We’re continuing to upload new content—including full panels, highlights and exclusive interviews—to our YouTube channel throughout next week (perfect for the occasional break in-between binging new episodes of Stranger Things.) The Film Independent Forum, of course, is our annual three-day conference devoted to providing you with the tools, resources and industry know-how required to make your next project a reality.
This year was particularly exciting, featuring keynote conversations from two of this year’s most prominent indie film voices—Get Out’s Jordan Peele and Mudbound’s Dee Rees—as well as an expanded curriculum of panels and talks touching on wide-ranging topics: from VR, to creative financing, to the ins and outs of web series, documentary and episodic TV. Here now are just a few of this year’s 2017 Film Independent Forum video highlights. And check our more from our 2017 Forum playlist on YouTube and the blog as we continue to add more content.
JORDAN PEELE KEYNOTE
The racially provocative horror hit Get Out isn’t just one of the year’s best genre films—it’s one of 2017’s best films, period. Filmmaker Jordan Peele sits down with Film Independent at LACMA Curator Elvis Mitchell for an in-depth talk about the film’s themes, production and Peele’s reinvention as an indie auteur.
DEE REES KEYNOTE
Since debuting at Sundance debut earlier this year, Dee Rees’ Mudbound has been racking up acclaim at festivals worldwide (and will soon be available in theaters and on Netflix—just in time for awards season.) Film Independent President Josh Welsh sits down with Rees to discuss her circuitous career, and the art of story and character.
‘CHAPPAQUIDDICK’ Q&A
John Curran’s Chappaquiddick kicked things off on Forum Opening Night. The film stars Jason Clarke as Ted Kennedy, presenting a complicated portrait of the late Senator during the biggest political crisis (and career-derailing scandal) of his entire career: the 1969 “Chappaquiddick Incident” that claimed the life of Robert Kennedy campaign staffer Mary Jo Kopechne. After the screening, Curran and Clarke sat for a thoughtful Q&A to discuss the film.
GETTING CREATIVE ABOUT GETTING MONEY
The called “Getting Creative about Getting Money” featured veteran producers speaking to a diverse range of industry experiences as they broke down the so-called “three-legged stool” of film financing: pre-sales, equity and soft money.
IS PEAK TV GOOD OR BAD?
Learn what “Peak TV” means for you and your career. How do you break through the noise to find your niche? Discover how to be heard in this vast landscape. Veteran TV executives, writers, directors and showrunners offer an expert perspective on telling stories for the small screen. The 2017 Film Independent Forum took place from October 20-22 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. To see more from this year’s panels and events, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Not a Member of Film Independent yet? Become one today. The 2017 Film Independent Forum is supported by Premier Sponsors Directors Guild of America and SAGIndie with additional support from Principal Sponsor Universal Pictures and Supporting Sponsors D’Alessio Law Group and the Netherlands Film Fund
