Challenges for First Time Directors with Christina Choe (NANCY) and more

Christina Choe's debut feature Nancy premiered at Sundance in the 2018 US Dramatic Competition, where it won the Waldo Salt Best Screenplay Award. The film stars Andrea Riseborough, Steve Buscemi, Ann Dowd, John Leguizamo, J. Smith-Cameron and was produced in partnership with EON Productions' Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.

Nancy was nominated for 2 Independent Spirit Awards and named one of the "Best films of 2018" by Indiewire, The Village Voice and the A/V Club, with Choe also being named one of Indiewire's "20 Rising Female Directors."

In 2017, Choe's docu-series Welcome to the DPRK, a personal portrait of North Korea, was acquired by First Look Media/Topic Studios and is currently streaming online.

Choe is currently developing her next feature film, an original TV series, and most recently directed episodes of Hulu’s The Act, and Jordan Peele’s reboot of The Twilight Zone.  

Jeremiah Zagar grew up in South Philly spending most afternoons in a dark movie theater or wandering the aisles of his local TLA video store. In 2008 he completed his first documentary, In a Dream, which screened theatrically across the US and in film festivals around the world. It was broadcast on HBO, shortlisted for an Academy Award and received two Emmy nominations, including "Best Documentary."

His next feature-length documentary, Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart, premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO to much fanfare in 2014. His latest film, the feature-length narrative We the Animals, premiered at Sundance in 2018 and took home the NEXT Innovator Award, and was nominated for 5 Independent Spirit Awards.

Chosen Interviews:

• Criterion Top 10 Lists
• Independent Magazine

Creative Resources:

• Photographers Eugene Richards, Mary Ellen Mark, Brenda Ann Kenneally, Tim Hetherington, Mike Kamber - when I need some inspiration, I'll often go leaf through their books.
• I love this book store - McNally Jackson. Some days I'll just sit and leaf through books on the recommend table there - I just finished The Book of Emma Reyes which I loved (recommended to me by the brilliant Justin Torres).
• I watch movies as often as I can (I have a 4-year old so that   can make it tough). Recently, I've been really into Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa, Christian Petzold's Transit, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's Never Look Away, and I loved Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert's American Factory. 
• I also recommend if you're ever in NYC just going to Coney Island and hanging out all day - nothing better for creativity than that.

Silas Howard is an award-winning writer/director focused on telling honest, boundary-shattering stories featuring groundbreaking characters. After his first feature film, By Hook or By Crook (2002 Sundance Film Festival), won several awards at world film festivals, Howard began directing documentaries, music videos, and television. His recent television credits include Transparent, The Fosters, This Is Us, and Faking It. His latest feature film A Kid Like Jake premiered at Sundance this year to widespread praise and will be distributed by IFC. Howard received a 2015 Guggenheim Fellowship and will co–executive produce and direct on FX’s upcoming Pose. 

Reinaldo Marcus Green is a writer, director, and producer. His first feature, MONSTERS AND MEN had its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The film received a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding First Feature. Reinaldo directed the first three episodes of the NETFLIX series, TOP BOY executive produced by Drake and SpringHill Entertainment. He has since completed his sophomore feature JOE BELL, starring Mark Wahlberg which premiered at TIFF 2020 and will be distributed this summer by Amazon and Roadside Attractions. Reinaldo is currently in post-production for the Warner Brothers film KING RICHARD starring Will Smith. He will direct the upcoming HBO Limited Series WE OWN THIS CITY, written and executive produced by David Simon and George Pelecanos. Following, he's attached to write and direct the upcoming Bob Marley biopic at Paramount.