2021 Industry Forum Panels
DAY ONE – MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11
THE FUTURE OF FILM FINANCE
Date: Monday, November 11
Time: 10:00 am – 11:15 am
Understanding global Film Financing can be challenging for Producers and Filmmakers, as this landscape is ever changing. Focusing primarily on Asia, we will explore trends and dynamics of capital from private equity to debt financing, as well as independent film financing components and tools from distribution and pre-sales, to production incentives and funding/recoupment structures. Our panelists will help navigate this subject, bringing perspectives from film finance, legal and production across the global marketplace. Special attention will also be given to the growing role of major digital players such as Amazon and Netflix who are reshaping the way both film and series are financed, with the advantage of directly reaching a massive global audience allowing them to increasingly make all rights deals across multiple territories.
Sophia Yen, Partner, Entertainment and Finance, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP
Mike Gabrawy, Chief Creative Officer, Arclight Films
Mark Shaw, CEO, Shaw Entertainment Group
Aoni Ameziane, COO, Film Finances Asia
Viviana Zarragoitia, Vice President, Film/TV Finance, Three Point Capital
Rick Ambros, Asia Media Consultant & AWFF Executive Board Member (Moderator)
ASIA – HOLLYWOOD – WHAT’S NEXT?
Date: Monday, November 11
Time: 11:30 am – 12:45 pm
China remains of strategic importance to Hollywood. However, much has changed in the last few years in the China-Hollywood relationship. Other Asian countries such as India, Korea and Southeast Asia are experiencing booming economies and with it a dynamic media landscape. Asia is where the growth is, whether for Hollywood product or local language production. This panel will explore which collaboration models have worked and what the challenges are going forward. Topics will include content and IP, production, talent, financing, distribution including new digital platforms, investment, legal considerations, censorship and how to overcome cross cultural challenges.
Benett Pozil, Executive Vice President, East West Bank
Lindsay Conner, Partner and Leader, Manatt Entertainment Group, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP
Randy Greenberg, Executive Producer, The Meg, The Legend of Yasuke, former Universal & MGM Studio Executive
Rong Chen, Senior Vice President, Perfect World, CEO, Perfect World Pictures (USA)
William Pfeiffer, Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, Globalgate Entertainment
Rick Ambros, Asia Media Consultant & AWFF Executive Board Member (Moderator)
Global Streaming and the Future of Entertainment
Date: Monday, November 11
Time: 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Global Streaming has changed the way entertainment is consumed, distributed, financed, and in many cases, produced. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in Asia where U.S. and international OTT players are scrambling to tap into 100's of millions of potential new customers. This panel will explore how this rapidly growing distribution technology and the voracious appetite for content shape the future of entertainment. Topics will include how "old media" companies are adjusting their strategies, SVOD vs. AVOD, the ins and outs of producing for digital platforms, talent migration to new media, producer deals, financing, legal and what it all means for the independent filmmaker and "television" content creator. As international and local language content increasingly travels the world, large digital media companies from the US, China, India and pan-Asia will be the new studios.
James Farrell, Head of International Originals, Amazon Studios
Gaurav Gandhi, Director & Country General Manager, Amazon Prime Video, India
Ritesh Sidhwani, Co-Founder, Excel Entertainment, Producer, Gully Boy, Executive Producer, Made in Heaven (Amazon)
Rajeev Kheror, Former President, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Sitting Judge, Asia Rainbow TV Awards
Rick Ambros, Asia Media Consultant & AWFF Executive Board Member (Moderator)
FILMMAKERS DISCUSSING THEIR FILMS IN THE FESTIVAL
Date: Monday, November 11
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:15 pm
Directors of the Foreign Language Oscar and Golden Globe submitted films taking part in this year’s Asian World Film Festival discuss their films and the challenges, opportunities and new trends of filmmaking in their specific regions.
