SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase (NDS) Event offered varied industry perspectives during the course of three afternoon sessions, and then an evening display of up-and-coming filmmaking talent with the debut screening of the Showcase Reel followed by a Meet the New Directors panel discussion, all held at the DGA Theatre in NYC on Monday (12/9). Capping the evening was the NDS Event After-party, hosted by The-Artery and Final Cut at the Final Cut quarters in Chelsea.
Kicking off the proceedings was the annual In The Director’s Chair session, this time featuring Dawn Porter, founder of Trilogy Films. An acclaimed documentary filmmaker known for her storytelling on social justice, history and cultural icons, Porter has a body of work which includes Trapped, John Lewis: Good Trouble, and The Lady Bird Diaries. Her recent documentary, Luther: Never Too Much, highlights the life and legacy of Luther Vandross. Produced with Sony Music Entertainment, Jamie Foxx’s Foxxhole, and Colin Firth’s Raindog Films, this intimate portrayal of the Grammy-winning artist was recently released in theaters and will premiere on CNN/MAX on January 1, 2025.
Porter’s achievements are widely recognized. Trapped earned a Peabody Award and the Sundance Special Jury Prize for Social Impact Filmmaking, while John Lewis: Good Trouble won the 2021 NAACP Image Award. She received the Critics’ Choice Impact Award in 2022 and Gracie Awards in both 2022 and 2023. Recently, Porter was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Joe Biden, and received the International Documentary Association’s (IDA) Career Achievement Award.
Porter’s 2024 MSNBC series, The Sing Sing Chronicles, offers unprecedented access to Sing Sing Correctional Facility, providing a raw look at justice and redemption. As for shorter form fare, Porter is represented for commercials and branded content by Institute, the company co-founded by documentarian Lauren Greenfield.
A full report along with photos and video of this session will be posted on SHOOTonline next week and in an upcoming SHOOT>e,dition.
NDS Alumni Discuss the Long and Short of It
SHOOT Showcase alumni–Michael Fiore (class of 2007), Rachel Annette Helson (class of 2019), Jeffrey Morgan (class of 2007) and Romina Schwedler (class of 2014)–shed light on their recent work ranging from a micro-film to feature documentaries that have made their mark on the festival circuit, theatrical and VOD marketplaces.
A full report along with photos and video of this session will be posted on SHOOTonline next week and in an upcoming SHOOT>e.dition.
Attaining Content-ment
Panelists Ryan Chong, EVP and head of production at Publicis Groupe’s Le Truc, and Vico Sharabani, founder and executive creative director at The-Artery shared insights into their recent artificial intelligence projects, providing their biggest takeaways and lessons learned from the experience. And on hand to offer a legal perspective on AI creation and production was attorney Jeffrey A. Greenbaum, managing partner, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein + Selz (FKKS).
A full report along with photos and video of this session will be posted on SHOOTonline next week and in an upcoming SHOOT>e.dition.
New Directors Showcase
The evening proceedings began with a welcome from DGA business rep Michael Mintz and SHOOT publisher and editorial director Roberta Griefer, followed by the debut screening of the 2024 New Directors Showcase (NDS) Reel.
Mintz told the Showcase directors that they are not alone, that the DGA is there to protect them as artists, to protect their creative rights and the future of all Guild members. “You focus on the your work. We focus on your rights.”
After the screening, Griefer asked the NDS directors in the audience to stand up, introducing them to the gathering. She then moderated the Meet the New Directors panel discussion which included three of the up-and-coming directors: Chris Cole, Thavary Krouch and Shahriar Rahman, all currently unaffiliated with a production company. Rounding out the panel were two industry professionals: Kate Oppenheim, managing partner, m ss ng p eces, and executive VP, Tribeca Studios; and David Rolfe, global head of production, WPP/Hogarth.
Rahman earned his Showcase slot for Blue Yonder, a short film that tapped into his extensive experience as a visual effects artist. The short entailed the creation of octopus tentacles, a most complicated proposition in computer graphics, noted Rahman. But just as important as that was to the story, Blue Yonder contained a host of other “invisible” effects–meshed with live action–as the short serves as a metaphor for a romantic relationship. Fittingly he described Blue Yonder as “a labor of love,” made over several years as Rahman attained the matrix simulations necessary to create the tentacle effects–akin to a caressing embrace–so that this otherworldly underwater story is grounded in reality and becomes relatable to viewers.
Krouch scored Showcase inclusion with the short film Arrangements. Coming out of the pandemic, Krouch was eager to lean into comedy, wanting to bring some lightness and laughter to her work and to audiences–which led to her writing and directing Arrangements, a comedy with a human relations undercurrent. The film tells the story of two cousins with a sister-like bond who find themselves growing apart. Life has led them in different directions–one pursuing new opportunities while the other feels left behind. Their rift surfaces while taking a flower arranging class, the tension between them bubbling over but with a screwball comedy bent.
