Between Takes

Morning Coffee Talks & Industry Conversations

Temple Restaurant, Avenue of the Arts, Providence, RI 02903

Informal gatherings to meet and network with visiting filmmakers and industry leaders. Located at the Temple Restaurant, Avenue of the Arts, Providence. Cost: $15 for the general public with tickets sold at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.

Wednesday - August 11, 2010 -

9:30am – 10:30am

The New Art of Distribution - An entertaining and informative discussion about film distribution in today's ever-changing, cinematic climate.

 

Featuring: Isil Bagdadi, President, Founder & Michael Sergio, CEO, Founder, www.cavupictures.com

 

Thursday - August 12, 2010 -

9:30am – 10:30am

The Documentary Film Experience – An intimate look at the making of a personal documentary.

 

Featuring: Anna Giannotis – Producer/Director - “The Promise of Tomorrow”

 

Friday – August 13, 2010 –

9:30am – 10:30am

The Tools of the Trade - Shooting with “The Red.”

 

Featuring: Erik Latek – Director, Phantazma Pictures & John Rule – Owner, Rule Boston Camera

About Our Panelists

Isil Bagdadi has worked in the film industry as a producer, publicist, marketing and distribution executive.

In addition to producing director Michael Sergio’s debut film "Under Hellgate Bridge", she oversaw the theatrical distribution and marketing of the film, and brokered the domestic video deal with Lions Gate Entertainment. "Under Hellgate Bridge" has won numerous awards at film festivals, including "Best Film" and "The Regal Cinemas Dreammaker" awards at the Nashville Film Festival. The film is now available on DVD, and had its broadcast premiere on ABC.

In 2001, Isil and her business partner Michael Sergio started CAVU Pictures in order to finance, develop, produce, acquire and distribute cutting-edge, critically acclaimed and award-winning independent films. Ms. Bagdadi oversees the marketing campaigns and theatrical distribution of all of CAVU’s films.

She executive produced and oversaw the theatrical release of Independent Spirit Award nominee Eitan Gorlin's film "The Holy Land" which won the Grand Jury prize at the Slamdance Film festival. The film had an extensive theatrical release in 2003, and was the highest grossing film on a single screen for two weeks in a row when it opened at NYC’s Angelika Film Center. Isil also executive produced and oversaw the theatrical distribution of the critically acclaimed film “Take Out” which was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Isil wrote, produced, and directed the short film “The Blue Marble”, which premiered at the Avignon/New York Film Festival, and screened at the Angelika Film Center as part of the IFP Market. The film had its broadcast premiere on Metro TV as part of their “Urban Indies” series and was then released by Lions Gate Entertainment.

Isil also consults and does PR for the QUAD Cinema in NY, where she recently helped launch the QUAD Cinema Four-Wall Select program. She is currently doing publicity and consulting on the theatrical campaign for the indie-rock musical drama CLEAR BLUE TUESDAY, which is set to open in theatres on September 3rd.

Isil frequently serves as a panelist, moderator, mentor and juror at film festivals, and has taught film producing classes at the Digital Film Academy, and lectured at the CUNY Graduate Center. Isil has a graduate degree in Film from the New York Institute of Technology and her undergraduate degree in Communication Arts from St. John's University. She is a long-standing member of NYWIFT, and IFP, and serves on the Committee for the Future at the New York Women’s Foundation. She is also an Honorary Board Member & Advisor at the Long Island Film/ TV Foundation.

Anna Giannotis is a freelance writer/producer, educator and actress. She is presently Artist-in-Residence at Sheridan Elementary, Cornerstone School, and Bethune Middle School, and a lecturer for Arts Connect. Ms. Giannotis attended the University of Washington and Salve Regina University. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Actors' Equity Association, and The Greek Heritage Society of Southern California. She has also conducted writing workshops for The Performing Tree, Inc.

Anna is an actress and filmmaker whose most recent work, The Promise of Tomorrow” plays at this year's Festival.

Eric Latek, Director. Born in Providence, RI, Latek graduated from Emerson College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Film Concentration, Visual and Media Arts/Mass Communication from Emerson College in 1998. Latek produced short film “A Life In The Day of Ringo Vings”. After graduating, Latek expanded the short piece into a feature. In 2001, the underground film went on to win various awards such as “Best International Director”, AFMA International Film Festival, “People's Choice Award”, Adobe Digital Cinema, and “WOW” Award, Tampa International Education. & Time Warner Film Festival.

“Maintain No Control!” was Latek's theory while documenting reality. The Art of Directing, which controlled the structure of the epic story, would fall into place in the editing room. “Sweet Dreams”, like the subjects involved, began on one road and ended on completely different one. Recently appointed Director of Hoss Dream Machine and also in pre-productions of several new Docudrama's that are scheduled to be filmed world wide, IIE is honored to be working with such a talented and passionate filmmaker. Latek is also founder and President of Phantazma Pictures.

John Rule founded Rule Boston Camera. He has been in the film and video industry for over 28 years. He knows production, and he knows equipment. His company is built on his expertise, as well as a passion for giving people the tools and advice they need.

