Producer’s Panel: Championing First Time Filmmakers

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Supporting first-time filmmakers is both a challenge and a rewarding experience for producers. This panel will feature seasoned producers who have successfully guided debut directors through the filmmaking process. They’ll share insights on how they identify promising talent, and navigate the obstacles of working with new filmmakers. The conversation will also cover the unique role of a producer in fostering a director’s creative vision while managing the practicalities of production.

More panelists to be announced!

ABOUT THE MODERATORS:

Constanza and Doménica Castro

Constanza and Doménica Castro are sister filmmakers from Mexico City and the founders of 271 Films, a film, television, and commercial production company based in Los Angeles. 271 Films is dedicated to telling stories that offer meaningful perspectives, connecting audiences to their humanity and emotional intelligence, with a particular focus on narratives from underrepresented communities.

In collaboration with Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions, they executive producer and co-lead the Indeed Rising Voices initiative, which invests in and mentors the next generation of BIPOC directors. The forty films created across Seasons 1 through 4 premiered at the Tribeca Festival, with Season 1 streaming on Amazon Prime, while Seasons 2, 3, and 4 were theatrically released.

In addition to their film work, they have produced branded content for top-tier clients including Gillette, Instagram, Indeed, Facebook, T-Mobile, Under Armour, and New Balance. Drawing inspiration from their experiences as ambicultural women, Constanza and Doménica are committed to pushing boundaries, provoking thought, inspiring, and entertaining global audiences through 271 Films. The sisters are currently developing a slate of film and TV projects, some of which they are writing and directing themselves.

PANELISTS INCLUDE:

Ana Leocha

Ana Leocha is an independent producer and was an executive at Tango for the last 5 years where she championed AFTERSUN, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS, RESURRECTION, HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS, HIS THREE DAUGHTERS, and DREAMS IN NIGHTMARES. Currently, Ana is consulting for Tango and producing works across film and television.  She is passionate about emerging filmmakers and new voices.

Sarah Cornelius

Sarah J. Cornelius is a Producer in Los Angeles. Her mission is to produce film and TV that “buzz” in the marketplace and align with the cultural conversation. Her creative choices are influenced by her desire to empower women and marginalized communities, acknowledge good men, and remind people that humor and beauty are often found in the most unexpected places. Sarah recognizes the challenges film distributors face, and aims to provide solutions that are marketable, bankable, and relevant. In her 9+years as Creative Executive and Producer at Whitewater Films(the production company owned by Oscar and Emmy-nominated Director and Producer Rick Rosenthal), Sarah has worked on such films as THE BOY BEHIND THE DOOR, which released on AMC-owned horror streamer Shudder, SMALL ENGINE REPAIR starring Jon Bernthal and Shea Whigham, STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN starring Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz, and more. Sarah graduated magna cum laude from Illinois Wesleyan University. She grew up as the youngest sibling in a multiracial family in Wisconsin, and she entered the industry by way of acting.

Adrienne Childress

Adrienne Childress, a Chicago native, is a producer and writer based in Los Angeles. Her credits span documentary, commercial, music videos, and short and long-form narrative content. Most recently, Adrienne produced the film MY DIVORCE PARTY, starring Rumer Willis as well as post-produced the PBS documentary series A TOWN CALLED VICTORIA.  In 2022 she produced THE HATER starring Bruce Dern and Meredith Hagner alongside Pulse Films. In 2019, Adrienne’s project GIRL CALLIN’, a proof of concept she wrote and produced, was accepted as a part of Refinery 29’s Shatterbox Anthology Series and premiered at Palm Springs in 2020. From 2015 – 2019 Adrienne managed and oversaw production for the Directing Workshop for Women at the American Film Institute. This ignited her focus to specifically work with directors and creatives who have not been able to have their voices heard in the industry.

Kyle Stroud

Kyle Stroud is the founder of Carte Blanche, a production company that shapes and develops scripts, coupling them with fantastic cast and creatives. Stroud’s first film he produced was the post-war boxing picture IN FULL BLOOM. A few of his recent credits include Brady Corbet’s Venice-winning THE BRUTALIST, the Sundance-winning IN THE SUMMERS, ROVING WOMAN executive produced by Wim Wenders, the Afrofuturist Rwandan musical NEPTUNE FROST, the Oscar-nominated KNIGHT OF FORTUNE, and the oil-painted animated film THE PEASANTS which was Poland’s official submission to the 2024 Oscars. Kyle frequently shepherds emerging filmmakers debut projects, most recently Alex Burunova’s SATISFACTION, which shot in Greece and stars Emma Laird, Fionn Whitehead, and Zar Amir; Francis Galluppi’s THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY starring Jim Cummings, and Fridtjof Ryder’s INLAND, a folk horror shot in rural England and starring Mark Rylance. When not working with bold new voices and first-time filmmakers, his focus is on collaborating with iconic auteurs such as Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, and Peter Greenaway. Kyle is currently working with Mona Fastvold and alongside John Sayles.