In continuation of our popular Education series from our annual Festival, Winter Film Awards will host a week of Education sessions geared towards emerging filmmakers! 90-minute virtual sessions have been recorded and are available for you to view!
Our Panelists
Chris White is a New York based, writer/producer whose credits include MTV Network’s hit My Super Psycho Sweet 16 franchise, ...
Clay McLeod Chapman writes books, comics books, children's books, and for film/TV. His most recent novels include The Remaking and ...
After directing, writing and producing several Award Winning shorts and feature films (one starring Neil Patrick Harris, fresh off Doogie ...
After choosing not to pursue a career in Academia teaching film studies, Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith began her film industry ...
Heather Buckley (THE RANGER and FLESH AND BLOOD: THE REEL LIFE AND GHASTLY DEATH OF AL ADAMSON) works under the ...
Ian is the co-author, with Dacre Stoker, of the international best seller Dracula The Un-Dead, the official sequel to Bram ...
Ida Theresa Myklebost is the Co-Director / Program Director of the Anchorage International Film Festival. AIFF is the largest film ...
James Hennigan is from Laurel, Maryland. He grew up with a love for reading, especially anything spooky. He would immerse ...
Jason Brown is Associate Professor of Mass Media at Valdosta State University and the Festival Director of the South Georgia ...
Jennifer Valdes is an award winning writer, director, tv/film producer and professional video editor. Jennifer Valdes is most well known ...
Jeremiah Kipp is a freelance film director based in New York. His directing credits include the Chinese-American action movie BROKEN ...
Mia Schnaible is the Director of Marketing and Development of the Arizona International Film Festival (AIFF). In her twenty years ...
Paul Marengo has 25 years in the area of festival management including managing the Asian Pacific American Film Festival and ...
Steffanie Finn has been Winter Film Awards Executive Director since 2012. Steffanie is an active member of the Film Festival ...
Tracey L. Adlai is a native Angeleno and the Founder of The Valley Film Festival (VFF), the first and longest-running ...
21st Century Horror
Join Winter Film Awards Joseph Mauceri in a lively discussion of the latest trends in Horror Film. The horror genre is a booming industry, with many small and mid-level distribution companies supplying films to theaters, digital platforms, DVD, and Blu-ray releases. With the pandemic, many releases were held back and the films are now beginning to roll out en masse.
While many filmmakers have the same access to the best advances in technology to make their movies, what does it take to tell a good horror story? In a panel at the Hampton’s Film Festival the dean of the NYU Film School remarked that the only thing separating filmmakers in this technological-driven age is their ability to understand the medium and be good story tellers.
What makes a good horror story or where does one find one? What are the current trends and what does it take to get noticed? Especially with so many film festivals out there that showcase genre films, is the festival circuit worth it and what festivals offer the most exposure?
Click HERE to view the recorded session!
While many filmmakers have the same access to the best advances in technology to make their movies, what does it take to tell a good horror story? In a panel at the Hampton’s Film Festival the dean of the NYU Film School remarked that the only thing separating filmmakers in this technological-driven age is their ability to understand the medium and be good story tellers.
What makes a good horror story or where does one find one? What are the current trends and what does it take to get noticed? Especially with so many film festivals out there that showcase genre films, is the festival circuit worth it and what festivals offer the most exposure?
Click HERE to view the recorded session!
Ask a Festival Organizer
Need some advice about your film festival experience? Now is your chance to get all the information you need! Meet six fest organizers from Festivals around the US and get answers such as:
Why are film festivals important and worthwhile?
What is the best way to impress submission judges?
What is the best length for a film?
How do you find the right festival to submit your film to?
Once accepted to a Festival, how can you maximize your festival experience?
How about during and after a Festival?
What to do if you are not accepted?
Click HERE to view the recorded session!
Why are film festivals important and worthwhile?
What is the best way to impress submission judges?
What is the best length for a film?
How do you find the right festival to submit your film to?
Once accepted to a Festival, how can you maximize your festival experience?
How about during and after a Festival?
What to do if you are not accepted?
Click HERE to view the recorded session!
Producing 101
You have your script, your actors, and your gear, but what about a producer? Producing is as an important art form as cinematography, production design, and casting. The right producer can make all the difference in the world!
You’ve directed a short, maybe pulled off a micro-budget independent feature, and you think you might want to focus on producing ... what are the ins and outs of really being a producer and what are some of the skills you haven’t even thought about that you might need, or what do you need to be looking for in a producer for your next project?
We’ve gathered a group of talented and hardworking producers to discuss the profession and offer some guidance about bringing on the producer who is right for your project or the experience you need to become a producer in today’s independent film industry.
Click HERE to view the recorded session!
You’ve directed a short, maybe pulled off a micro-budget independent feature, and you think you might want to focus on producing ... what are the ins and outs of really being a producer and what are some of the skills you haven’t even thought about that you might need, or what do you need to be looking for in a producer for your next project?
We’ve gathered a group of talented and hardworking producers to discuss the profession and offer some guidance about bringing on the producer who is right for your project or the experience you need to become a producer in today’s independent film industry.
Click HERE to view the recorded session!
How To Create A Successful Film Festival & PR Strategy
Join The Film Festival Doctor, Dr Rebekah Louisa Smith, who will talk you through how to successfully promote your film at festivals and in the press. This session will discuss what you need to plan during pre-production, how to evaluate your film and assess its film festival potential, set your goals, plan your budgets and create your festival strategy. We will also discuss how to promote your film at film festivals and when you should hire a professional to come on board your team.
Click HERE to view the recorded session!
Click HERE to view the recorded session!
WFA2021 Welcome back NYC! Film Industry Networking Party June 26
Culture Lab LIC, 5-25 46th Ave, Queens, NY 11101
OMG, remember fun? NYC is back and raring to get the fun going again! Come out and see what everyone has been up to! Film Industry Networking Party - Party outside under the stars! Live Music! Enjoy beer and tacos! Get photos in our snazzy light up photo booth courtesy ezPopupBooth! We absolutely cannot wait to see you! FREE
Special Treat! Following a wildly successful film festival run, short film YOU LOOK GREAT returns to celebrate the two-year anniversary of its world premiere at Winter Film Awards and subsequent retirement from the festival circuit. Please join us for a retrospective screening and Q+A with writer, director, and star Justin Andrew Davis before the film is released publicly online. Based on Justin's personal experiences with eating disorders, the film has sparked many important conversations on and off of the film festival circuit, including educational screenings at Seton Hall University, interviews and articles with the National Eating Disorder Association, and numerous podcast appearances. Film begins at 7PM, Q&A with the filmmaker begins at 7:30PM
OMG, remember fun? NYC is back and raring to get the fun going again! Come out and see what everyone has been up to! Film Industry Networking Party - Party outside under the stars! Live Music! Enjoy beer and tacos! Get photos in our snazzy light up photo booth courtesy ezPopupBooth! We absolutely cannot wait to see you! FREE
Special Treat! Following a wildly successful film festival run, short film YOU LOOK GREAT returns to celebrate the two-year anniversary of its world premiere at Winter Film Awards and subsequent retirement from the festival circuit. Please join us for a retrospective screening and Q+A with writer, director, and star Justin Andrew Davis before the film is released publicly online. Based on Justin's personal experiences with eating disorders, the film has sparked many important conversations on and off of the film festival circuit, including educational screenings at Seton Hall University, interviews and articles with the National Eating Disorder Association, and numerous podcast appearances. Film begins at 7PM, Q&A with the filmmaker begins at 7:30PM