Zoya Akhtar, Director, Gully Boy (India Oscar Submission)
Tony Chan, Director, The Bravest (China)
Carrie Wong, Executive Producer, The Bravest (China)
Caylee So, Director, In the Life of Music (Cambodia Oscar Submission)
Oualid Mouaness, Director, 1982 (Lebanon Oscar Submission
Tony Farjallah, Director Morine (Lebanon)
Dian Lee & Ineza Roussille, Director/Producer, M for Malaysia (Malaysia Oscar Entry)
Rick Ambros, Asia Media Consultant & AWFF Executive Board Member (Moderator)
DAY TWO – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12
TRENDS IN FILMMAKING & CONTENT CREATION FOR A GLOBAL AUDIENCE
Date: Tuesday, November 12
Time: 10:00 am – 11:15 pm
A good story will find its audience no matter how it is consumed or where it originates. With the help of technology, not only is there more content available than ever before, but it reaches more consumers around the globe. This panel will explore content creation for multiple platforms (film, television, digital, mobile, short form). We will look at creative and financial considerations, local language vs. English language content, repurposing IP for adaptation around the globe as well as co-production and technological advances.
Paula Wagner, Producer, Marshall, Jack Reacher, Mission Impossible, The Last Samurai
Pavel Bozhkov, Executive, Bazelev's Group (Director Timur Bekmambetov Night Watch, Searching, Wanted)
Mark Shaw, CEO, Shaw Entertainment Group
Andre Morgan, Producer, Reborn, The Warlords, High Road to China, The Cannonball Run
Maria Lo Orzel, Head Asia Task Force, Producers Guild of America
Rick Ambros, Asia Media Consultant & AWFF Executive Board Member (Moderator)
ASIAN CO-PRODUCTION – RUSSIA, GEORGIA & CIS
Date: Tuesday, November 12
Time: 11:30 am – 12:45 pm
Russia, Georgia and the Commonwealth of Independent States have emerged as important filming destinations for both local and international projects. Excellent crews, tax incentives, great locations and professional and creative filmmakers, cinematographers and producers make these countries a destination of choice.
David Vashadze, Head of Film Commission, Georgia
Oybek Abdushukurov, Head of Film Commission, Uzbekistan
Rick Ambros, Asia Media Consultant & AWFF Executive Board Member (Moderator)
SOUTHEAST ASIAN PRODUCTION & CO-PRODUCTION
Date: Tuesday, November 12
Time: 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Asia is booming creatively. Many countries in Southeast Asia have had their own vibrant local language film industries for decades. The globalization of content is providing new opportunities for filmmakers and producers to reach new audiences. Reversely, access to incentives, amazing locations, talent and know-how are attracting foreign producers to the region. This panel will focus on India, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. We will also include Australia in our discussion since many countries in Asia co-produce and have treaties with Australia.
Zoya Akhtar, Director, Gully Boy (India)
Ritesh Sidhwani, Co-Founder, Excel Entertainment, Producer, Gully Boy
Mike Gabrawy, Producer, Arclight Films (Hotel Mumbai, Bait)
Deepti Chawla, Head, Distribution, Syndication & Marketing, NFDC (India)
Dian Lee & Ineza Rousille, Director/Producer, M for Malaysia (Malaysia Oscar Entry)
Kulthep Narula, COO and Co-Founder, Benetone Films (Thailand)
Rick Ambros, Asia Media Consultant & AWFF Executive Board Member (Moderator)
WORKSHOP – HOW THE MARKET WORKS ON THE INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM CIRCUIT
Date: Tuesday, November 12
Time: 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
In this hands on Workshop Industry Veteran Sydney Levine will walk you through the process of navigating the all- important International Film Circuit, a must for Independent Filmmakers. Topics covered will include how to get your film into the right film festival and why it matters, how to find a distributor or sales agent, how to promote your film, how to deal with agents and lawyers and, in the end, how to get what you want.
Sydney Levine, Sydney’s Buzz
Panel Speakers
Rick Ambros - Asia Entertainment & Media Consultant, Executive Board Member, Asian World Film Festival
Rick Ambros is an executive producer, consultant and past studio executive with an emphasis on international and local language film, television and digital production, co-production, business development and financing across Asia, Europe and North America. He has worked for major studios, broadcasters, independent production companies, international distributors, private equity investors and start-ups as well as Chinese, Indian and German media companies. For the last ten years he has focused his attention on the rapidly growing media and entertainment industries in Asia, particularly China and India. Rick served as COO of Justin Lin’s Perfect Storm Entertainment, a JV with China’s Seven Stars Media & Entertainment. As a Consultant in India he has worked with Fox, Sony, Star TV, and Ivanhoe Pictures.
