Open to selected applicants only

The Emerging Filmmakers Lab will open an unprecedented space for up-and-coming filmmakers working in the historical mode to connect directly with historians, as well as other experts in the field such as funders, programmers, commissioning editors and veteran filmmakers, to explore issues related to the telling of history on screen, to advance their work, and to seed new forms of inspiration and collaboration.

This one-day convening, which will take place within the context of the larger three-day History Film Forum, will bring together emerging filmmakers with a track record for, or future interest in working in the historical mode.  They will represent a diverse cross-section of the field, both in terms of racial, cultural, geographical and economic dimensions, and in terms of the kinds of films they are making (documentary, narrative, even animation and virtual reality will be considered).

The lab components will include a keynote, panel discussions, and smaller break-out sessions that provide hands-on training and the direct exchange of ideas and best practices.  From start to finish, the lab will be punctuated by ample opportunities for networking and forging new connections between the attendees and the veteran industry professionals who serve as mentors.

Emerging Filmmakers Lab – NMAH/NEH History Film Forum
Saturday, March 11, 2017
SC Johnson Conference Center
National Museum of American History

OVERVIEW OF SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

8:30 – 9:00 OPEN DOORS
9:30 – 9:45 am WELCOME
9:45 – 10:30am: OPENING KEYNOTE
11:00 – 12:15pm: PANEL – WOMEN IN HISTORY FILM
12:15 – 1:00pm: LUNCH BREAK
1:00 – 2:15pm: MASTER CLASS in Interviewing
2:15 – 3:15pm: MEET THE FUNDERS / INDUSTRY
3:30 – 4:45pm: MASTER CLASS in the Craft of History Filmmaking
5:00 – 5:30pm: A CASE STUDY: BIRTH OF A NATION

DETAILS OF SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

9:00 – 9:30: WELCOME
9:30 – 10:30am: OPENING KEYNOTE
The History Film Forum Emerging Filmmakers Lab kicks off with a keynote address by Lauren Prestileo, Managing Editor for the critically acclaimed and award-winning PBS history series, American Experience.

Lauren Prestileo
Managing Editor, Digital, American Experience
Lauren Prestileo oversees digital content strategy, production, and distribution for the critically acclaimed and award-winning PBS history series, American Experience. Prior to her role as Managing Editor, Lauren served as the Series Producer, overseeing the flow of the series’ content from television to multi-platform engagement campaigns. She led theatrical distribution for the series, shepherding the theatrical release of the Academy Award-nominated documentary Last Days in Vietnam and more recently, Command and Control. She joined the American Experience staff in 2004 as a publicist for the series. She went on to serve as Project Manager and Series Manager, overseeing all aspects of the community engagement campaigns for the landmark series We Shall Remain, and for the 2011 Emmy Award-winning documentary Freedom Riders. In her work for the series, she has created high-profile partnerships with organizations such as the Smithsonian Museum of American History and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. She recently served as an associate producer for the Emmy Award-winning American Experience film JFK. Prior to her tenure in public television, Lauren worked in public affairs in Washington, DC, specializing in public relations and grassroots organizing.

11:00 – 12:30pm: PANEL – WOMEN IN HISTORY FILM
This panel will take place in the context of the broader History Film Forum. The “emerging filmmakers lab” participants will attend.

Confirmed speakers include Laurens Grant (filmmaker and producer, Stay Woke; Jesse Owens; Freedom Riders); Nancy Buirski (The Loving Story; By Sidney Lumet);  Lynn Novick (filmmaker, Florentine Films); Hannah Ayers (filmmaker, An Outrage), Melissa Haizlip (filmmaker, Mr. Soul).

12:30 – 1:15pm: LUNCH BREAK
Lunch vouchers for NMAH cafeteria will be provided

1:15 – 2:15pm:  Master Class in Interviewing
Filmmaker Lynn Novick has been making documentaries about American history for nearly twenty-five years. A director and producer, she has been a principal collaborator of Ken Burns since the early 1990s and together they have been responsible for more than 60 hours of programming, some of the most critically acclaimed and top-rated documentary films and series that have aired on PBS. Novick will discuss the art and craft of interviewing subjects for historical documentary.

2:15 – 3:15 MEET THE FUNDERS / INDUSTRY
An informational panel and small group meetings between participants and panelists. Panelists include representatives from the following organizations:

– National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
– National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
– WGBH American Experience
– Kickstarter
– WETA

3:30 – 4:30pm: MASTER CLASS in the Craft of History Filmmaking
An intimate hands-on workshop on the art and craft of creating a history film, including discussion of accessing the archive, editing, fact checking, will be offered by Sam Pollard.

4:45 – 5:30pm: A CASE STUDY: BIRTH OF A NATION
Jason Berman of Mandalay Pictures, producer of Nate Parker’s 2016 Birth of a Nation, will close the Lab with a revealing talk about the making of the film.

5:30pm – Conclusion