Fusion Film Festival

Celebrating women in TV, Film & New Media

2015

Competition Winners Reflect on the 2015 Fusion Film Festival

by Amanda Saiewitz, PR Head

This year’s Fusion Film Festival was jam-packed with amazing panels, incredible conversations with industry professionals, and impressive displays of student work. From our Woman of the Year Reed Morano and the Showrunner Superstars panel with Amy Sherman-Palladino and Janet Tamaro to the Student Showcase and Awards Ceremony, the three-day festival overflowed with inspiration. Fusion wouldn’t be a fraction of what it is without the support and enthusiasm of our fellow NYU students, so we asked some of the 2015 competition winners to share their Fusion experiences:

“Having been fortunate enough to participate in other festivals, we can’t express how exceptional Fusion is specifically, from the very beginning until the end. Between the thought-provoking discussions with industry leaders, to the final screening of bold and exciting work, Fusion is a festival that continues to break the mold and establish itself as a formidable celebration of great cinema. Writing our pilot [“Pass By Catastrophe”] was a tremendously enjoyable experience, and to have that experience recognized at a festival like Fusion, makes the process all the more richer. We have no doubt that our fellow honorees will continue to create works that truly say something; we can’t thank Fusion enough for including us among these artists.”

Joseph Gerbino and Erica A. Hart, Undergraduate Half-Hour Pilot

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“Having Adam’s Ail honored at Fusion was phenomenal, for many reasons. It was exciting for so many people to come together to celebrate the films, and it’s so gratifying to see something I put so much of myself into recognized and appreciated.

AdamsAil_screen03.jpgThere were a lot of nebulous emotions that went in to my film that I worked hard to communicate. It’s unreal to see all these talented people gather together through the festival and see them connect to what I made. It brings a life to the film that I never anticipated!”

Amelia Harvey, Animation Short

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“I attended workshops led by successful showrunners, networked with industry people and even won some cash for my One Hour Pilot, “The Doll House.” Who could ask for anything more? Well, I even got a meeting with an industry professional to discuss landing an agent. It was an awesome experience!”

Brigette ReDavid, Graduate Hour Pilot

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“As an emerging female filmmaker, I think it’s incredible that Fusion creates not only a platform for women to present their work, but a community where women support other women.

I’m proud that the majority of crewmembers on my web series were women. This is not because I am a woman, but because these ladies were extremely qualified for their jobs. There’s an overwhelming amount of talented, hard-working, and passionate women at NYU and in the industry.

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Fusion seeks out these individuals and aids greatly in getting their original, thought-provoking stories out to the public. I’m honored to be a part of an organization with such a noble mission.”

Emory Parker, Web Series (Pants Role)

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“Fusion not only celebrates great work by female writers and directors but also engenders it: after three years as a producer working with women on their documentary pitches, I decided to apply to the Docs-in-the-Works program with my own documentary. I had been thinking about following an exciting area of science for years – Hydrogen fuel cell technology – which will allow cars everywhere to run cleanly and will ween us off our dependence on foreign oil. The great thing about Fusion is that it not only supports women in the arts, but projects with social significance.

I filmed a week of this project – my first documentary, Oil and Water – and submitted it to the Fusion Film Festival. Working with the talented documentary professor and Fusion liaison, Nilita Vachani, I sculpted my trailer and did a live 20-minute pitch to execs at HBO, VICE, POV, Chicken & Egg and Impact Partners. This was more than just a pitch session: I could see palpable excitement in the audience for this subject matter and for the wonderful scientists behind it like Harry Gray. I am continuing to develop this project and film over the next 5 years as Dr. Gray and his fellow scientists attempt to bring this technology to the world.

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In addition to winning the documentary film pitch competition, I also had the fortune to win the half-hour comedy TV contest with my pilot “Dating by Numbers.” There’s nothing like deadlines to help finish a project! And participating in Fusion seemed like the perfect place to start shopping my script around. I’m so glad I did, and it’s been such a great experience to be part of this festival and have the support of other kick-ass women in this industry!”

Dagny Looper, Graduate Half-Hour Pilot and Docs-in-the-Works

The Original Gilmore Girl: Amy Sherman-Palladino

By AlHanouf Al Tamimi, PR Staff Writer

     The 2015 Fusion Film Festival is here and all I can think about is my excitement for my first Fusion Festival. We, as the Fusion family, can’t mask how thrilled we are about this year’s panels and events, but personally, I can’t wait to be in the same room as Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator (and executive producer) of Gilmore Girls tomorrow!