Rick served as Advisor to German media funds and private investors providing production financing for Universal, Warner Bros. and Paramount (The Hangover, Sherlock Holmes, Sex and the City, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Mission Impossible 3). He started his career as an executive and producer at ProSiebenSat. 1 in Germany and as an international marketing & distribution executive at Disney.Rick is a frequent Industry speaker, moderator and guest lecturer on emerging international markets, film financing and co-production. He is on the Executive Board of the Asian World Film Festival. Rick has a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College.
Today Zoya Akhtar is among the top five successful directors in India. Despite the fact that she was born into a film family, she has had to struggle to break into an industry dominated by men. When finally she directed her first feature, Luck by Chance (2009), her natural talent for cinema and storytelling was unmistakable and equally evident in her subsequent films Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (You Only Live Once) and the multi-starrer Dil Dhadakne Do (Let the Heart Beat). She has also directed two short films in the Netflix Anthology Lust Stories and Ghost Stories and created, with Reema Kagti, the popular web series, Made in Heaven, for Amazon Prime Video. Set in the slums of Dharavi, her fourth film, the visually exciting Gully Boy has brought Mumbai’s underground Hip-Hop scene into the mainstream. The story led by Muslim characters has surprised and moved audiences across generations and continents.
Zoya Akhtar
Aoni Ameziane
Aoni Ameziane joined Film Finances in March 2013. Film Finances provides financiers with completion bonds, which gives them an assurance that the films in which they invest will be delivered on time and on budget, and also oversees each movie’s progress from pre-production through to domestic and international delivery. Film Finances currently bonds 250 films per year, including Academy Award winning films every season. As the Chief Operating Officer of Film Finances Asia, Aoni works closely with major media companies, the Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) in both central and local state government, and in the main Chinese financial institutions, and is also heavily involved in co- production projects. Prior to Joining FFI, Aoni Worked on many independent productions in both China and the U.S., which gave her the skills to better deal with cross border transactions.
Pavel Bozhkov
Pavel Bozhkov is a writer/producer with more than 10 years of experience in filmmaking. With a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in World Finance and a successful stock broker career at one of the European banks, but still dreaming of becoming a filmmaker, Bozhkov relocated to Los Angeles and entered USC School of Cinematic Arts and later New York Film Academy, where he directed and produced several award-winning short films. After film school, Bozhkov was hired by Exclusive Media Group, - back then thefastest-growing independent production company established by veteran producers Guy East and Nigel Sinclair. While at Exclusive Media, Bozhkov has had a chance to work on projects such as: The Woman in Black (Dir: James Watkins), The Ides of March (Dir: George Clooney), End of Watch (Dir: David Ayer), Rush (Dir: Ron Howard) and 1 (Dir: Paul Crowder).
In 2012 Bozhkov joined Bazelevs - a production company established by visionary director Timur Bekmambetov. Here Bozhkov worked on all the major company movies, including one of the most succesful domestic franchises, Yolki and one of the highest grossing Russian movies in China - Dragon. Since 2015, Bozhkov has been overseeing the development and production of dark genre projects in Bazelevs, specializing in horrors and thrillers. He has recently produced movies like The Drone (Dir: Jordan Rubin), Unfriended: Dark Web (Dir: Stephen Susco) and Profile (Dir: Timur Bekmambetov) that receivedPanorama Award at the Berlin International Film Festival and Audience Award at SXSW. Currently Bozhkov is developing several projects for Bazelevs and major studios.
Lindsay Conner is Partner and Leader, Manatt Entertainment Group, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. He has served as chief outside entertainment counsel for major film studios and television networks, global telecommunications companies, film and television production and distribution companies, and digital media companies, as well as for banks, financial institutions, private equity funds and high-net-worth investors. His practice focuses on the finance, production and distribution of film, television and digital content, company finance, and M&A transactions in the entertainment industry. Lindsay’s clientele spans the globe, from North America to Asia, Europe and Latin America. He has been honored by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the “Top 20 Dealmakers of the Year” and “Top 100 Power Lawyers in Hollywood,” and by Variety as one of “50 Game-Changing Attorneys in Hollywood” and one of the “Variety 500,” a list of the top 500 most important people in the global entertainment and media industries.
