Archives for August 2019

We’ve been there, you kill yourself to make your film: max out your credit cards, fund raise, grant write, and beg your friends and family to get that film made. Now what? The fantasy of getting the sweet distribution deal after your festival premiere feels more and more like, well… just a fantasy.

Conversation with Judd Taylor, Acquisitions Consultant for Prince Films and Glass House Distribution, on the opportunities available to independent filmmakers on the international marketplace. We’ll discuss what types of films are most likely to get the attention of international distributors and how to make the connections to be successful in this market.

Judd Taylor

Judd Taylor programs for the Chandler International Film Festival and sits on the Tribeca Film Festival Screening Committee where in 2019 he recommended Burning Cane, winner of 3 major awards. He recently joined the Slamdance Film Festival providing coverage and reading screenplays for their Screenplay Competition. Judd is also an Acquisitions Consultant for worldwide sales companies Prince Films and Glass House Distribution. He previously sat on the Screening Committee for Cleveland International Film Festival and was on the Board of Directors and Associate Director of Programming for the DTLA Film Festival where films he programmed and recommended won multiple awards. Previous to joining the festival world, Judd worked in acquisitions for Alchemy on auteur Gaspar Noé’s Love, sleeper hit MEET THE PATELS, WELCOME TO ME, and THE HUMBLING. Judd was also Head of Marketing at Cinema Management Group where he marketed Oscar nominated worldwide hit LOVING VINCENT.

Screening Info

Date: Saturday, November 2, 2019 at 10am
Venue: The GoggleWorks Boscov Theater
Address: 201 Washington St, Reading
Tickets: $10

Panel discussion with industry veteran Anne Hubbell and Women’s Weekend Film Challenge founders Tracy Sayre and Katrina Medoff chat with ReadingFilmFEST Creative Director Tracy Schott about being a woman in the film industry in 2019. How far have we come really? What’s next?

Jessie Garcia

Jessie Garcia spent 26 years in television news and was Wisconsin’s first female sports anchor. She is a former Green Bay Packers sideline reporter and former host of “The Mike McCarthy Show” and “The Mike Holmgren Show.” Jessie has written eight books of fiction and non-fiction. She is currently the Broadcast Director at Milwaukee’s NBC affiliate, WTMJ. Jessie has also taught journalism at four universities. This is her first documentary. The idea came from a book she wrote about Olympic athletes and she simply knew she had to make it into a documentary.

Anne Hubbell

Anne Hubbell is a respected film industry veteran with 20 years of extensive corporate, not-for-profit and production experience.  She co-founded Tangerine Entertainment, the first production company and community builder focused on media by women directors.  As Vice President of Motion Picture at Kodak, she negotiates contracts and consults on studio and independent movies, episodic content, commercials and music videos, and is a liaison to the global film community at large. Anne is also the Program Director for 51Fest, an event presented by Women in the World and IFC Center, celebrating the voice and vision of the female majority through screenings and conversations, all by or about women. Her producing credits include MODERN PERSUASION (2020), THE SECOND (2018), KEEP THE CHANGE (2017), THE LAST LAUGH (2016), PAINT IT BLACK (2016), GAYBY (2012), LIPSTICK & DYNAMITE (2004), seasons of IFC’s Independent Focus (2001) and iFilm@IFC (1999), along with independent shorts and web content.  She began her career in not for profit programming and management as Managing Director of The Theater Offensive in Boston and Executive Director of IMAGE Film & Video Center in Atlanta, and consulted for dozens of domestic and international film festivals and events.  She serves on the boards of NY Women in Film & Television, the NY Production Alliance and Rooftop Films, and is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America.

Katrina Medoff

Katrina Medoff is the founder and co-director of the Women’s Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC), a women-in-film initiative that places professional filmmakers on crews that write, shoot and edit a short film in just one weekend. Through the WWFC, she and her business partner, Tracy Sayre, have produced 24 films to date with more than 500 professional female filmmakers in New York City. These films have already been selected for more than 50 film festivals, including the HBO Women in Comedy Festival and Fantasia Film Festival. One WWFC film won “The Spy Who Dumped Me” Female Storyteller Film Contest and was screened before the blockbuster movie starring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon in LA. Katrina and Tracy will be launching the WWFC in Los Angeles in 2020.

Katrina also works independently in the film industry as an actor, writer and producer. Her recent projects include the feature film “Ask for Jane,” now playing in select theaters, as well as short films that have screened at SOHO International Film Festival, Queens World Film Festival and more.

Tracy Sayre

Tracy Sayre is a screenwriter, producer, and director. Her short film “Lily+Mara” starred Oona Laurence and Meghann Fahy and recently had its broadcast debut on PBS. She has helped hundreds of writers unlock their creative block through her organization Writers Work. She is currently the co-director of the Women’s Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC), a women-in-film initiative that places professional filmmakers on crews that write, shoot and edit a short film in just one weekend. Through the WWFC, she and her business partner, Katrina Medoff, have produced 24 films to date with more than 500 professional female filmmakers in New York City. These films have already been selected for more than 50 film festivals.

Panel Info

Date: Saturday, November 2, 2019 at 11am
Venue: The GoggleWorks Boscov Theater
Address: 201 Washington St, Reading
Tickets: $10