Emerson College Presents an
Inaugural Women in Film & Media Summit

-A gathering and celebration of women working behind the scenes in film and media including directing, writing, producing-

BOSTON, MA (October 14, 2015)-On Monday, November 9, the first Emerson College Women in Film & Media Summit, organized by filmmaker and Visual and Media Arts Professor and Associate Chair Cristina Kotz Cornejo, will bring together women working in behind-the-scenes roles in the film industry to share their experiences and discuss how a new generation of film and media makers can effect change and open doors for more women. The all-day event, including discussions, networking, and a screening, is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. It takes place at the Paramount Center (559 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.). For more information, visit Emerson.edu

Here is a mention in the Globe: Bostonglobe.com

Schedule:

11:00 am-12:15pm (Bright Family Screening Room): Strategies for Change and Success, a panel featuring Mollye Asher, creative producer (Songs My Brothers Taught Me, Fort Tilden); Kelly Edwards, vice president of talent development at HBO; Beth Murphy, documentary director/producer (Beyond Belief, The List); Linda Reisman, distinguished producer-in residence and creative producer (The Danish Girl, Affliction); moderated by Associate Professor Miranda Banks, PhD.

2:00-3:15pm (Bright Family Screening Room): The Creative Forces Behind the Camera, a panel featuring Lexi Alexander, director (Punisher: War Zone, Green Street Hooligans); Toni Barton, art director/production designer (Daredevil, Girls); Cybel Martin, cinematographer (Queen of Glory); Aurora Guerrero, writer/director (Mosquita y Mari, Los Valientes); moderated by Associate Professor and screenwriter Jean Stawarz.

4:30-5:45pm (Bright Family Screen Room): In collaboration with Berklee College of Music, a roundtable discussion with film/media composers Germaine Franco (Dope, Angry Birds Rio) and Jeanine Cowen (Lord of the Rings Online), who's also vice president for Academic Affairs-Curriculum and Program Innovation at Berklee College of Music, and sound designer Chanel Summers, an adjunct professor at USC School of Cinematic Arts. The discussion will be led by film/media composer Alison Plante, acting chair at Berklee College of Music.

The day will culminate with a special screening from 7:00 to 10:00 pm in the Bright Family Screening Room of the independent feature film Songs My Brother Taught Me, presented by producer Mollye Asher.

Following the screening, writer and director Chloe Zhao will join a Q&A via Skype.

Songs My Brothers Taught Me premiered this year at the Sundance Film Festival and was invited to screen at the prestigious Director's Fortnight at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The film is currently in the middle of its festival run and is set on the Great Plains and the Badlands of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Songs My Brothers Taught Me is a compelling and complex tale that explores the bond between a brother and his younger sister, who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home. It was produced by actor Forest Whitaker's company, Significant Productions.

Watch the trailer for Songs My Brothers Taught Me, screening in the evening: https://vimeo.com/126307584

Sponsored by Department of Visual and Media Arts with co-cWomen in Motion, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, with support from the Office of the President

For more information please contact:
Cristina Kotz Cornejo
(617) 824-8816