Lindsay Conner - Partner and Leader, Manatt Entertainment Group, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP
Rong Chen joined Perfect World (then trading on Nasdaq under ticket PWRD) in 2009 as Director of Strategy and went on to become Vice President of the company’s Film & TV business and CEO of its filmed entertainment company – Perfect World Pictures (PWPIC). In 2011, PWPIC spun off from Perfect World and operated as an independent/sister company of Perfect World. In 2014, PWPIC went public on the China Shenzhen exchange, under ticker 002624 (完美环球), with a USD two billion market capitalization at the time. Mr. Chen was the CEO and member of the board for PWPIC, from 2010 to 2016, at which time PWRD was taken private and merged with PWPIC on the Shenzhen exchange.
In 2017, as part of the company strategy to expand its oversea presence, Mr. Chen started the Perfect World Pictures USA operation, as its CEO, while serving as Senior Vice President of the combined publicly listed company, Perfect World. In this capacity, Mr. Chen and his team manage a 5 year, 50 pictures, 500Mn dollar co-financing business with Universal Pictures, as well as a seven-year multi-picture partnership deal with Sony/Columbia Pictures, and will continue to work with content and entertainment companies around the world to develop, produce, finance and distribute high quality, market friendly English language entertainment content for the global market place. Prior to joining Perfect World, Mr. Chen held a number of management positions across a variety of industries, including tele-communication, consumer electronics, management consulting and hospitality/travel. Mr. Chen holds an MBA from UC Berkeley and a MSEE (Master of Science in Electrical Engineering) degree from University of Minnesota. He graduated summa cum laude from University of Southern California (USC), from its undergraduate engineering program.
Rong Chen
James Farrell - HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL ORIGINALS, AMAZON STUDIOS
James Farrell manages original content teams across all of Amazon's international territories including the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Nordics, the Middle East, Japan, India, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Chile. Teams source, develop and produce original series and films to be made available to Amazon Prime members globally.
Prior to joining Amazon he served as Senior Vice President of Distribution for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Mike Gabrawy -Chief Creative Officer at Arclight Films
Since joining Arclight, he has produced numerous films including THE COURIER directed by Academy Award Nominee Hany Abu-Assad, BAIT 3D which premiered at the 2012 Venice Film Festival and went on to become the highest grossing independent film in China when it was released, RECLAIM starring John Cusack and Ryan Phillippe and OUTCAST starring Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen.
Most recently Gabrawy is the producer of the highly anticipated HOTEL MUMBAI starring Armie Hammer and Dev Patel, which had its world premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival in the Special Presentation section, as well as the true-life survival thriller JUNGLE starring Daniel Radcliffe, and actioner TRIPLE THREAT starring Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais and Tiger Chen. Gabrawy also served as an executive producer on the Australian-Chinese co-production action-adventure film GUARDIANS OF THE TOMB starring Kellan Lutz, Li Bingbing and Kelsey Grammer.
Tony Chan, director and screenwriter from Hong Kong, China, graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York. His works included Hot Summer Days, Combination Platter , The Bravest... The film Combination Platter written and directed by him was awarded the best screenplay of the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. In the same year, the film was invited to the Cannes Film Festival and the New York Film Festival, and then released in the United States in 1994.
In 2010, Tony Chan co-directed the film Hot Summer Days. In 2011, co-directed Love In The Space . In 2015, directed and written Bride Wars, and Fall In Love Like A Star. In 2019, directed and written The Bravest which earned US 240 millions box office so far.
Tony Chan
Randy Greenberg is an executive producer, producer and past studio executive with an emphasis on marketing and distribution, business affairs, licensing/merchandising, product placement, financing as well as product strategy and entertainment operations. Over the past 25 years, Greenberg has been involved in the green-lighting, marketing and distribution of 200+ films, and his strategies have produced over $5 billion in theatrical box office. Over the past decade, Greenberg has served as Executive Producer at The Greenberg Group, a global entertainment content and investment advisory and marketing/distribution consultancy, executive producing three feature films including the China/US feature film “The Meg” (which was released worldwide by Warner Bros. and Gravity Pictures in August 2018 and took in over $530 million at the worldwide box office making it the #1 U.S/China Co-Production to-date), “Cowboys and Aliens” and “Dylan Dog: Dead of Night.”
