From Script to Screen
Making Movies in the Current Landscape
Sunday January 25th 4pm - 6pm
Join Film Fatales and United Airlines for a panel discussion and reception during the Sundance Film Festival.
Discover groundbreaking works of independent cinema in this panel highlighting visionary filmmakers who directed feature films premiering at Sundance including Josephine Decker (Chasing Summer), Liz Sargent (Take Me Home), and NB Mager (Run Amok). Moderated by film festival programmer Imani Davis (American Cinematheque). At a time when funding for the arts is drying up, learn from Film Fatales members with Sundance premieres about how they got their films funded and made. How helpful are proof of concepts? What types of institutional support or corporate sponsorships are available? What is the path forward in the current economic climate? Learn about evolving techniques in storytelling, the importance of diverse perspectives, and how these iconic filmmakers are pushing the boundaries of cinema on screen and off. Followed by a networking reception celebrating filmmakers of all marginalized genders.
Upon entry, all guests must also register for the United Airlines Filmmaker Lodge to receive a QR code for admittance. Plan to arrive early to secure your spot. Capacity is limited and entry will be first-come, first served. Please contact us to request an accessible accommodation.
Discover groundbreaking works of independent cinema in this panel highlighting visionary filmmakers who directed feature films premiering at Sundance including Josephine Decker (Chasing Summer), Liz Sargent (Take Me Home), and NB Mager (Run Amok). Moderated by film festival programmer Imani Davis (American Cinematheque). At a time when funding for the arts is drying up, learn from Film Fatales members with Sundance premieres about how they got their films funded and made. How helpful are proof of concepts? What types of institutional support or corporate sponsorships are available? What is the path forward in the current economic climate? Learn about evolving techniques in storytelling, the importance of diverse perspectives, and how these iconic filmmakers are pushing the boundaries of cinema on screen and off. Followed by a networking reception celebrating filmmakers of all marginalized genders.
Upon entry, all guests must also register for the United Airlines Filmmaker Lodge to receive a QR code for admittance. Plan to arrive early to secure your spot. Capacity is limited and entry will be first-come, first served. Please contact us to request an accessible accommodation.
LOCATION
United Airlines Lodge
751 Main Street, Park City UT 84060
751 Main Street, Park City UT 84060
Date & Time
January 25th
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Panelists
Josephine Decker
chasing summer
Josephine Decker is a filmmaker and performer exploring women’s interiority, often blurring imagination and reality. Her latest film, Chasing Summer, will be premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. Josephine's feature Madeline’s Madeline, created through a devised process with ten actors, screened at Sundance and Berlinale, earned Gotham and Independent Spirit Award nominations, and was praised as a “mind-scrambling masterpiece” (IndieWire). Her feature Shirley (starring Elisabeth Moss) won Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Auteur Filmmaking, and The Sky Is Everywhere (A24/Apple) was a New York Times Critics Pick; her first two features premiered together at Berlinale 2014. She performs with an L.A. clown ensemble led by Amrita Dhaliwal. Since 2022, she has been making a documentary with teen mothers in Dallas, who improvise, write, and act in short films that form the doc’s backbone. Her dream is to play accordion in your backyard while your friends fish or sing.
Liz Sargent
take me home
Liz Sargent is a Korean-American adoptee and award-winning filmmaker whose work delves into adoption, disability, and family dynamics. With a background in choreography, she brings emotional depth to her storytelling, shaped by her experience as the middle child of eleven in an intersectional family.
A two-time NY EMMY winner (2020 & 2021), Liz is also a HALF Initiative Mentee (2022 & 2023), an MSSNG PCES AICP Mentee (2023), and NBCU's Launch Director (2024-2026). Her debut narrative short, Strangers' Reunion, (2019), was a personal adoptee film produced by Ritz- Carlton and Hearst under the mentorship of Mike Figgis, released in six languages worldwide.
Her proof of concept, Take Me Home, premiered at Sundance (2023), won the Grand Jury Prize at American Cinematheque's PROOF FF (2024), and was the centerpiece at the White House to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Olmstead Act, where Liz and her sister, the film’s star, shared their stories with key officials.
A two-time NY EMMY winner (2020 & 2021), Liz is also a HALF Initiative Mentee (2022 & 2023), an MSSNG PCES AICP Mentee (2023), and NBCU's Launch Director (2024-2026). Her debut narrative short, Strangers' Reunion, (2019), was a personal adoptee film produced by Ritz- Carlton and Hearst under the mentorship of Mike Figgis, released in six languages worldwide.
Her proof of concept, Take Me Home, premiered at Sundance (2023), won the Grand Jury Prize at American Cinematheque's PROOF FF (2024), and was the centerpiece at the White House to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Olmstead Act, where Liz and her sister, the film’s star, shared their stories with key officials.
NB Mager
run amok
NB Mager is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker who makes high-concept stories about the things that keep her up at night. She was recently named one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch for 2026. Her first feature, RUN AMOK, starring Patrick Wilson, Margaret Cho, Elizabeth Marvel, Molly Ringwald, Yul Vasques, Bill Camp, and newcomer Alyssa Marvin, recently completed production. Other works include the award-winning, Oscar-qualifying short film, RUN AMOK (on which the feature is based), which premiered as a Vimeo Staff Pick. Her web anthology series, QUARANTINE, I LOVE YOU took part in the Beyond Film program of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and starred Ali Wentworth, Denis O’Hare, Michael Chernus, Maria Dizzia, and Jay O. Sanders, among others.
Moderator
Imani Davis
Imani Davis is film programmer at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles, and also a producer and writer. At the American Cinematheque, a 501c3 nonprofit boasting over 1,600 film screenings a year, Imani has worked to put on events with A-list filmmakers and talent such as Sofia Coppola, Spike Lee, Sean Baker, Jordan Peele, Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Damien Chazelle, Christopher Nolan, and many more. Imani is also the founder and lead programmer of the American Cinematheque's newest short film festival called PROOF, which is the only festival completely dedicated to proof-of-concept short films.
Partners
Film Fatales is a 501(c)3 non profit arts organization and talent discovery platform which supports a membership community of over two thousand feature film and television directors of all marginalized genders. We advocate for hiring equality and inclusive programming practices by working with key decision makers to expand the talent pool and raise the visibility of underrepresented creators. Together we can build a more equitable film industry for us all.
United Airlines is connecting people, uniting the world. Our mission is to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace and world. We are leading the way in reimagining the future of aviation with environmental responsibility and sustainability at the forefront. We’re working to strengthen our relationship with the global communities we connect, respond to crises and support causes that align with our purpose and values.
United Airlines Lodge
751 Main Street, Park City UT 84060
Invites are Non-Transferrable
Admission is not Guaranteed. Capacity is Limited.
This reception is on a first-come, first-served basis; entry is subject to capacity and you may need to wait until space becomes available.
This reception is on a first-come, first-served basis; entry is subject to capacity and you may need to wait until space becomes available.