Women In Film (WIF), the leading non-profit organization dedicated to women in the global entertainment industry, celebrates ten years of partnership with the Sundance Institute, and will present its eighth annual filmmakers’ panel discussion at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.  This year’s panel subject is “Truth Be Told,” and will explore how filmmakers find truth in their work and how they choose to share it with an audience.  Featured panelists will include Effie T. Brown(Producer, Dear White People), Lori Cheatle (Producer, HBO’s Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart),  Rory Kennedy (Director/Producer, Last Days in Vietnam), Hilla Medalia (Co-Director/Producer, Web Junkie), Tracy Droz Tragos (Co-Director, Producer, Rich Hill), Valerie Veatch (Director/Producer/Editor, Love Child, an HBO Documentary Film), while Producer, Lucy Webb will introduce the panel and moderate the discussion,.

Women In Film 8^th Annual Sundance Filmmakers Panel, taking place on Sunday, January 19^th at 350 Main Bistro in Park City.    

WHO:               Effie T. Brown              – Producer, Dear White People

Lori Cheatle                 – Producer, HBO’s Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart

Rory Kennedy              – Director/Producer, Last Days in Vietnam

Hilla Medalia               – Co-Director/Producer, Web Junkie

Tracy Droz Tragos        – Co-Director, Producer, Rich Hill

Valerie Veatch              – Director/Producer/Editor, Love Child, an HBO Documentary Film

WHAT:                  Women In Film (WIF), the leading non-profit organization dedicated to women in the global entertainment industry, celebrates ten years of partnership with the Sundance Institute, and will present its eighth annual filmmakers’ panel discussion at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.  Featuring select female filmmakers with both narrative and documentary films at the festival, this year’s panel subject is “Truth Be Told,” and will explore how filmmakers find truth in their work and how they choose to share it with an audience.  Producer Lucy Webb will introduce the panel and moderate the discussion.

“It’s astounding that a small idea of a panel eight years ago blossomed into a true call to arms for all women in filmmaking,” said Webb. “We seem to be on the edge of a new movement, and it’s very exciting.”

                                At the event, WIF will also present two grants worth $30,000 in a combination of cash and in-kind donations from returning supporters KODAK, Technicolor, Entertainment Partners, Women In Film and Women In Film/CalmDown Productions, INC. to recipients chosen by respective juries.  

Supporters for the 2014 Women In Film Sundance Filmmakers Panel are Presenting Sponsor Skywalker Sound and Contributing Sponsors Max Mara, LUNA®, HBO, Kodak, Technicolor and Entertainment Partners. For more information visit www.wif.org   and www.wif.org/sundance

WHEN:             Sunday, January 19, 2013

                        12:00 p.m. - Arrivals, Light Brunch, Interviews, networking

                        12:50 p.m. - Grant Presentation and thank you from filmmakers

                        1:00 p.m. - Panel Discussion Begins

2:00 p.m. - Event Ends

WHERE:           350 Main Bistro

                        350 Main St., Park City, UT

CONTACT:        Joanna Cichocki / PMK·BNC                 

Office: 310-854-4773                            

Cell: 630-803-3035                                

Joanna.Cichocki@pmkbnc.com

MORE:             About the Panelists:

EFFIE T. BROWN

Los Angeles based producer Effie T. Brown and her company Duly Noted Inc. were the force behind such critically acclaimed HBO Films as Stranger Inside (directed by Cheryl Dunne, 2001, World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival), Real Women Have Curves (directed by Patricia Cardosa, 2002, winner of Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award and Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Performance), and Everyday People (2004, Jim McKay). During the summer of 2013, Effie Brown under her company Duly Noted Inc., produced her latest feature film titled Dear White People, which will make its World Premiere in Dramatic Competition at the 2014 Sundance Film festival.

LORI CHEATLE

Lori Cheatle founded Hard Working Movies to produce director driven features that tell great stories and appeal to wide audiences.  Among her many credits as a producer are The Kids Grow Up (HBO), the internationally acclaimed The Edge Of Dreaming, and 51 Birch Street (HBO) which won several awards and was on a number of Best of the year lists, including The New York Times “10 Best Films of the Year,” and the National Board of Review.

RORY KENNEDY

Rory Kennedy is an Emmy Award–winning independent documentary filmmaker as well as cofounder and president of Moxie Firecracker Films. Her films cover an array of issues, ranging from poverty to politics to human rights. Her work has been televised on HBO, A&E, MTV, Lifetime, and PBS. Her most recent film, Ethel, premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards. 

                        HILLA MEDALIA

Peabody Award–winning filmmaker Hilla Medalia has received three Emmy Award nominations. Her most recent film, Dancing in Jaffa, is participating in Sundance Institute's Film Forward and will debut in 2014. Previous films include To Die in Jerusalem (2007), After the Storm (2009), Happy You’re Alive (2010), and Numbered (2012). Medalia holds an MA from Southern Illinois University and is cofounder of kNow Productions. 

                        TRACY DROZ TRAGOS

Tracy Droz Tragos won an Emmy Award for her first documentary, Be Good, Smile Pretty, which aired on PBS’s Independent Lens and is a film about her journey to know her father, who was killed in Vietnam. With Rich Hill, Droz Tragos returns to her father’s hometown to explore familiar themes by following the lives of three local boys who yearn to find solace in their scattered families and belonging in their impoverished community.