Greenberg is currently working on several feature films and television series in development for multiple clients. In addition to The Greenberg Group, Greenberg founded the Resolution Talent Agency, was the Executive Vice President Business Affairs and Marketing for Platinum Studios, Head of / Senior Vice President International Theatrical Marketing and Distribution at Universal Pictures; Vice President, International Theatrical Marketing at MGM and UA Pictures; and an Account Executive & Publicist at Dennis Davison Associates (DDA) International Public Relations. Greenberg is an instructor at UCLA Extension in the Fall and the Spring quarters for the Entertainment Studies class, The Business of Entertainment.
Randy Greenberg
Dian Lee - DIRECTOR, PRODUCER AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Dian is an accidental producer/director. As a mother of 3 children, Dian has yearned for a Malaysia that is all inclusive regardless of race and skin colour, a Malaysia that her children have a chance to thrive on an equal playing field and a society that is based on meritocracy and justice.
Leading up to the 14th General Elections, Dian was involved in various efforts to raise voter awareness including a campaign to help students return to their hometowns to vote. This sparked her journey to document Tun Mahathir’s inspiring efforts to overhaul the decayed political system with the initial intention of preserving his indomitable spirit for the future elections to come. As a result, she reached out to her friend Marina Mahathir, to initiate coverage of Tun Mahathir’s election campaign to document his efforts. The rest as they say is history. Dian lives in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. She is an entrepreneur as well as a yoga teacher. She graduated from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) with a BA in communications.
Andre Morgan began his internationally renowned film career in 1972, rising quickly through the ranks - from intern subtitling films to assistant marketing manager to vice president of international operations and producer and, finally, to partner and CEO - at Golden Harvest. Starting with Way of the Dragon and Enter the Dragon and continuing for the next twelve years, Morgan produced more than a dozen movies. . . and his strategic planning was instrumental in providing the small film studio with a global stage. By boldly expanding content beyond the Hong Kong and Chinese-speaking market, opening offices in several international capitals, and successfully negotiating the acquisition of several cinema circuits, Morgan helped turn Golden Harvest into one of the largest film empires in Asia. In the process, he helped launch the international careers of the legendary Bruce Lee, young stuntman Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, directors John Woo, Tsui Hark, and many other Hong Kong legends. Having proven his ability to build a foreign-based enterprise, Morgan turned his full attention to Hollywood in 1984. With Albert S. Ruddy, he developed the Ruddy Morgan Organization (RMO) into the longest-running and most successful independent production company in the entertainment world, producing over 70 films and 400 hours of television. Million Dollar Baby (Academy Award Best Picture), The Cannonball Run, Martial Law, and Walker: Texas Ranger are just a few of their extraordinary successes. Morgan also managed a variety of talent for RMO, helping to shape the career trajectories of Peter Chan, Stanley Tong, Oscar winning cinematographer Dean Semler (Dances With Wolves, Apocalypto), and other film notables.
Invited by the Chinese government, and to expand RMO’s global reach, Morgan returned to China in 2000. He was the driving force in the creation of Hweilai Studios in Shanghai – the first private sector studio in China. By providing a permanent state-of-the-art production and post-production facility, Hweilai not only became the hub of top-flight Chinese productions, but also the home for English-language movies and television produced in Shanghai. After establishing RMO in China, Morgan produced many well-received Chinese language films. In 2002 he Executive Produced Flatland, the first Sino-American television series. In 2005, he was Executive Producer on the first Sino-American feature film co-production – Merchant Ivory’s The White Countess. His production of Peter Chan’s Perhaps Love – the first Chinese musical in 25 years – was chosen as Hong Kong’s 2006 Oscar entry, winning 22 international awards. In 2007, The Warlords garnered 17 awards, including Best Picture at the Hong Kong Film Awards. He also produced multiple television series in China. Currently, Morgan has half a dozen projects in the works. He is relaunching Cannonball Run with Warner Bros., producing Doolittle with Perfect Village (formerly Village Roadshow), Genghis Khan, Point Thunder, and others in various stages of development. His most recent film, Reborn, was released in theatres throughout China in August, 2018.
