Film

As we are fully enmeshed in the digital era, short films have more platforms than ever. But is it art or content? And, does it matter?

With Mona Panchal (VP Digital, Topic Studios), Nikyatu (director, Suicide by Sunlight), Lotfy Natha (co-director, Days of Black and Yellow), Sean Weiner (Director of Creative Culture, Jacob Burns Film Center)

Exploring the power and necessity of the movie-going experience in the golden age of streaming services.

With Gina Duncan (Associate Vice President of Film, BAM), Lesli Klainberg (Executive Director, Film at Lincoln Center), Mike Maggiore (Programmer, Film Forum), Rajendra Roy (Chief Curator of Film, The Museum of Modern Art), Alison Kozberg (Managing Director, Art House Convergence)

Is film criticism a dying industry in the crowd-sourced era? Or do we need professional observers of cinema to help us understand the work, and our own feelings about them?

With Kameron Austin Collins (Film Critic, Vanity Fair), Monica Castillo (freelance film critic), Doreen St. Felix (Staff Writer, The New Yorker), Tayler Montague (freelance writer & film programmer), Elizabeth Mendez Bérry (Director of Voice, Creativity & Culture, The Nathan Cummings Foundation)

Real talk about budgets—and profit—and an insider's perspective on the role of creative producing today.

With Dani Tate Melia (producer, The Farewell), Beth Levinson (producer, 32 Pills: My Sister's Suicide), Michelle Byrd (Managing Director, PGA East)

Directors working with limited budgets face great challenges in production—but these boundaries can often lead to incredible and unique films. Hear from several outstanding BAMcinemaFest filmmakers about the inspiration and paths of making their own films, and the personal spin they impart.

With Debra Granik (director, Leave No Trace), Jessie Jeffrey Dunn Rovinelli (director, So Pretty), Diana Peralta (director, De Lo Mio), Hilary Brougher (director, South Mountain)