What’s Hollywood Missing?

Kelly Edwards, HBO VP of Talent Development, oversees all diversity programs above and below the line for series, films, Cinemax and miniseries.

Opening doors for more women to enter the film and media industry is one of the goals of Emerson College’s inaugural Women in Film & Media Summit, to be held Monday, November 9, at the Paramount Center.

The event, which is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, will bring together women working in behind-the-scenes roles in the film industry to share their experiences and discuss how more women can scale the barriers to entry.

The Summit was organized by filmmaker and Visual and Media Arts Professor and Associate Chair Cristina Kotz Cornejo. on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit Emerson College Film & Media Summit 2015 Summit 2015.

Schedule

All sessions will be held in the Bright Family Screening Room.

11:00 am–12:15 pm: Strategies for Change and Success, a panel featuring Mollye Asher, creative producer (Songs My Brothers Taught Me, Fort Tilden); Kelly Edwards, vice president of talent development at HBO; Beth Murphy, documentary director/producer (Beyond Belief, The List); Linda Reisman, Emerson College distinguished producer-in residence and creative producer (The Danish Girl, Affliction); moderated by Associate Professor Miranda Banks.

2:00–3:15 pm: The Creative Forces Behind the Camera, a panel featuring Lexi Alexander, director (Punisher: War Zone, Green Street Hooligans); Toni Barton, art director/production designer (Daredevil, Girls); Cybel Martin, cinematographer (Queen of Glory); Aurora Guerrero, writer/director (Mosquita y Mari, Los Valientes); moderated by Associate Professor and screenwriter Jean Stawarz.

4:30–6 pm: In collaboration with Berklee College of Music, a Roundtable Discussion with film/media composers Germaine Franco (Dope, Angry Birds Rio) and Jeanine Cowen (Lord of the Rings Online), who is also vice president for Academic Affairs-Curriculum and Program Innovation at Berklee College of Music, and sound designer Chanel Summers, an adjunct professor at USC School of Cinematic Arts. The discussion will be led by film/media composer Alison Plante, acting chair at Berklee.

The day will culminate with a special screening from 7:00 to 10:00 pm in the Bright Family Screening Room of the independent feature film Songs My Brother Taught Me, presented by producer Mollye Asher. Following the screening, writer and director Chloé Zhao will join a Q&A via Skype. Songs My Brothers Taught Me premiered this year at the Sundance Film Festival and was invited to screen at the prestigious Director's Fortnight at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Songs is a compelling and complex tale that explores the bond between a brother and his younger sister, who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home. It was produced by actor Forest Whitaker's company, Significant Productions. 

Director of photography Cybel Martin has shot documentaries for ESPN, National Geographic and HBO.

Sponsored by Department of Visual and Media Arts with Women in Motion, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, with support from the Office of the President.

The Women in Film Summit will be held Monday, November 9, 2015, 11:00 am to 10:00 pm at Emerson College’s Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.