The recent “Barbenheimer” phenomenon has brought new hope that moviegoers are ready to return to the cinemas in big numbers. The film industry continues to evolve with a blend of blockbuster releases and streaming-platform premieres, while arthouses continue their quest to find an audience. Hollywood has witnessed historic labor strikes driven by issues like fair compensation, artificial intelligence, and streaming revenue sharing.

In this brave new world, are theatrical distribution and exhibition worth saving? Are streamers really the golden cow the studios thought they would be? MVFF Executive Director Mark Fishkin invites some of today's most respected filmmakers and producers to weigh in on the pressing issues currently facing the film industry.

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY PANELISTS

EDWARD ARENTZ Co-founder and co-president of Greenwich Entertainment, a leading US independent distributor of documentary and narrative features best known for the theatrical release of Nat Geo's Oscar-winning Free Solo as well as the hit documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of my Voice from Academy Award-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. He was previously co-founder and managing director of Music Box Films, whose prominent releases include the original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Pawel Pawlikowski's Best Foreign Language Oscar winner Ida. In addition, he programmed one of Manhattan's oldest art cinemas, Cinema Village, from 1993 to 2014. In a 35-year career in specialty exhibition and distribution, he has acquired and released over 150 features.

FINN TAYLOR Variety listed Finn Taylor on its prestigious list of top 20 creatives to watch. His first screenplay, Pontiac Moon, sold to Paramount and starred Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen. He wrote and directed his debut feature, Dream with the Fishes, which premiered at Sundance and was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics and Lakeshore. His next film, Cherish (Dramatic Competition at Sundance), was acquired by Fine Line and StudioCanal. His third feature, Darwin Awards, starred Winona Ryder and Joseph Fiennes and appeared in The Premiere Section of Sundance. His feature documentary Kannapolis, a Moving Portrait, premiered at the National Gallery and screened at MoMA in New York. His most recent film, Avenue of the Giants, stars Stephen Lang and Elsie Fisher and is part of this year's Mill Valley Film Festival.

ANNE LAI Anne Lai currently serves as Executive Director of SFFILM. Initially launched in 1957 as the first film festival in the Americas, SFFILM is a year-round nonprofit organization that produces the annual San Francisco International Film Festival, provides film education programs to Bay Area grade-school through high school students, and delivers a robust artist development program through direct cash grants, residencies, and strategic support. Prior to SFFILM, Anne Lai served as Director of Creative Producing and Artist Support at Sundance Institute, where she focused on discovering and nurturing emerging independent producers, screenwriters, and directors through their first or second feature films. Anne began her career at Scott Free, the film and television company founded by Ridley and Tony Scott, serving lastly as Vice President of Production. She worked on films including Gladiator, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, RKO 281, and Tristan & Isolde. Anne was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, attended the University of Michigan and received her degree in film production from the University of Southern California.

BLYE FAUST Blye is an Academy and Emmy Award-winning producer. Her credits include Spotlight, which was awarded Best Motion Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 2016 Academy Awards, and went on to gross nearly $100 million at the worldwide box office. She most recently produced the Amazon docuseries Shiny Happy People and the upcoming feature documentary The Grab. Previous credits include the hit Amazon docuseries LuLaRich; Wall Street Journal podcast Bad Bets: The Unraveling of Trevor Milton, a 2023 Loeb Award finalist; Emmy Award-winning and Peabody nominee Belly of the Beast, and Emmy and Critic’s Choice Award nominee Rewind. In addition to her work as a producer, she has been a ReFrame Rise sponsor and is a member of the Creative Future Leadership Committee. Her board memberships have included The Center for Investigative Reporting, and she is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the State Bar of California. She received her J.D. from UCLA and graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in English from Santa Clara University.

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