Master Classes are in-depth, interactive learning experiences focused on craft and career building and led by renowned industry experts. Topics include fiction and documentary filmmaking, TV writing and production, and navigating and succeeding in the entertainment industry.


Looking to get a film financed? Learn how to navigate the landscape of funding and co-productions in this three-hour Master Class led by Caroline von Kuhn, Director of Industry and Catalyst, an Institute program that connects independent investors to filmmakers to partner on ambitious new films and to grow the community of indie-film supporters. Caroline leads an engaging conversation on understanding the diverse and sometimes daunting paths to funding your feature film with a producer, financier, lawyer and sales agent, each sharing their expertise on the current funding landscape and specific strategy and tactics that emerging filmmakers can employ to fund their next project.



Resources:

Download the list of resources from Caroline Von Kuhn, Giancarlo Nasi, Jennifer Dana, Ryan Zacarias and Sundance Collab



Topics Covered Include:


    00:00 - Welcome and Introduction from Sundance Collab

    06:11 - Introduction to the Landscape of Film Funding by Caroline von Kuhn

    10:34 - Understanding International Co-Productions with Giancarlo Nasi

    35:25 - The Difference Between Public and Private Funding

    50:32 - Q&A

    1:01 - Independent Financing in the United States with Ryan Zacharias and Jennifer Dana

    1:27 - How to Pitch Potential Financiers on a Project

    1:52 - Q&A

    2:03 - Working with Agents, Lawyers and Investors with Sophia Yen and Jessica Lacy

    2:18 - Approaching Investors at the Right Stage of Development

    2:42 - Q&A

    2:50 - Final thoughts

    2:55 - Closing Announcements


Past classes have included Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams on Documentary Storytelling, Finding Dory’s Victoria Strouse on Comedy Writing, Emmy-nominated director Lesli Linka Glatter on Blocking a Scene, The Walking Dead’s Glen Mazzara on TV Writing and more.

Panelist
Jessica Lacy is a partner and head of the international and independent film department at ICM Partners. She leads her department in structuring and arranging financing, packaging, and securing distribution for independent films. She has brokered distribution deals for many of the most acclaimed films of the Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, SXSW, Tribeca and the Toronto International Film Festival. more...
Panelist
Jennifer Dana serves as President and oversees the production of 3311's films. She began her career working in the New York theater industry after attending Yale. Prior to joining 3311, Dana Executive Produced "It Follows" and worked in the Packaging, Finance, and Distribution department at The Gersh Agency. She brings a clear understanding of film financing, packaging, production, and distribution to the company’s slate. Most recently, she has produced "The Assistant", and the upcoming "Summering". more...
Giancarlo Nasi
Panelist
Awarded with a scholarship from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and graduated with a B.A. in Political Sciences and a M.A. in Intellectual Property Law at Sciences Po Paris, France. He also attended the Film School, University of Sao Paulo in Brazil and obtained a Film and TV Production degree at the Catholic University of Chile and a Filmmaking degree at University of Chile.
Panelist
Recently named to Variety’s “2022 Legal Impact Report,” Sophia Yen provides business strategy and legal services to a wide range of stakeholders in the entertainment industry – from smaller production companies and high net worth individuals, to larger companies, financial institutions and studios, both domestically and abroad. She is known and sought out for her expertise in structuring equity and debt financing deals, which includes several documentaries and independent films which have premiered at Sundance, SXSW, Telluride, and Tribeca in recent years. more...

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