Andre Morgan
Maria Lo Orzel - Head, Asia Task Force, Producers Guild of America
An independent filmmaker, Maria Lo Orzel focuses on English language feature films, television series as well as creative consulting. Her recent productions include the award-winning crime thriller Four Assassins and Lost for Words, a cross-cultural romance starring Hollywood star Sean Faris and Hong Kong actors Terence Yin and Grace Huang. Vanishing Asia, an 8-part documentary series focusing on endangered cultural heritage premiered on the Discovery Channel in Asia. On her production slate are the fantasy thriller Shadowless starring Oscar winner Sam Rockwell, currently in pre-production, and the Victorian era British-Chinese drama series Oriental Beauty. In her capacity as creative consultant, she has collaborated with a wide range of Asian filmmakers including Bill Kong and Zhang Yimou on Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower, and Flowers of War, and with Ronny Yu on Jet Li’s final martial arts epic Fearless.
She began her entertainment career as an executive holding several high level positions, first at Home Box Office in the United States, then as Regional Vice President at United International Pictures (UIP, a Paramount, Universal, MGM/UA company) in Southeast Asia. She was the first woman to head an international operation of any U.S. studio, and the first woman to chair a chapter of the MPAA. A frequent speaker at industry events, Ms. Orzel moderated the panel “Content without Borders” at the 2018 and 2019 Hong Kong Filmart. She was a panelist at the 5th US China Film & TV Industry Expo, a speaker at the 2018 Industry Panel at AFM, and served as moderator at the US-China Production Summit at the 2018 Chinese American Film Festival Ms. Orzel earned her Juris Doctor degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She received an MBA from Syracuse University, New York, and graduated Bachelor of Arts, Magna cum Laude from the University of Wisconsin.
William Pfeiffer is Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Globalgate Entertainment, a global local-language film production and financing company that includes Lionsgate, Televisa, and Nordisk as shareholders. The Globalgate consortium consists of 12 film production/distribution companies, including Gaumont, Rai, Tobis, Kadokawa, and Lotte. As CEO of Dragongate Entertainment, a China-focused feature film production and financing company launched in 2012 with backing from Lionsgate, Pfeiffer produces feature films in English and Asian languages and raises corporate financing as well as film financing. From 2008-2012, Pfeiffer was CEO & Founder of Tiger Gate Entertainment, apartnership among Lionsgate Entertainment, Saban Capital, and Pfeiffer. Helaunched Asia-focused TV channels including KIX and Thrill. Tiger Gate merged with Celestial's TV channels in 2012, and Pfeiffer is still a significantshareholder of the merged entity: Celestial Tiger Entertainment.
As CEO of Celestial Pictures from 2001-2008, Pfeiffer launched several Chinese TV channels including Celestial Movies and produced many successful TV series. Celestial Pictures owns the largest Chinese film library, including Shaw Brothers. Celestial produced multiple award-winning Chinese films such as "Perhaps Love" and "WuXia". From 1992-2001, William Pfeiffer was the most senior executive in Asia of Sony Pictures and Columbia TriStar and simultaneously was responsible for production, distribution, and TV channels. He initiated local film production that produced multiple award-winning local-language films such as "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and "Lagaan". At Sony, he launched 20 TV channels and produced thousands of films / TV programs. He was Chairman of the first n China-based production joint venture between a Hollywood major studio and a Chinese partner. From 1987-1992, Pfeiffer was the most senior executive of The Walt Disney Studios in Asia and launched its television production and home entertainment businesses in Asia. Pfeiffer has lived in Asia for 33 years. He studied at the University of NotreDame and Sophia University (in Tokyo) as an undergraduate and at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. He is a board member of several global organizations, including the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA),Plastic Oceans International, and BAFTA (Asia).
William Pfeiffer
Bennett Pozil heads the Corporate Banking Division at East West Bank and is a leading industry expert on U.S.-China cross-border entertainment financing. His team also specializes in middle market lending, trade finance and developing business opportunities on both sides of the Pacific.
The entertainment lending team has made over $1.8 billion in loans since 2011 to finance the production and distribution of film and TV products in the U.S. and China markets. For example, East West Bank was the lead lender for the production of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016), and worked with Le Vision Pictures in the financing of its share of the biggest U.S.-China co-production Great Wall (2016). Other high profile financing projects include The Hunger Games franchise and Silver Linings Playbook (2012), several popular Netflix drama series including Orange is the New Black and Marco Polo, plus multiple Tyler Perry television series for the OWN Network among others. In the Chinese market, the team has financed many top local language films and television programs including director John Woo’s two-part film blockbuster The Crossing (2014-2015), director Chen Kaige’s film Monk Comes Down the Mountain (2015), and an English language film Skiptrace (2016) starring Jacky Chan and Fan Bing Bing. They also have created banking relationships with the major Chinese studios including Bona Film Group, Enlight Media Group, Le Vision Pictures, New Classics Media, Talent Television & Film and Huayi Brothers. The entertainment team has also made a dedicated push into the digital media space, working with such companies as Fullscreen, Digital Domain and The Virtual Reality Company.
