Stories can transport and transform us. They allow us to know ourselves and others, and to find meaning in our lives and in our world. They cross borders, transcend culture, and allow us to frame our worlds through new lenses. To create rich stories takes courage and a willingness to do the deep work.
Join us for a discussion and Q&A session with a panel of brave storytellers including Sundance Creative Advisors Tyger Williams (writer, Menace II Society), Heather Rae (producer, Frozen River), and Rudy Valdez (doc filmmaker, The Sentence) to hear about their journeys, their techniques, and how they mine their own truths in creating the stories only they can tell. You will have the opportunity to ask your questions of our panelists (full panel to be announced soon). We hope you can join us!
Panelist
Heather Rae has produced such films as Academy Award–nominated FROZEN RIVER, Netflix originals TALLULAH AND DUDE, festival darling I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS, award-winning THE DRY LAND, and more recently, BULL, which premiered at Cannes. Rae has been recognized as one of Variety’s “Producers to Watch” and won the Piaget and Cinereach producers awards.
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Kimberly Peirce staked her place as a writer and director of singular vision and craft with her unflinching debut feature, BOYS DON'T CRY. She is a proud to be a Governor of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, head of the Diversity Committee, and Executive Board member of the Director's Guild of America, and a member of Time’s Up and the WGA.
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Los Angeles, CA, USA
Tyger Williams is a screenwriter best known for MENACE II SOCIETY, which debuted at the Cannes Film festival as part of the Director’s Fortnight selection and went on to win an MTV Best Movie of the Year award. His other credits include THE PERFECT GUY. Williams has written over thirty screenplays for film and television and has sold original screenplays, as well as written on assignment, for all the major movie and television studios.
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New York, NY, USA
Rudy Valdez is a Michigan-raised, Brooklyn-based filmmaker. He got his start as a camera operator on the Peabody Award-winning Sundance Channel series BRICK CITY, and has worked as a cinematographer for directors and producers such as Sebastian Junger, Whoopi Goldberg, Geeta Gandbhir, and Sam Pollard.
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Justin Chon has quickly established himself as one of the industry’s top artists. Before PACHINKO, he most recently wrote, directed and starred in his original feature BLUE BAYOU, which sold competitively to Focus Features and premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Chon plays the lead role opposite Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander. Mark O’Brien, Linh Dan Pham and Emory Cohen also star.
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