                        VALERIE VEATCH

Valerie Veatch is a director, editor, and producer. Veatch is known as a visionary filmmaker with a sharp eye for the Zeitgeist and a strong sense of storytelling. She made her directorial debut at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival with ME @ THE ZOO, which subsequently screened to acclaim on HBO. Her highly anticipated second feature documentary, Love Child, chronicles the first tried case of Internet addiction in a world where virtual is the new reality.

ABOUT:            About Women In Film:

Women In Film (WIF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women achieve their highest potential within the global entertainment, communication and media industries. WIF’s fundamental belief is that entertainment created by and for women should represent 50% of all content worldwide, in sync with the voice of the population itself.  WIF’s mandate is to ensure gender parity for women in management positions as well as in front of and behind the camera, and to preserve the legacies of all women within the media industries.  Founded in 1973, WIF and its Women In Film Foundation provide for members camaraderie, networking opportunities, educational programs, scholarships, grants, film finishing funds, access to employment opportunities and mentorships, as well as enabling members who exhibit advanced and innovative skills numerous practical services, as well as participation in the organization’s film and television shadowing programs and its award-winning PSA program.

In 2012, WIF and The Sundance Institute partnered in a Women Filmmakers Initiative and through various educational and mentorship programs continue to make great strides in increasing opportunities for emerging female artists. For more information visit www.wif.org   and www.wif.org/sundance

About Skywalker Sound:

Skywalker Sound, a division of Lucasfilm Ltd, is one of the largest, most versatile full-service audio post-production companies in the industry. Skywalker Sound offers comprehensive post-production services and utilizes the talents of Academy Award®-winning sound professionals working on sound design, editorial, Foley and re-recording mixes as a team. This provides filmmakers the most efficient model available for the audio post-production process. More information is available at www.skysound.com.

Lucasfilm Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Skywalker Sound, the Skywalker Sound logo, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks in the United States and/or in other countries of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © 2013 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

About Max Mara:

Max Mara, the premiere collection of the Max Mara Fashion Group, is the epitome of Italian style and luxury; a confident and contemporary collection of tailored silhouettes, sumptuous fabrications and couture details applied to ready-to-wear.  Known for stylish coats, form-skimming separates, sharp suits and elegant accessories, Max Mara, was founded by the late visionary Achille Maramotti in 1951. The collection is now available in more than 2,300 locations in 105 countries and was the first of 19 collections under the Max Mara umbrella. The company remains privately held and managed by the Maramotti family.

About LUNA®:

LUNA®, nourishes women with delicious snacks made from organic ingredients and with the Core 4™ vitamins and minerals essential to women’s health-calcium, iron, folic acid and vitamin D. LUNA connects, supports and celebrates women with programs such as LUNAFEST®, a national traveling fundraising festival of short films by, for, and about women, and Team LUNA® Chix, an all-women’s sport group inspiring women to learn new sports and be active. LUNA proudly donates one percent of its net sales to a variety of women’s nonprofits and the Breast Cancer Fund through the Clif Bar Family Foundation. (www.lunabar.com)

About HBO:

Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. and the world’s most successful pay TV service, providing the two television services – HBO® and Cinemax® – to approximately 114 million subscribers worldwide.  The services offer the most popular subscription video-on-demand products, HBO On Demand® and Cinemax On Demand® as well as HBO GO®and MAX GO®, HD feeds and multiplex channels.  Internationally, HBO branded television networks, along with the subscription video-on-demand products HBO On Demand and HBO GO, bring HBO services to over 70 countries.  HBO and Cinemax programming is sold into over 150 countries worldwide.                  

About Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Business:

Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging business is the world leader in providing motion picture film and imaging products, services, and technology for the professional motion picture and exhibition industries. For more information, visit www.kodak.com/go/motion. Follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/KodakMotionPictureFilm), Twitter (@Kodak_ShootFilm), and YouTube (youtube.com/KodakShootFilm).

About Technicolor:

Technicolor, a worldwide technology leader in the media and entertainment sector, is at the forefront of digital innovation. Our world class research and innovation laboratories enable us to lead the market in delivering advanced video services to content creators and distributors. We also benefit from an extensive intellectual property portfolio focused on imaging and sound technologies, based on a thriving licensing business. Our commitment: supporting the delivery of exciting new experiences for consumers in theaters, homes and on-the-go. www.technicolor.com

About Entertainment Partners:

Entertainment Partners is the global leader in entertainment payroll, residuals, tax incentives, finance, and other integrated production management solutions with 17 offices in the U.S., Canada, London, and Tokyo. Combining its comprehensive capabilities, extensive resources, and unparalleled industry experience, EP collaborates with clients to help them produce the most cost-effective and efficient film, television, digital, and commercial projects. Its proprietary VISTA accounting systems and Movie Magic Budgeting and Scheduling programs are the industry standards. The company also provides casting and payroll for background actors through its legendary Central Casting division, a Hollywood icon since 1925. Established more than 30 years ago, EP is a 100% employee-owned company where each employee has a vested interest in upholding the company’s highest standards of service, integrity, transparency, and accountability.

About CalmDown Productions:

Calm Down Productions, Inc. (CDP) is a Los Angeles-based production company founded in 1991 by actress/producer Lucy Webb. The company produces television, film and theater.  CDP has also produced and developed projects for HBO, Warner Bros., CBS, NBC, Lifetime and FX.  Webb has been an avid supporter of Sundance and Women In Film, Los Angeles, and has produced many of their past Crystal+Lucy Awards galas and events. Past recipients of the Women In Film / CalmDown Productions Grant are Jordana Spiro for Skin (2013), Anna Musso for L Train (2012) and Deb Shoval for AWOL (2011).