Driving Box Office Success with Joseph Kosinski (F1: THE MOVIE)
About this Spotlight
Spotlights feature conversations with high-profile film and television industry professionals who share helpful advice and insights on their career experiences and creative processes.
In this special conversation you’ll hear from Joseph Kosinski, director of hit films such as Tron: Legacy and Top Gun: Maverick. Kosinski possesses the rare gift of integrating thrilling action with nuanced character development, resulting in stories that are as emotionally resonant as they are dynamic. 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick was not only one of the most successful films of the decade, helping bring back the joy of seeing films with an audience, it was also nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
His latest film, F1: The Movie, which he directed and produced, quickly became the highest grossing sports film of all time. It gave fans of Formula 1 a gripping narrative that included real race footage from all over the world and lead actors doing their own hairpin driving. The film’s charismatic performances and enjoyable relationships expanded its audience far beyond fans of the sport, cementing Kosinski as a master of the theatrical experience.
In this hour-long conversation for filmmakers of all levels, you’ll hear about producing and directing some of Hollywood’s biggest films. Kosinski discusses crafting memorable heroes, bringing his unique take to existing IP, and directing thrilling action sequences.
SpotlightTeam
Joseph Kosinski
Joseph Kosinski is a director whose uncompromising style has quickly made a mark in the filmmaking zeitgeist. His five theatrical releases have grossed over $2.8 billion and been nominated for 7 Academy Awards and 2 Grammys. His film debut, TRON: LEGACY, earned $400 million and was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Editing and a Grammy for the score by Daft Punk. For his sophomore feature Kosinski created the original science-fiction thriller OBLIVION starring Tom Cruise which grossed $288 million. Kosinski's third feature was the critically acclaimed ONLY THE BRAVE starring Josh Brolin, Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly. Kosinski reunited with Cruise for TOP GUN: MAVERICK. The film grossed $1.5 billion, won the National Board of Review for Best Film, and was nominated for 6 Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and Best Director by the DGA. Kosinski recently directed and produced F1: THE MOVIE. The film stars Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon and Javier Bardem and has earned over $628 million making it the highest grossing sports film of all time. Kosinski received his degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford and a Masters in Architecture from Columbia.
Erica Elson
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer
Erica Elson is a Producer, Writer and Educator based in the mountains outside Los Angeles. Her short film, WING NIGHT, premiered at Method Fest in Los Angeles. She is the co-author of the book THE AWKWARD HUMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE and co-hosted a podcast by the same name on the 5by5 network for five years. Elson's articles have been published by HuffPost, Lifehacker, and Reader's Digest. Prior to working in education, she worked in television development and writers’ rooms such as VH1’s HINDSIGHT, where she had the chance to write for the spinoff web series PLANET SEBASTIAN.
Elson joined the Sundance Collab team in October 2021 and produces courses, Master Classes, and events in the areas of screenwriting, television writing, directing, producing, and documentary filmmaking. She has moderated conversations with Sofia Coppola, Richard Linklater, Alexander Payne, and Susannah Grant, among others.
Prior to Sundance, Elson was the Thesis Production Supervisor at the American Film Institute for five years. She oversaw several award-winning graduate thesis films, notably the 2021 BAFTA student film winner APART, TOGETHER and the 2023 Sundance Film Festival short WE WERE MEANT TO. While at AFI, Elson developed a passion for sustainable production and created the Green Film School Alliance, which includes forty schools on four continents. She holds a BA in Communication and Film Studies from Concordia University and an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute.