Writers Celebration

Running time: 300 mins

Friday, March 9th - 10am to 5pm at the San Jose Repertory Theatre

You've found a voice that's all your own and honed your script into something sleek and sharp and vibrant. But now what? To live beyond the drawer, it's got to breathe, take wing, and fly.

To get that needed loft, or if you're just a buff and curious about the process, there's no better place than the CQFF22 Writers Celebration Day. Experience, successful professionals stir the pot and share their stories on how best to turn those hard-wrought pages into living, breathing cinema. What's more, it's a festive occasion where you can ditch the writer's usual solitude and celebrate your craft in a collective, supportive setting.

PART 1 - How to Pitch Your Screenplay - 10:00am-11:30am
Here's where Cinequest helps aspiring screenwriters take the first steps to launch their careers. Spartan Films producer Barnaby Dallas, and screenwriter James Dalessandro (1906) will tag-team present a lively, interactive workshop on how to effectively present screenplays to industry professionals.

Dallas and Dalessandro will share the stage with the top 10 screenwriters of Cinequest's Screenwriting Competition, allowing each to pitch their script to a live audience.

The event will also select members from the audience who will have a rare and exciting opportunity to pitch their scripts to Dallas and Dalessandro, who, along with the audience, will offer comments, tips, and advice.

PART 2 - Business of Writing Panel - 1:00pm-2:30pm
It's that age-old clash of art and commerce, but to get your work produced you have to navigate the often turbulent seas of the business of film. Join leading industry experts for our Business of Writing Panel and what will surely be an interesting, informative, and entertaining Q&A session, moderated by James Dalessandro.

Panelists include:

Peter Trinh - Mr. Trinh is a Motion Picture Agent at International Creative Management (ICM), one of the worlds largest talent and literary agencies.He worked his way up from the mailroom as an Agent Trainee, and today, he works in ICMs International and Independent Film division helping to package creative and financial elements to films as well as negotiating the distribution deals for independent films. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Physiological Sciences from the University of California - Los Angeles.

Jonathan Dana - Jonathan Dana has been a motion picture producer, director, distributor, and consultant since 1971, and is widely considered to be a pioneer in the independent film business. He has served as Director of Acquisitions and Development at The Samuel Goldwyn Company, President of Motion Pictures and Television at the Atlantic Entertainment Group, and President and CEO of specialized distribution company Triton Pictures. His credits include multiple prize-winning films at both Sundance and Cannes. Mr. Dana has been associated with such dramatic films as "The Spitfire Grill," "Stormy Monday," " Patty Hearst," "Palmetto," "A World Apart," "Mindwalk," "Extremities," "American Heart," "Wish You Were Here, and "Noel"; comedies including "Valley Girl","Teen Wolf," "Night of the Comet," "Drowning Mona, and Scorched; foreign language films "Toto the Hero", "The Hairdresser's Husband," and "Soldier of Orange"; and feature documentaries including "A Brief History of Time," "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse," Oscar nominee "Colors Straight Up", Grammy winner Standing in the Shadows of Motown, and his own directorial debut "Sandstone" (1975), recently profiled on The History Channel." Mr. Dana's activities as producer's representative include Tom Dowd and the Language of Music," cult classic "What the Bleep Do We Know?," Monte Hellman's Venice launched film noir, "Road to Nowhere", Spirit Award nominee "We Were Here", and 2012 Sundance Audience Award winner, Kirby Dick's "The Invisible War." Mr. Dana's recent producing and exec producing activities include Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine's "Ballets Russes," John Dahl's "You Kill Me", "Golf in the Kingdom", and CODE Entertainment's "Kill the Irishman", recently named as one the 100 Best Gangster Films of All Time. Mr. Dana was an initial investor and supervised the launch of the online indie film community Withoutabox.com, now an operating division of Amazon.com's IMDB. Mr. Dana is a graduate of Dartmouth College and holds both an MBA and a PhD from Stanford Business School. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and resides in Los Angeles.

Sami Alexander - Sam Alexander is the Director of Development for Mark Wolper at The Wolper Organization. The Wolper Organization has a 30 year history on the Warner Bros. lot, with 2 reality series currently in production. Wolper has 3 reality pilots, 2 MOWs (one each for Hallmark and Lifetime), a feature scheduled to shoot in 2013 and a mini-series for NBC Universal in active development. He previously consulted in Organizational Engineering and Development with his company Alexander and Associates.

PART 3 - Philip Kaufman - Maverick Spirit Award Event - 3:00pm-5:00pm
The final act of the evening focuses on the requisite passion that creates all art, particularly cinematic art. All Cinequest Writer Celebration attendees will convene to witness the awarding of the CQFF22 Maverick Spirit Award to Philip Kaufman. This honor reflects the essence of the Cinequest spirit and recognizes and celebrates a Maverick who, with purpose and passion, has influenced the world of screenwriting in a unique, positive, and daring fashion. Click here for more information on Philip Kaufman.

Sponsor:

Cinequest Film Festival 22