The Annapolis Film Festival, running for four days from March 26^th to 29^th, is presenting several panels of interest to filmmakers.

Friday Panels at the O’Callaghan Annapolis Hotel, 174 West Street

The Art of the Pitch

Friday, March 27, 10am-11am

“The Pitch” is one of the most and anxiety-inducing aspects of filmmaking.  Hear inside tips on how to sell an idea to the right people in a short period of time and how to put together elements that deliver a green light for your project. Understand the two-minute elevator pitch and perhaps be one of those who gets a chance to pitch the panel and receive a constructive critique of your effort.

Moderator:  Steve Burns – Producer, Commissioning Editor

Panel: Meghan O’Hara, director, In Country; Sylvia Bugg, Vice President, Diversity and Innovation, Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Jay Parikh, Vice President, Content Enterprises, Maryland Public Television; Mimi Edmunds, Producer and Professor of Broadcast Journalism, Emerson College

True Story to Screen

Friday, March 27, 11:30pm-12:30pm

Come behind the scenes of one of today’s most popular themes in film: the true story. Take a hard look at the realities of turning a true story into a narrative or documentary feature. For the narrative, what are the challenges of mixing fact and fiction? For the documentary, how hard is it to stay factual yet compelling; cinematic, but real? How do you manage the emotions and expectations of a film’s subject? 

Moderator: David D’Arcy – Producer, Writer, and Film Critic

Panel: Kurt Pitzer - Producer, Runoff; Neal Broffman - Director, Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi; Ambassador Shabazz - Producer, Diplomat; James Burns, film subject and co-producer, Jamesy Boy 

As The Web Turns: Movies and series that were created or distributed from the Internet Friday, March 27, 2pm-3pm

How do you successfully distribute your film on the web today and can you make money on it? Filmmakers and hobbyists alike discover working models championed by those who have done it. Explore and discuss new distribution platforms that defy the conventional distribution model of festival-to-theatrical-to-broadcast-to-VOD/website release. Learn how building your audience along the way and engaging them in the process can be your key to success. If you release your film on the web does it inhibit your chances for press and reviews, theatrical release, or festival inclusion?  Let the experts put you ahead of the game.

Moderator: Malaika Mose - IBM Software Developer and Writer, Beyond the Box Office

Panel: Jessica Tanenhaus - Director of Consulting Services, Mavenspire; Stephen Janson - Janson Media

Tech Talk: The Future of Digital Acquisition & Post Production in Film

Friday, March 27^th, 4pm-5pm

As the digital world of filmmaking evolves into high resolution and data capture at the 2K, 4K and even 8K levels, learn about the latest practices for technical planning, camera selections, prime lenses and storage needs, workflow planning, and budgets. Explore field storage solutions, how to capture best quality footage per your budget and how to choose between camera systems and lenses for documentary vs. cinematic films. Learn how to get over the finish line with your deliverables.

Moderator:  Emil Gallina, Voice Actor and Producer

Panel: Rob Henninger, Henninger Media Services; Megan Rodney, LensProToGo

The African-American Experience Showcase at Asbury United Methodist Church, 87 West Street

50 Years of Civil Rights in Film

Friday, March 27^th, 7 pm

It has been fifty years since Martin Luther King, Jr.’s groundbreaking Selma-to-Montgomery march.  This year the Annapolis Film Festival is hosting a Civil Rights panel to celebrate and commemorate the progress of the Civil Rights movement and how film has affected it and also been affected by it.  There will be a special preview screening of a yet-to-be-released PBS documentary JFK & LBJ A Time For Greatness.  The screening will be followed by an interactive conversation moderated by the Honorable Kurt Schmoke, former Mayor of Baltimore; featuring panelists Ambassador Shabazz, the eldest daughter of Malcolm X Shabazz and Dr. Betty Shabazz; and Chris Haley, Director for the Study of the Legacy of Slavery, Md. State Archives.

Saturday Panels at St. John’s Conversation Room, 60 College Avenue

Women Filmmakers of the 2015 Annapolis Film Festival

Film Fatales Present: Female Vision

Saturday, March 28, 10am-11:30am

Filmmakers always bring their own life experiences and perspective to a story, their own approach to working on set and in the edit suite. From camera angles to business collaboration, is there really such a thing as distinct "female vision"? And what could we gain by bringing more of it to today's cinematic landscape?

Moderator: Deborah Reinisch - Director, Sure Thing

Panel: Kimberly Levin - Director, Runoff; Meghan O’Hara - Director, In Country; Annette Porter - Producer, In An Ideal World; Lauren Shaw - Director, Angkor’s Children; Heather O’Neill - Producer, Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi; Courtney Baxter – Actor, Night Has Settled; Marlee Roberts, Actor, Night Has Settled.

Movie Critics: What Were They Thinking?

Saturday, March 28^th, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Movie critics have long been loved or hated for what they say about films. How do they judge art and how much is personal taste?  These well-known film critics take us through their process and then face off with the audience. Here’s a chance to play hardball with a few of the top dogs in the industry.

Moderator - TBA

Panel: Joe Neumaier - Chief Film Critic/Film Editor, New York Daily News, The Movie Minute on WOR 710-AM; David D’Arcy - Film Critic, Producer, Writer; Ann Hornaday, Chief Film Critic, The Washington Post (invited).

Environmental Showcase at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts (801 Chase Street)

Saturday, March 28th, 10 am

This year’s Environmental Showcase spotlights America’s coasts, where life on the edge of the rising sea has placed towns and cities on the front lines of climate change. Shored Up, directed by Ben Kalina, takes us to the heart of the climate change controversy where politics, economics, and science collide amid human efforts to literally beat back the sea. This feature documentary will be preceded by the short film Isle de Jean Charles and followed by a post-screening panel discussion in which leading environmental and scientific experts will address the critical issues of climate change and shoreline erosion. The panel will be moderated by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Executive Director, Al Todd. 

Sunday Panel at Rams Head On Stage, 33 West Street

Comedy Workshop: Up Close and Personal With Tom McCaffrey

Sunday, March 29^th, 1pm-2:30pm

Comedian/Filmmaker Tom McCaffrey will perform stand-up, answer questions about his “amazingly interesting” life and discuss his experience and the challenge of trying to bring funny to the screen. He will also discuss performing on the Oscars telecast at age ten.  Finally, Tom will share the stage with a few local improv actors. Look out Rams Head, AFF’s comedy workshop is in the house.

Annapolis Film Festival adult tickets are $12; senior and student tickets are $8. The four-day Festival Passes are $105 which include the Opening Night film, After Party, and Best of the Fest on Sunday, March 29^th.  Four-day student passes are $40.  All four-day passes include the Opening Night film, the After Party and unlimited films and panel discussions. One-day festival passes are available for $40.

Festival Passes can be purchased at www.annapolisfilmfestival.com.   There are a limited number of passes available, once sold out they are gone. Tickets and the full schedule are now  online at www.annapolisfilmfestival.com. Check the website for times and locations of all events.  Up-to-the-minute changes in schedule can be followed on the AFF Facebook Fanpage and Twitter.   For more information subscribe to our weekly e-blast by signing up on the website.