Saturday, October 21

ALL TIMES CENTRAL

11am CDT: Welcome and Meet and Greet Breakout Rooms
Zoom Link

Welcome to the 2023 virtual Black Creators Forum! Start the morning meeting and connecting with your fellow attendees!

11:15 AM CDT: Shorts Distribution Beyond Festivals
Zoom Link

Filmmaker and longtime BCF Symposium attendee Dwayne LeBlanc (Civic, IMFF22), and Sean Charles from ALLBLK, an AMC Networks property, will discuss their respective experiences with the options available to filmmakers with short films within and outside of the space of a film festival.

12:30 PM CDT: Breakout Rooms Round 2
Zoom Link

Join us for another round of breakout rooms with guided questions inspired by attendees’ suggestions on the application! This will be another chance to connect and learn from each other’s experiences.

1:30 PM CDT: Southern Filmmaking and Craft
Zoom Link

In this conversation featuring filmmakers Zandashé Brown (Benediction, IMFF23) and A.J. Riggins (Fireflies Save the Night, IMFF23), we’ll explore their specific works in the festival this year, their approach to craft in their films, and how they center the landscapes of the South in their filmmaking.

3:00 CDT: LA vs. Everywhere
Zoom Link

Filmmaker Deron Hall talks filmmaking in Los Angeles with USC Professor and teaching artist at Ghetto Film School, Brandyn Johnson.

Sunday, October 22

11am CDT: Get a Grip: Understanding the Camera Department
Zoom Link

Moderated by documentary filmmaker and cinematographer Cai Thomas, this conversation will explore the role of the camera department, the creative possibilities for collaboration between directors and the camera department in each stage of production, and the experiences of working as a camera professional.

11:00 am CDT: The MFA Experience
Zoom Link

Do I need to go to film school? This eternal question has been posed by many filmmakers countless times. Filmmakers and current and former MFA students, documentary filmmaker Antonia Thornton (Things Long Left Unsaid, IMFF23), and filmmaker and current Screenwriting Resident, Bethiael Alemayoh (Dressed, IMFF23) will discuss their MFA experiences and insights they have gained from their education.

12pm CDT: Strikes Roundtable
Zoom Link

This open roundtable will serve as a space to discuss where things stand with post the WGA strike and how they are currently with the SAG-AFTRA strike. We especially encourage those who are a part of these unions, those who wish to be, and all interested to join in this conversation!

1:00 pm CDT: Bonnet Brunch (Black Women in Film Gathering)
Zoom Link

Hosted by Tchaiko Omawale (Solace). Feel free to come as you are for this gathering (bonnet or other ways you feel comfortable included).

3:00 pm CDT: Black Queer Cinema
Zoom Link

In this roundtable-style conversation, we’ll explore our journeys with Black Queer representation, the characters, TV shows, and films that were impactful for us, and what the present and future holds for Black queer and trans art.