Krouch considers herself “a Midwestern girl,” having spent most of her adult life in Chicago where she served for a stretch in the government sector–at the Chicago Film office, assisting with film permitting while also managing programming at the Chicago Cultural Center. She has since moved to New York, adjusting to life in that market, furthering her directorial aspirations while also continuing to work in film and media industry support with a position at the NYC Film Office, part of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
Meanwhile Cole’s Showcase piece, the short film Terminally Ill, is a hybrid hip-hop/comedy piece. It’s about a guy who visits his grandmother’s deathbed and discovers that if he raps his last words to her, she’ll stay alive. It evolves into an absurdist musical comedy, taking some surprise turns along the way. Terminally Ill has proven quite healthy on the festival circuit, winning the Oscar-qualifying Jury Award for Comedy at Aspen Shortsfest as well as a Silver Young Director Award for Creative use of Sound.
Cole brings soup-to-nuts production expertise to his filmmaking, having served as a producer at Apple in Northern California. He said that his Apple tour of duty informed him as a director. Cole noted that the attention to detail and level of craft in Terminally Ill wouldn’t have been possible if he hadn’t gained such valuable experience at Apple.
Oppenheim and Rolfe had praise for the Showcase Reel. Oppenheim said it was “a joy to watch.” Rolfe described the work as “original and so unique.” He observed that while a number of directors are early on in their careers, they are at the same time “so experienced” as evidenced by the quality of their entries. Rolfe affirmed that he can’t wait to see “the body of work ahead of you.”
Oppenheim noted that she is always looking for new talent, directors who bring a voice to the work that no one else could bring to it. And these directors in turn can bring that voice to an agency and/or a brand, to help them connect with an audience in a personal way.
Asked if directors should stay independent for creative freedom or seek a rostered slot with a production company, Oppenheim said it depends on circumstances, the stage of a filmmaker’s career, and if the right match with a production house can be found. She noted that when a director is building a reel, the freedom to take on every opportunity that comes your way as a freelance talent can be advantageous. On the flip side, though, the benefits of connecting with the right production company are numerous, including being surrounded by a supportive team, having people pitching, producing and selling for you, getting your paths to cross with the right creatives, agencies and brands. There’s considerable value in “finding a production family and people who believe in you”….and “who will sell you to people like David [Rolfe},” she said. “Is your executive producer going to make those calls on your behalf?”
Rolfe–who is always on the lookout for promising freelance as well as rostered talent–stressed that the expertise and talent management acumen at a production company can prove invaluable, noting that directors have to be aggressive and smart in “relationship development.” While it may be obvious that being aggressive is vital as a freelancer, it remains vital when rostered at a company too.
Part of that desired assertiveness, observed Oppenheim, calls for a director to “keep making personal projects” even when on a production company roster. Honing one’s storytelling, showing and expanding upon what you can do is part of proactive career development. She added that building a career in the U.S. market is a full-time job. Being a viable commercial director is “not a side job.”
Rolfe has repeatedly seen directorial talent evolve over time first-hand, including SHOOT New Directors Showcase alumni–a prime example being Lawrence Chan who was an in-house director at BBDO NY when Rolfe was at that agency. Chen gained inclusion into SHOOT’s 2012 New Director Showcase. He has since joined the roster of Stink Films and over the years has seen his work gain recognition at the Cannes Lions, Clios, The One Show and the ANDY Awards.
SHOOT’s 22nd Annual New Directors Showcase offers a total of 30 up-and-coming directors. The field includes 25 directors–21 individuals and a pair of duos–who are unaffiliated with a production company.
In addition to Cole, Krouch and Rahman, the unaffiliated crop of up-and-coming filmmaking talent consists of Lanre Danmola, Ava Himmel, Reece Daniels, Lauren Maya Davis, Giuseppe De Lauri, Louise de Nexon, Duncan Heger, Elizabeth Katz, Brian Lawes, Mitchell Lazar, Pamela M. Carbonero, Derek Nguyen, Vanessa Pla, Sophia Prestwich, Igor Raevskii, Annalee Walton, Dennis Williams, and Jackie! Zhou–as well as two helming duos, the Potter Sisters (Grace & Emily Potter), and scout (Lindsay Sunada & Jensen Vinca),
Five Showcase directors have production company affiliations: Jason Blanc of Diamond View; India Donaldson of Tinygiant; Raghav Rampal of Collider; Alison Rich of Imposter; and Severine Reisp of Cutter Entertainment.
Click here to view the SHOOT 2024 New Directors Showcase Reel.
Click here for profiles/contact info on all of the directors in the 2024 New Directors Showcase.
Sponsor support
Lead sponsors of the 2024 SHOOT New Directors Showcase were the DGA and harvest films. Silver sponsors were The-Artery and FKKS. Bronze sponsor was Universal Production Services. Additional supporters were charlieuniformtango, Commercial Directing Film School, True Gent and Final Cut.