     This woman kept the lives of the many mother/daughter duos quite entertained and, in some ways, motivated us to have the qualities of both smart and driven Rory and spontaneous Lorelai. Growing up, Gilmore Girls was the show to watch for their famously unique mother/daughter relationship. Lorelai and Rory made each and every one of us want that same crazy mother in our lives (if we didn’t have one already!). If you’re fangirling right now, you probably know the ending of Gilmore Girls and how Amy Sherman-Palladino was not involved in the last season, leaving us all confused and somewhat upset about the ending. Had she been involved, many believed the final ending would have differed immensely and had more of a bang. In the end, though, I honestly believe that Gilmore Girls will remain on the list of classic TV series to binge watch for many women and men, too (can’t forget the male GG fans out there!).

     Sherman-Palladino is extraordinary when it comes to creating good television. Her talent in creating witty conversations, presenting diverse family dynamics, and writing hilarious comedy in Gilmore Girls captured the hearts of many viewers. The showrunner perceives her talent to be writing for great actors/actresses and it’s one of the defining attributes behind her success in both Bunheads and Gilmore Girls. She creates characters that truly leave a mark in the lives of many individuals, be it due to a personal connection to the characters or seeing the character as a friend after watching all 7 seasons. Her attention to detail in preparing lines for Lorelai, Rory, Paris, Michel, Sookie, Luke, Miss Patty, Mrs. Kim, Richard and Emily Gilmore and everyone else on Gilmore Girls proves her talent for breathing life into fictional characters.

     One very important piece of advice she’s put out into the world was via her interview with Refinery29:

     “It’s very simple. Women have to hire women. Women have to trust women. Women have to stop competing with women. This whole business is about competing. And women have made great strides, but there is still a boys’ club feeling of ‘we’re all on the same team’ that women don’t subscribe to, quite yet. And, I think it’s getting better, but it’s twofold: First, women need to sit around not talking about being women. If you have to be better than the men to get ahead, just be better. Work harder, get it, succeed, and then be in the position to do that for other people. Because that’s what men did.”

     This is a piece of advice we, as the Fusion team, look up to; celebrating women in film, television, and new media is our main priority. These are words of wisdom for any females out there trying to push themselves to become better, aspiring to be showrunners, and for those just trying to pave their way to becoming successful women in the field.

     Luckily, this inspirational writer-director-producer has gone on to pave the way for more shows after her hit series Gilmore Girls and created another entertaining TV series called Bunheads. If you don’t know it already, you should. She’s spoken about not wanting to create mediocre television and has proved herself to be nowhere near mediocre with list of successes. Sherman-Palladino went above and beyond with Gilmore Girls and is an inspiration to many women wanting to break into the film and television industry, so we are in no doubt ecstatic about her presence at the 2015 Fusion Film Festival.

     In honor of Amy Sherman Palladino (and my addiction to Gilmore Girls) here are some fun GIFs that sum up what Gilmore Girls has taught us fans and how it represents us all on a daily basis. And be sure to check out the Showrunner Superstars panel on Saturday February 28th at 2:30 p.m. in Tisch Theater 006!

1. Doesn’t Michel just exemplify how we feel every morning when we wake up?

2. I share your sentiments exactly Rory:

3. That feeling when you’re finally home after a long day at NYU:

4. When you want to lose weight and Kirk sums up your thoughts on the matter:

5. What I think about in the middle of class:

6. How I’m going to act if Amy Sherman-Palladino (or Reed Morano, or any of the fabulous ladies coming to speak to the audience at Fusion) looks my way:

7. When someone asks me about Gilmore Girls:

8. I feel Sookie on so many levels:

9. What the show taught me in a couple of GIFs:

Carpe Diem (Sieze the moment) thanks to Logan!

You will always need your mother no matter what (let’s not get too emotional, please).

No matter how different you are, you’ll most probably end up resembling your mother in many ways.

I’ve learned to come into terms with reality and just let it be.

Lastly, I’ve learned to find motivation within and not rely on others as much as someone like Paris (minus her life coach moments that is).

