Tanya Kersey, Executive Director, announced the 2013 season of The Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF) with an inspiring line up of films, panels, panelists and festivities over a four day period. HBFF happens October 2-6, 2013 and will be hosted at the Montalban Theater, 1615 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA and The W Hotel, 6250 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028.
Some of this year’s highlights include: Film Diaspora Sidebar, launching independent films and filmmakers from the Diaspora outside of the U.S. and Canada. Happening Thursday, October 3 from 11am-8pm, 11 films from eight countries – Burkina Faso, Cameroon, England, Haiti, Madagascar, New Zealand, Nigeria and South Africa.
Twinkie Byrd’s Monologue Slam is back on Saturday, October 5 at 7pm , a panel of celebrity judges will participate in a lively Q&A discussion about all things acting. Also returning is Live Storyteller Staged Reading on Friday, Oct 4 at 7pm, featuring a live staged reading from the finalist scripts in the festival’s storyteller competition.
Recognized as the premiere Black film festival in Hollywood showcasing the best independent films from Black filmmakers, HBFF leads with innovation by delivering top-shelf panels designed to empower filmmakers and expose Black film to diverse audiences right in the heart of the movie capital.
“This year marks a pivotal moment in our history as we celebrate the artistry of Black film from coast-to-coast and worldwide,” said Kersey. “This year it’s our goal to expose the masses to dynamic Black film, while educating people on best practices for getting film financing, creating stories and tapping into the power players doing the deals through our informative Infotainment Conference panels and workshops.”
HBFF 2013 Schedule (Subject to Change)
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
12 noon 3pm Registration (The W Hollywood) 8:00pm Opening Night Film (Montalban Theatre) 10:30pm Opening Night After Party (TBA)
Thursday, October 3, 2013
9am 5pm Registration (The W Hollywood)
9am 6pm Infotainment Conference (The W Hollywood Great Room 1 & 2 unless otherwise noted)
9:00am 10:00am The Impact of Science Fiction on New Technology Project Stargazer (The W Hollywood, Great Room 3) A panel of NASA scientists and engineers will discuss how science fiction has influenced the reality of advanced engineering and technology solutions, as well as how these solutions to real world space science challenges have given birth to products that address everyday societal needs. We will address current and future space missions and ways to inspire and excite audiences about the future of space exploration.
10:00am 11:00am Developing Science Fiction inspired by Space Science Facts Project Stargazer (The W Hollywood, Great Room 3) This will be a dynamic and interactive discussion between NASA engineers/scientists and writers/filmmakers to inspire new ways of portraying science fiction while uncovering the realities of space science facts. The goal is to further the collaboration between an industry that is charged with telling visual stories and an organization responsible for undertaking the pursuit of hard science and space exploration. The two groups will meet to focus collectively on uncovering material useful to both the scientific and filmmaking communities, with an emphasis on a quality information exchange that is accurate, compelling, and innovative.
10:00am The Ins & Outs of Navigating a Film Festival This discussion will give filmmakers the necessary information to successfully navigate film festivals in order to maximize your time, make career changing connections, and gain visibility for your project.
11:15am Turning the Tide: A Hollywood Success Story This panel will talk to artists who had momentum in their careers and they used that momentum to create a success story. Panelists will share their stories of struggle to triumph. Come learn what it takes to take your career from aspiring to true Hollywood story.
12:30pm Shooting Abroad This panel will discuss opportunities for U.S. filmmakers to go overseas and make their movies, coproductions, financing, etc. Learn what you need to know to film overseas, and how is it different. Find out what shooting abroad can offer in terms of locations, financial instruments and incentives, cast and crew, infrastructure and coproducing. With the right preparation and local partners, filming overseas can be the experience of a lifetime.
2:00pm Brown Bag Lunch: Social Media Strategies to Expand Your Brand Discover opportunities to reach new audiences and promote your projects on your own. In this handson session, entertainment industry professionals will finally learn the difference between Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0, which tools to use, and critically, when and how to use them. From blogs to wikis to widgets, find out how to navigate social media to expand your entertainment brand.
3:30pm A Conversation with Writer/Director …
5:00pm Crowdfunding Master Class: How to Build a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign Learn how to set up a successful crowdfunding campaign and shape the perfect message to get your project funded. Hear from content creators who have successfully funded their projects through crowdfunding, and learn about the latest news and developments & legal issues in the crowdfunding space.
11am11pm Film Screenings (Montalban Theatre) 11am5pm Film Diaspora Sidebar
11:15am 1pm Project Stargazer SemiFinalists Workshop (closed door by invitation only) (The W Hollywood, Great Room 3)
1:30 5:30pm Storyteller SemiFinalists Workshop (closed door by invitation only) (The W Hollywood, Great Room 3)
57pm HBFF Happy Hour (The W Hollywood Living Room) 10pm Evening Event
Friday, October 4, 2013
9am 7pm Registration (The W Hollywood)
9am 1pm Project Stargazer Pitch Development Workshop for SemiFinalists (closed door by invitation only) (The W Hollywood, Great Room 3)
In this closedsession workshop, Project Stargazer semifinalists will further developed their scifi pitches with an eye to working up a strong narrative throughline, affecting characters, character arcs, subplot, and a sense of what the story is about most, i.e. what the writer is trying to communicate most in telling the story being told. The goal of the workshop is to prepare Project Stargazer semifinalists to give their best pitch possible during the Project Stargazer Pitch Panel.
10am 6pm Infotainment Conference (The W Hollywood Great Room 1 & 2 unless otherwise noted)
10:00am Produce & Distribute Films on any Budget Independent film financing and distribution of a film can be tricky. You can pitch a film project, but you must also be able to dance to music of the investor. It’s their stage, and they don’t like indie filmmakers looking for funding. Come find out how the availability of commercial distribution opportunities for films at any budget level is changing as the industry embraces an explosion of new and unconventional resources for financing, producing and distributing independent films.
11:15am Creating Content for the New Digital Hollywood This panel will explore the ever evolving development, distribution and marketing of content and show you how you can take advantage of new opportunities as digital content options are spreading across new platforms such as the web (Internet TV), phones and tablets, and audiences evolve how they watch content. New programming options created by YouTube, Google, Netflix, Amazon and Yahoo, to name just a few, have changed the strategy for producing content and the way it is monetized.
12:30pm Pitching Yourself & Your Project (followed by Speed Networking Session) You need to be prepared to talk about you and your project at any time or place. In this workshop, you’ll develop and sharpen your pitch, polish your presentation skills, and learn how to clearly convey your passion and the marketability of your film, TV or new media project. Then you’ll have an opportunity to use what you just learned while getting mentorship from top executives, producers and artists in the industry.
1:15pm The Creative Process This panel discussion will help filmmakers understand the creative process and how to tackle the daunting task of making a feature film. How do producers and industry gatekeepers decide to take on a project? How do you assemble the right team? How to polish a script? How do actors interpret the story? The questions can be endless for a new filmmaker. This panel serves to answer some of those questions with practical answers.
2:45pm Out of This World: Writing & Producing SciFi Project Stargazer Do you have an idea for a movie that is worlds away or light years ahead of its time? This panel will show you how to flesh out your futuristic hero, create detailed new worlds, weave your fiction from the laws of physics and the universe, and transcend the typical science fiction story to write a really special script. A good scifi movie relies on both a high concept idea and the emotions of a human story to make it enduring. Learn how to turn your idea into a working screenplay that crafts a visual narrative and tells a compelling story then bring it all together in post to create an epiclooking film that is visually stunning and keeps moviegoers on the edge of their seats. Explore the technologies, visual special effects and green screen techniques that increase the production value of your scifi film. This panel will feature writers, directors, designers, producers and distributors discussing the essential creative elements and business issues around getting scifi films off the ground.
4:15pm Making Money through the Film Distribution Pipeline This session will address the many ways filmmakers can make money with their films through the distribution pipeline.
5:30pm A Conversation w/Producer …
11am11pm Film Screenings (Montalban Theatre)
1:30 5:30pm Storyteller Finalists Workshop (closed door by invitation only)
(The W Hollywood, Great Room 3) 57pm HBFF Happy Hour (The W Hollywood Living Room) 7pm Storyteller Live Staged Reading (The W Hollywood Great Room 1 & 2) 10pm Evening Event (TBD)
Saturday, October 5, 2013
9am 7pm Registration (The W Hollywood)
10am 6pm Infotainment Conference (The W Hollywood Great Room 1 & 2 unless otherwise noted)
10:00am Distributing and Marketing Independent Films
11:15am Screenwriting Workshop Sponsored by Writers Bootcamp
12:30pm The Directors Chair Sponsored by Directors Guild of America This session will give us an inside view into the life of a director and their personal stories. What does a director do? How do you get into the directors chair? How do you become a member of the DGA?
1:45pm Becoming a Powerbroker and the Deals That Made Them! Some of Hollywood’s top legal minds, agents and managers will discuss a broad range of topics from how they became powerbrokers to how to get one of them on your team.
3:00pm Acting Out Directors discuss their films and careers, the industry, and the building blocks needed to successfully develop a directing career.
36pm Project Stargazer Pitch Panel (The W Hollywood Great Room 3) Watch the ten (10) Project Stargazer semifinalists compete for three (3) spots in HBFF’s Project Stargazer 2014 Lab as they pitch their scifi projects to a stellar panel of judges from the entertainment industry and scientific community. Get valuable tips from seasoned writers, producers, and executives as they provide insight and feedback to the Stargazer hopefuls on how to craft a captivating pitch, one that engages listeners so that they want to read the script.
4:00pm Masters Class: Producers Prospective All projects face the same basic challenges – from developing material, finding the money, building strong collaborative teams, and ultimately, taking the project from script to screen. This is a roundtable discussion with seasoned and successful film and television producers and production executives who share their experience and offer concrete advice on producing for film and television.
5:15pm A Conversation With …
7pm Twinkie Byrd’s Monologue Slam A panel of celebrity judges will participate in a lively Q&A discussion about all things acting career development, audition tips & techniques, and much more. Following the panel discussion, the 11 contest finalists will perform their monologue in front of a panel of celebrity judges and a live audience. The panel will also give each actor feedback on their performance.
11am 11pm Film Screenings (Montalban Theatre) 57pm HBFF Happy Hour (The W Hollywood Living Room) 10pm Evening Event (TBD)
Sunday, October 6, 2013
10am4pm Registration (The W Hollywood) 11am4pm Infotainment Conference (The W Hollywood Great Room)
11:00am A Conversation With …
2:00 pm Pitchathon
Sponsored by Mozzell Entertainment
The first half the Pitchathon features studio development executives, producers and distributors sharing their insights and tips on how to successfully pitch a completed film, finished script and/or ideas. In the second half you’ll have a chance to actually pitch your projects and get valuable feedback and creative input from industry pros who are “in the know.”
11am 11pm Film Screenings (Montalban Theatre) 6pm Closing Night Film & Filmmaker Awards (Montalban Theatre) 8:30pm Wrap Party(Montalban Theatre Atrium)
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