DOK Industry Podcast 2022
Igniting Strategies: Changing the Face(s) of Film Festival Programming
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion are the buzzwords that litter program initiatives in the entertainment industry as of late. Still, platitudes ring hollow and action is needed. Today’s podcast will discuss ongoing efforts by change makers to challenge the systemic access gap for programmers of color by instituting Film Programming Fellowship/Mentorship programs within organizational infrastructures.
Guest speakers, Faridah Gbadamosi (Tribeca FF) & Lucy Jane Mukerjee (Programmers of Colour Collective), will discuss the wins & challenges in shaping & implementing such programs. Finally, there will also be visionary dialoguing about what a cutting-edge film programming fellowship/mentorship programs could look like & preliminary ideas on how film festivals can institute similar change-focused initiatives using a new set of values that go beyond the “diversity” model within their organizations.
Language:
English
Recorded on 4 October 2022
Length: 54 minutes
Born in the Philippines, writer and film curator, Irene Soriano immigrated to the US in 1981. Irene was Film Independent/Project Involve's first Fellow under the Film Programming track in 2003 & has since curated film programs for the Echo Park Film Center, Filipino American Historical Society (FANHS), & the Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture. In addition, she has served on various FF programming committees – Los Angeles Film Festival, Project Involve, Outfest, & the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. She was selected to be part of the inaugural class of Outfest Fusion QTBIPOC Film Festival's 2022 Programming Fellowship & joined the Sundance Film Festival in the same year and will be working with the shorts programming team to curate the short films section of the Festival’s 2023 edition.
Guests
Lucy Jane Mukerjee is a queer British-Indian film curator and programming disruptor, dedicated to elevating the careers of underestimated storytellers. Formerly undocumented, her area of expertise is the intersection of activism and the arts, specifically where programming and inclusion meet.
Over her 20+ year career, Lucy has produced and programmed films all over the world, including as Director of Programming at Outfest and a Senior Programmer at Tribeca Festival.
She is the Co-Founder of the Programmers Of Colour Collective and currently the Programming Director of Tasveer, the largest film festival in the US dedicated to stories by and about the South Asian diaspora.
Faridah Gbadamosi is a film curator and culture critic working towards making the space more inclusive. In particular, her interests are in changing the space of tastemakers and rethinking the models for curation and exhibition. She has worked in various roles at different film festivals and other film organizations, including the California Film Institute, Athena Film Festival, SIFF, and many more. She recently worked as the Artistic Director of Outfest during its 40th anniversary. In addition to her programming roles, she has also worked as the Director of Distribution at Open Your Eyes and Think MF, the distribution wing of David Magdael & Associates, a consultant on different film projects, and a freelance culture critic. She recently joined the Tribeca Enterprises team as a Senior Programmer.
DOK Industry Podcast is realized in partnership with Kinopravda Institute, What’s Up With Docs Podcast and POC2 Programmers of Colour Collective.
