and media incubator space developed with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. www.ifp.org

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