Film folk converged once again upon the DGA’s West Hollywood headquarters for the 2024 Film Independent Forum, taking place September 27 – 28.
SAGindie was a premier sponsor and presented the annual New Wave Actors, a collaboration with SAGindie, Film Independent, and Easterseals Disability Services. This year’s actor roundtable featured emerging talent Tati Gabrielle, James Ian, Mayan Lopez, Richa Moorjani, and Lisa Yamada; moderated by SAGindie’s own Darrien Michele Gipson.
FiForum attendees were also treated to industry networking opportunities like Industry Connect (featuring SAGindie’s Shefali Vasudevan), film screenings (Will & Harper, The Babadook 10th Anniversary Screening), case studies, and panels on topics ranging from international television production, climate narratives in media, and film financing. Find videos from some of the featured events below!
Film Independent Forum 2024 was sponsored by Premier Sponsors SAGindie, Directors Guild of America, and IMDbPro; and Supporting Sponsors Mississippi Film Office, Plot Shift Media, and Easterseals Disability Services.
——
Film Independent Forum 2024 – The New Wave Actors
- Tati Gabrielle (The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat)
- James Ian (The Allnighter)
- Mayan Lopez (Lopez vs. Lopez)
- Richa Moorjani (Never Have I Ever)
- Lisa Yamada (Cruel Summer)
- Moderated by Darrien Michele Gipson (Executive Director, SAGindie)
Film Independent Forum 2024 – Keynote Address
- Hiro Morai (director, The Bear)
- Moderated by Daniel Kwan (writer/director, Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Film Independent Forum 2024 – Opening Night Screening Q&A: Will & Harper
- Josh Greenbaum (director, Will & Harper)
- Moderated by Jazz Tangcay (Senior Artisans Editor, Variety)
Film Independent Forum 2024 – Spirit of Independence: 40 Years of Film Independent
- Albert Berger (producer, Little Miss Sunshine)
- Ron Yerxa (producer, Little Miss Sunshine)
- Cathy Schulman (producer, Crash)
- Jonathan Wang (producer, Everything Everywhere All at Once)
- Moderated by Jordana Mollick (producer, The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Film Independent Forum 2024 – Global TV: How Does It Translate?
- Maegan Houang (writer, Shōgun)
- Jamie Lai (VP of Scripted TV, CJ ENM America and Studio Dragon Global)
- Jeremy Podeswa (director, 3 Body Problem)
- Amr Salama (creator, Paranormal)
- McKenna Stephens (Maria Farinha Filmes)
- Moderated by Wendy Calhoun (writer/producer, Justified)
Film Independent Forum 2024 – Financing Clinic & Real-Time Feedback
- Lisa Callif (Partner, Donaldson Callif Perez)
- Christine Hsu (Agent, CAA)
- Steven Adams (founder, Alta Global Media)
- Nina Parikh (Director, Mississippi Film Office)
- Moderated by Angela Lee (Director of Artist Development, Film Independent)
Film Independent Forum 2024 – Shifting the Narrative on Climate
- Carmiel Banasky (writer, Undone; Editor-in-Chief, Good Energy)
- Allison Begalman (CEO, YEA! Impact; founder, Hollywood Climate Summit)
- Dorothy Fortenberry (writer, The Handmaid’s Tale; PGA/WGA Interguild Climate Storytelling Group)
- Blake Pickens (writer, Rubble & Crew)
- Erica L. Rosenthal, PhD (Director of Research, USC Norman Lear Center)
- Moderated by Jeanell English (Founder, ELIZABETH)
Film Independent Forum 2024 – International Panorama: From Markets and Festivals to Distribution
- Josh Braun (President, Submarine)
- Milan Chakraborty (Head of Film, Marginal MediaWorks)
- Javier Fuentes-León (writer/director, The Best Families)
- Myriam Sassine (producer, Costa Brava Lebanon)
- Ania Trzebiatowska (Programmer, Sundance Film Festival)
- Moderated by Mia Bruno (Distribution Strategist/Distributor, Fourth Act Film)
Film Independent Forum 2024 – Closing Night Screening Q&A: The Babadook Special 10th Anniversary Screening
- Jennifer Kent (writer/director, The Babadook)
- Moderated by Josh Ruben (director, Werewolves Within)
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE IT OUT FOR FIFORUM 2024!
——
If you’re an independent filmmaker or know of an independent film-related topic we should write about, email blogadmin@sagindie.org for consideration.
