There will be two filmmaker panels this year. These panels are designed to actually deliver some useful, actionable info and not just be talking for panel participants’ talking sake. And the second panel will be done in a “town-hall” format which means if you come, then you are a part of it. 

Indie Film PR and Distribution: A Crash Course

WHEN: Saturday, March 16 at 9:00AM-10:15AM

LOCATION: Filmmaker Lounge

Moderator: John Wildman

Panelists: Don Lewis (Editor, Hammer to Nail, and Producer, WORST IN SHOW, THE VIOLENT KIND, HOLY GHOST PEOPLE), Collette Freedman (Writer/Producer, MILES UNDERWATER, AND THEN THERE WAS EVE, SISTER CITIES), Jennifer Webberley (Editor/Producer, MILES UNDERWATER, QUALITY PROBLEMS), Robin Hauser (Director, BIAS, TINO)

Get ready to take notes…. This panel will discuss and give filmmakers some concrete tips on how to create a financially savvy and realistic PR plan and approach for you and your film, as well as discuss the current landscape on the distribution front. Hear from some people that have gone through it, have had successes and faced challenges, yet came out on the other side.

Indie Filmmaking Today – Making movies, making a living, getting your movies seen (rinse and repeat)

WHEN: Sunday, March 17 at 10:30AM-11:45AM

Location: Filmmaker Lounge

Moderator: John Wildman

The attending SLO Film Fest filmmakers will take part in a roundtable discussion about what it means to make their films today. Topics will include; “How do filmmakers balance their day jobs to pay the rent and eat while making and finishing their films?”, “How are relationships kept healthy during that process from script to the first screening?”, “What is the point of doing the film festival circuit – and what criteria do you use to decide which ones to submit to?” , and in the current landscape, “What qualifies as success when it comes to making films now?”