John Rule brought a wealth of equipment know-how to the table when he founded Rule, having worked in the film industry for 8 years and having founded and operated Boston Camera Rental Company. Significantly, film technology experienced little change as far as John was concerned, whereas video technology was on the horizon and looked to be an important new trend in the industry. It was the late 1980s, and John decided to embark upon a new venture -- he founded Rule Broadcast Systems, Inc. as an equipment rental company specializing in video equipment rental.

"I wanted change. I wanted to be in an industry where you have to stay on top, and I haven’t been disappointed," John says. "You have to be on top of video technology, computers, and production technology to succeed. That’s what I love about the business."

His company provides a wide range of production and post-production equipment on a rental basis by the day, week, or month. Yet John Rule conceives of his business and its purpose in a much less literal sense. "We need to serve the producer in such a way that the producer never needs to go anywhere else. We don’t see ourselves just as a service -- we are a partner, a resource."

A wide variety of area producers have discovered what partnering with a video equipment rental company can make possible. As when it opened, Rule’s list of clients remains as diverse as the filmmaking community itself: Fortune 500 in-house video producers, independent filmmakers, commercial producers, motion picture companies, and documentary filmmakers all make use of Rule’s equipment.

Michael Sergio is an Emmy Award winning director, screenwriter, indie film producer and distributor. He began his career as an actor, musician and singer appearing in Manhattan clubs, on Broadway, television and in films before succumbing to a career as a director in the early 1990's.

As an actor, Sergio worked with Sidney Lumet on the film “Prince of the City”, with director Mark Rosman on “House on Sorority Row” and with director Bill Reilly on “Men of Respect” with John Turturro and Rod Steiger. TV appearances included roles on ABC's Loving, CTW's Mathnet, Ryan's Hope, The Equalizer, The Street, Law & Order, Kojak and The Last Days of Brian Darling for HBO. He also appeared in over 50 national TV commercials. Sergio was tapped by legendary stage director Gene Saks for the original Broadway production of “I Love My Wife”.

An accomplished singer and musician, Sergio has performed in some of NY's most cutting-edge clubs including The Bitter End, Folk City, The Comic Strip and The Original Improvisation where he was the house singer for 17 years.

His directorial career began with TV commercials for clients as diverse as Disney, AT&T, Continental Airlines, American Express and ESPN. Sergio directed for TV, crafting Emmy Award-winning TV specials, music videos and pilots before navigating the shoals of the independent film industry.

Some of Mr. Sergio’s directing projects include, John Ford Noonan's Night Man at the Sardi Building, Creating the Wizard of Oz on Ice, for which he was nominated for a DayTime Emmy and Ringling Bros. 1996 TV Circus Special for which he won an Emmy.

Sergio's directorial feature debut "Under Hellgate Bridge" garnered Best Director and Best Film honors at various film festivals, including Best Film award at the Nashville Independent Film Festival, and the Regal Cinemas' Dreammaker Award. Lions Gate Entertainment acquired domestic video rights and after a successful theatrical run, "Under Hellgate Bridge" was released on DVD nationwide in November '02.

In 2001 Sergio and producing partner, Isil Bagdadi, started CAVU Pictures to deliver indie-film alternatives to the marketplace. Sergio oversees all films produced and acquired at CAVU

RON TIPPE • about

Producer at IMAGI Animation Studios

Ron Tippe has been in the entertainment business for 37 years. He began
as a stage director and spent the first 9 years of his career directing
stage plays at various companies in New England. In addition, he was a
founding member and artistic director of the Incredibly Far
Off-Broadway Ensemble Theatre, which specialized in new play production
and staged productions set in different environmental locations. Ron
spent the next few years as a director of TV commercials, industrial
and education films, after which he spent years as a writer in Hollywood, CA. In 1994, Ron segued into the Feature Animation business when he produced the first Mickey Mouse short film, RUNAWAY BRAIN, which was nominated for an Oscar. At the same time he was the managing director of the Walt Disney Feature Animation Studio in Paris, France. Ron then went on to produce the hit film, SPACE JAM, at Warner Bros' Feature Animation studio. He subsequently worked at Dreamworks Feature Animation where he produced the pre-production for the hit film, SHREK. The next few years were spent working at George Lucas's ILM for a digital version of FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN, and at Warner Bros' Feature Animation producing a remake of the classic, MR. LIMPET. In 2004, he had the wonderful honor to work with Christopher Reeve on EVERYONE'S HERO, an animated feature for 20th Century Fox. In 2007, he produced the pre-production for Imagi Feature Animation Studios, GATCHAMAN. In 2008, Ron accepted a Visiting Professorship at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. Ron is also a certified Life Coach specializing in issues of story telling and the creative process. He is also the founder of THE WRITE APPROACH, a RI based screen writing workshop whose debut will be made during the RIIFF 2009 season. Ron is married to Hollywood Costume Designer, Molly Maginnis. They have two children, Annie and Sam, and two pug dogs, Lucky and Lulu.

OUR 2010 SPONSORS: