Get closer to the creative heart of cinema at MVFF48’s BEHIND THE SCREENS series brings together visionary filmmakers, producers, and innovators for a slate of dynamic conversations designed to spark ideas and inspire audiences.
MIND THE GAP SUMMIT
SATURDAY, OCT. 4 • 9:00am | OUTDOOR ART CLUB
The Mind the Gap Summit is a half-day intensive session featuring presentations, discussions, and master classes led by an extraordinary line-up of creatives and thought leaders. Following the summit, attendees are invited to a networking luncheon on site providing an opportunity to connect with each other, share insights, and celebrate the power of community. The Summit & Networking Lunch are a highlight of Mind the Gap Day.
MASTERCLASS WITH JON M. CHU
SATURDAY, OCT. 4 • 1:45 | SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER
Destined to be a classic for the ages, Jon M. Chu’s Wicked became a global cultural phenomenon, shattering box office records and earning 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Now, as anticipation for this November’s epic conclusion, Wicked: For Good, join us for a rare chance to look behind the curtain at the creative process—from performances to production design, costumes to cinematography—that Chu and his extraordinary fellow artists used to reimagine the land of Oz. We are thrilled to welcome director Jon M. Chu to MVFF for this masterclass conversation about the making of his Wicked films, where he will share clips onscreen, insights onstage, and unpack some of the magic behind the scenes.
$20 GENERAL | $16 CAFILM MEMBERS | $18 STUDENTS & SENIORS
SCENES FROM A REVOLUTION: AI AND THE FUTURE OF FILMMAKING
PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH IODYNE
SUNDAY, OCT. 5 • 12:30 PM | SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER
Join us to explore how emerging AI technologies are helping to transform the way artists tell their stories across cinematic experiences. This panel will discuss the diverse ways filmmakers are using AI technologies to aid in creating and shaping new narrative experiences, and give a real behind-the-scenes look at how filmmakers using AI combine technology with creative vision on major projects.
MODERATED BY MARTIN CHRISTIEN
INVITED GUESTS:
BARBARA FORD GRANT
Barbara Ford Grant is a creative technology executive and filmmaker who bridges artistic storytelling with technical innovation in entertainment. Starting as an artist before becoming a technology leader, she has developed groundbreaking production technologies for major franchises including Marvel, Game of Thrones, and Shrek at studios like HBO, Digital Domain, and DreamWorks Animation. She led development of Academy Award®-winning technologies such as the Arnold renderer, Katana lighting tool, and advanced facial capture and animation systems. Currently consulting for Paramount, she recently served as President of NEP Virtual Studios and CTO of Meow Wolf, Barbara continues to push the boundaries of cinematic production and emerging technologies, while serving on advisory boards for Sohonet, Visual Effects Society, VFX Voice Magazine, and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, where she chaired the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee from 2018-2024.
JASON ZADA
Jason Zada is an Emmy-winning director and creative pioneer in interactive storytelling. For over 25 years, his work—from Elf Yourself to the groundbreaking Take This Lollipop—has pushed the boundaries of tech and emotion, reaching billions. In 2023, he launched Secret Level, a studio behind cutting-edge, AI-powered experiences for top brands, artists, and agencies. From Coca-Cola’s Holidays Are Coming reboot to Wu-Tang Clan’s Mandingo, Secret Level’s work has made it one of the most talked-about studios in the space. Zada’s projects have earned an Emmy, multiple Cannes Lions, and Webby Awards. He’s spoken at Cannes, Sundance, CES, SXSW, and beyond, sharing insights at the forefront of AI, storytelling, and the future of creative technology.
LARRY CUTLER
Larry Cutler is the Chief Technical Officer and Co-Founder of Baobab Studios, the ten-time Emmy Award winning and three-time Annie winning independent interactive animation studio with a track record of building franchisable family IP and interactive worlds. He brings deep technical leadership over the past 20 years in the area of AI, real-time technology, metaverse, animation creation and development. He currently serves on the Digital Imaging Technology Subcommittee for the Oscar® Technical Achievement Awards.
Larry spent over a decade at DreamWorks Animation where he served as Global Head of Character Technology working on films such as SHREK 2, SHREK THE THIRD, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, and MEGAMIND. Larry oversees technology and production across all Baobab universes, which are launched on GenZ platforms and then turned into films (Disney), series on premium streamers (e.g, Disney+, HBO Max), books (Penguin Random House, MacMillan) and games (Roblox, Fortnite, Oculus). This includes original series with Disney+ such as INTERCATS, an animated cat workplace comedy based on the fast-tracked Baobab graphic novel by the same name Macmillan and THE WITCHVERSE, an epic fantasy action-adventure animated event series, based on BABA YAGA, Baobab’s three-time Emmy®-winning short film and VR experience.
Also, the MOMOGURO multiplatform franchise, which includes an Emmy®-nominated digital collectibles game, a hit Roblox game, and a TV series in development. He was most recently the Vice President of Solutions at Metanautix, a big data analytics startup company (acquired by Microsoft). Prior to that, Larry served as DreamWorks Animation’s Global Head of Character Technology and held several leadership positions in the areas of character development, animation workflow, rigging, and character simulation.
Larry began his career at Pixar Animation Studios as a Technical Director on films such as MONSTERS INC, TOY STORY 2, and A BUG’S LIFE. Larry holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in computer science from Stanford University.
FREE • TICKET REQUIRED
PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH
SPONSORED BY
MIND THE GAP CREATION PRIZE ROUNDTABLE + HAPPY HOUR
MONDAY, OCT. 6 • 4:30 – 5:30 | OUTDOOR ART CLUB
Immigration and the United States go hand and hand but the former is currently under attack. At its heart, this year’s Creation Prize winner Valentina is an immigrant story. Join director Tatti Ribeiro for an in depth conversation on crafting her dazzling hybrid film and the state of immigration in today’s America.
FREE • TICKET REQUIRED
ACTIVE CINEMA HIKE: NETWORKING IN NATURE
SATURDAY, OCT. 11 • 10:00 AM | TENNESSEE VALLEY TRAILHEAD
Come and enjoy some fresh air and fresh ideas with filmmakers, friends, festival staff and cinephiles during this hour-long hike to the ocean through beautiful terrain. Exchange ideas on filmmaking, filmmaker resources, activism and strategies for engagement. Bring water and sunblock, and wear good hiking shoes.
FREE | ALL WELCOME!
Meet at the Tennesssee Valley Trailhead parking lot.
CLICK HERE for Tennessee Valley info.
STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
AUDIENCE ENTHUSIASM ENERGIZES A RESURGENT INDEPENDENT FILM SCENE
SUNDAY, OCT. 12 • 11:30am | OUTDOOR ART CLUB
As film festivals around the world rebound, there is renewed cause for optimism. Yet in the realm of theatrical exhibition—particularly within art-house cinema—many questions remain.
The health of the industry, with both its opportunities and its challenges, is vital to examine as we shape the future we envision. How can first-time and emerging filmmakers succeed in creating feature films and sustaining theatrical exhibition? If the barriers remain too high, we risk losing the diverse voices we want—and critically need—to hear.
Which production and development companies are actively nurturing new talent? What obstacles do they face in bringing these films to the big screen? Encouragingly, universities such as Florida State University have developed innovative programs that empower students to create their own feature films—such as Noseeum, screening at the 48th Mill Valley Film Festival.
If we are to succeed in fostering art that nourishes our souls, inspires empathy, and brings joy, we must continue to support the next generation of filmmakers. Join us for a timely and thought-provoking conversation with first-time directors, as well as veteran producers and distributors who champion their work.
OUR 2025 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY PANELISTS:
JULIE PARKER BENELLO
Julie Parker Benello is a film producer and co-founder of Chicken & Egg Films, the preeminent documentary development and production company. More recently, she founded Secret Sauce Media to invest in projects directed or co-directed by women directors. Films include Academy Award®, Gotham, and Independent Spirit-winning feature documentary American Factory; Emmy® Award-winner Athlete A, and 2025 Sundance Award-winning feature documentary Cutting Through Rocks.
PAUL COHEN
Paul Cohen is the executive producer of Noseeums and a motion picture executive who, for more than four decades, created several successful distribution and production companies. Currently, he serves at Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts as a faculty member and as the director of Torchlight Studios & Cinematheque.
RAVEN CARTER
Raven Carter is a Texas-born filmmaker whose debut feature, Noseeums, premiered at London’s FrightFest. Her short films have also screened widely, with Weird People winning Best Editing and Best Cinematography at the Black Women in Film Network Festival. The short film will also premiere later this year on Aspire TV. Her short film White Washed was selected for more than 10 festivals and earned her recognition in MovieMaker Magazine. A Florida State MFA graduate now based in Austin, Raven tells stories that cut to the core of family, race, and womanhood.
ROSE KUO
Rose Kuo is a film producer, curator, and awards strategist, and founder of consulting firm, Festworks. She served as a CEO/Artistic Director for Beijing’s Wanda Group, Executive Director of Film Society of Lincoln Center, and AFI FEST’s Artistic Director. Her produced films have premiered at Cannes and Venice Film Festivals.
LILIAN T. MEHREL
Lilian T. Mehrel is an award-winning writer and director with a visionary sense of feeling and humor. Her debut feature, Honeyjoon (2025), premiered at Tribeca, and won the Tribeca AT&T Untold Stories Award. Other honors include the 2025 SFFILM Rainin Grant, Torino FilmLab ComedyLab, Cine Qua Non Storylines Lab, Warner Media TFI Co/Lab, and a Sony Pictures Classics / Marcie Bloom Fellowship.
MODERATOR: RON YERXA
Ron Yerxa formed Bona Fide Productions with Albert Berger in 1992. Their producing credits include King of the Hill, Election, Cold Mountain, Little Children, and Best Picture Academy Award® nominees Little Miss Sunshine and Nebraska. More recently they produced The Peanut Butter Falcon, Blow the Man Down, The Last Shift, and Somewhere in Queens. They have also executive produced documentaries on Wilco and Levon Helm. On the HBO series The Leftovers, they were co-executive producers. Yerxa is also a founding member of Producer’s United.
FREE • TICKET REQUIRED
SPOTTING OPPORTUNITIES
CO-PRESENTED WITH LITQUAKE
SUNDAY, OCT. 12 • 1:15 | OUTDOOR ART CLUB
Where does inspiration come from and how can it be turned into a compelling, fundable film? Author Kevin Smokler (Break the Frame: Conversations with Women Filmmakers, Oxford University Press, 2025) will moderate this discussion with women filmmakers about how they recognize opportunities and transform them into worthwhile endeavors. Panelists will delve into how they nurture creative collaborations, identify partnerships and funding sources, and stay alert to future possibilities.
INVITED GUESTS:
TIFFANY SHLAIN
MAURA SMITH • Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere (MVFF48)
DAYNA GOLDFINE • Everywhere Man: The Lives and Times of Peter Asher (MVFF48)
INVITED GUESTS:
KEVIN SMOKLER
Kevin Smokler is the author of four books on pop culture including his most recent Break the Frame: Conversations with Women Filmmakers. His feature-length documentary film Vinyl Nation on the American renaissance of the vinyl record, won 10 awards and screened at 50 film festivals worldwide. His new documentary Middle Grounds, about coffee shops and civic dialogue will be released this year.
MAURA SMITH
As a graduate of the USC Cinema Department, Maura Smith went on to direct Towing with Sue Lyon and Joe Mantegna. While an honors student in the MFA Screenwriting Program at Columbia University, Smith received first prize for the Zaki Gordon Memorial Award for Excellence in Screenwriting. Smith has directed for such companies as Sony Music, BBC TV, and Paramount. She has recently written and directed two narrative feature films.
TIFFANY SHLAIN
Honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century,” Tiffany Shlain is a multidisciplinary artist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and founder of the Webby Awards and national bestselling author. Her films have won over 65 awards and include Connected, The Teen Brain, The Tribe and The Future Starts Here. She has an upcoming art exhibition at the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in San Francisco, opening Jan 20th, 2026. Her artwork, films, and performances have been presented at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Sundance Film Festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival, and at US embassies worldwide. She has been writing a monthly newsletter, Breakfast @ Tiffany’s, for 29 years. tiffanyshlain.com
DAYNA GOLDFINE
For over 35 years, along with her partner Dan Geller, Emmy-award winning director/producer Dayna Goldfine has created critically acclaimed multi-character documentary narratives that braid the personal stories of their protagonists to form a larger portrait of the human experience. In addition to Everywhere Man, her work with Geller includes HALLELUJAH: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song (2021), which was shortlisted for a documentary Oscar®. Geller and Goldfine’s work also includes The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2013); Something Ventured (2011); Ballets Russes (2005), which was recognized as one of the top five documentaries of 2005 by the National Society of Film Critics and the National Board of Review; Now and Then: From Frosh to Seniors; Kids of Survival: The Art and Life of Tim Rollins + K.O.S. (1996), the winner of two national Emmy Awards; Frosh: Nine Months in a Freshman Dorm (1994); and the award-winning Isadora Duncan: Movement from the Soul (1988).
FREE • TICKET REQUIRED