10. Finally, this is a conclusion to all of the above, as it represents how I felt when the show ended:

Reed Morano: A Celebration of Women Behind the Camera

by Daniella Duarte, Editorial Staff Writer

reed2This year, we are honoring cinematographer and director Reed Morano as our Woman of the Year for her astonishing body of work, as well as her induction into the legendary cinematographer’s guild, The American Society of Cinematographers. Reed is one of only 14 women of the approximately 350 active members in the organization, and is also youngest member to ever be admitted. Her work includes Little Birds, For Ellen, Kill Your Darlings, The Skeleton Twins, and her upcoming directorial debut, Meadowland, which she also shot.

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Among many of Reed’s accomplishments in film, she was honored with the 2011 Kodak Vision Award for cinematography at the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy awards, and in past years has been named one of Variety’s “10 Cinematographers to Watch,” one of Ioncinema.com’s “American New Wave 25,” and one of five innovative cinematographers in ICG Magazine’s “Generation Next” spotlight. In 2012, Reed’s work was featured in Indiewire’s “On the Rise ’12: 5 Cinematographers Lighting Up Screens in Recent Years” and was named an Indiewire “Heroine of Cinema” twice in 2 years. Some of Reed’s thoughts on the digital revolution and how it has affected filmmaking are featured in Keanu Reeves’ acclaimed documentary Side by Side. She also earned the honor to be featured in Kodak’s long-running OnFilm series.

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Still  from “Frozen River”
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Still from “For Ellen”

Equally impressive, Reed has become a mainstay of the Sundance Film Festival; Frozen River won the Grand Jury prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and went on to be nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Actress for Melissa Leo and Best Screenplay) and seven Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Picture. The film received critical acclaim with film critic Hiram Lee mentioning “The necessary attention has been paid to seemingly small but ultimately meaningful details, and the camera of Hunt and cinematographer Reed Morano lingers just long enough on the right things—a face, the interactions between two children—to allow us time to think about what’s playing out before our eyes.” Audiences in Park City have also seen the premieres of Little Birds, which competed at the 2011 festival, Shut Up and Play the Hits, a feature-length documentary about the band LCD Soundsystem that premiered at the 2012 festival, and For Ellen, which also debuted at the 2012 festival in the dramatic competition.

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Still from “The Skeleton Twins”

In 2014, audiences were treated to two more of her projects—the hugely successful The Skeleton Twins, a black comedy starring Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, directed by Craig Johnson and co-written by Mark Heyman (Black Swan), and War Story, a dark drama filmed in Sicily starring Catherine Keener and Sir Ben Kingsley, directed by Mark Jackson (Without). Both of these films premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014. Also released this year were the cult 35mm and 65mm dark drama Autumn Blood, shot in the Tyrolean Alps in Austria, starring Sophie Lowe and Peter Stormare, and Rob Reiner’s latest feature, And So It Goes, starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton (her second collaboration with Reiner). In January of 2014, HBO premiered the first season of its new original series, Looking, shot masterfully by Reed and directed by Andrew Haigh (Weekend).

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More recently, Reed began production on her first feature as both director and DP (not to mention editor); the dark drama Meadowland features a murderer’s row of talent from Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson to Giovanni Ribisi and Elisabeth Moss. Moreover, Reed is generously leading the charge on a movement to control motion interpolation AKA “the soap opera effect” on our HDTVs. Reed’s change.org petition is supported by 10,500 signatures and has gained significant momentum, attracting the attention of both the film and technology communities. The petition reflects her passion for the industry, and the value of her work and the work of other DPs.

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Fusion greatly admires Reed for her talent, tenacity, and forward-thinking mentality. In a male-dominated industry, she’s more than proven her mettle and integrity, asserting, “I do not want to be treated special or differently because I’m a woman and I’m a DP. That’s what I’ve fought so hard for my entire career. I can do my job just as well as the next guy.” Further proving her commitment to the art, she even filmed Little Birds while seven months pregnant!  Fusion also looks up to Reed because of her familiar origins – she graduated from NYU’s Kanbar Institute in 2000 and accredits much of her young enthusiasm for cinematography to Professors Michael Carmine, David Irving and Rick Litvin. Following graduation, Reed paid it forward as an adjunct cinematography professor, co-instructing the first Advanced Television classes that NYU offered.

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Currently, Reed lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and two children. Her reel can be found here. We thank Reed for her tremendous dedication to the art and for providing a hugely positive role model.

Congratulations to Fusion’s Woman of the Year, Reed Morano!