During his career, Pozil has structured the financing of hundreds of motion pictures, including major Hollywood films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Hero (2004), Fearless (2006), and Lost In Translation (2003). In March 2015, Pozil was named as one of the Most Influential Lenders in Los Angeles County by Los Angeles Business Journal. As a leading industry voice on U.S.-China joint ventures, Pozil is a frequent speaker and panelist on cross-border film partnerships and financing at international film festivals and summits. Recent engagements include panelist at the Producers Guild of America’s Produced By Conference and film finance summit of the Beijing International Film Festival, moderator at the Asia Society U.S-China Film Summit, speaker at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, and keynote presenter at the inaugural 2014 U.S. China Film & Television Industry Expo. Pozil is a regular lecturer and adjunct professor at the Beijing Film Academy.
Bennett Pozil
Ineza Roussille - DIRECTOR AND CO-PRODUCER
Ineza is a 31 year old documentary filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She has worked on documentaries for the past 8 years and has chosen to focus on documentaries for Non-Governmental Organisations, including on LGBT, Women and Children’s rights. This has involved working with groups like UNICEF, the Joint Action Group on Gender Equality (JAG) and Justice for Sisters. She believes marginalised communities in Malaysia deserve to be heard, and aims to enhance their voices in whatever way she can.
When not working in film, Ineza is an avid fan of Manchester United, and LEGO. When she has time, she also attempts to practice her woodworking.
M for Malaysia is Ineza’s first feature documentary.
Mark Shaw is a Los Angeles-based independent film producer, financier, and distributor, working in both the domestic and international markets.
Before starting his own production and distribution company, he served as the President & CEO of CJ Group’s U.S. media and entertainment companies, responsible for the huge growth in recent years of Korean cinema, Kdramas and Kpop, including KCON, the largest such fan convention in the world, and for launching a new digital content distribution platform in these genres.Mark comes with extensive knowledge of the Asian markets, having worked overseas for over 14 years. He was CFO & Head of International for CJ E&M and CJ CGV in Seoul, Korea, as well as EVP of the CJ Group Strategy Division of the Chairman’s Office. He has been involved in all aspects of content production, from development all the way through distribution, marketing, international sales, and even theatrical exhibition and cable channel operations.
He combines this operational experience and cultural awareness with financial knowledge and market expertise, having worked in corporate finance and investment banking for over 17 years. From President of The Grace and Mercy Foundation, a private family foundation based in New York, to Director in the corporate finance and investment banking division of Merrill Lynch in Seoul and Hong Kong, Mark’s range of knowledge and experience spans the creative and the financial, the technical and the analytical, the local and the global. His newest venture is an independent production and distribution company of motion pictures, television, and streaming content, focusing on relevant and compelling projects that inspire, create awareness and expand our humanity, domestically and internationally.
Mark Shaw
Ritesh Sidhwani, a prominent and distinguished Indian film maker, is accredited for his visionary approach and peerless contribution to contemporary cinema. The two-time National awardee helms one of India’s preeminent production houses, Excel Entertainment, a brandname aptly synonymous with excellence and success. The banner made its foray into the industry with Dil Chahta Hai, a trailblazing film that not only bagged the National Award in 2001 by the President Of India but also acquired cult status amongst the millennial viewers as a forerunner of new age cinema. On the one hand, Excel’s oeuvre comprises of a string of box-office hits like Dil Chahta Hai, Don, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Talaash & Fukrey. Alongside these blockbusters, Excel has also launched avant garde ventures like Gully Boy, India’s first hip hop film and the official entry to the Academy Awards this year and Inside Edge, India’s first original series on Amazon Prime Video that was nominated for the coveted International Emmy Awards under the Best Drama category in 2018. In addition to commercially successful cinema, Excel has consistently garnered critical acclaim, Rock On being one such accomplishment that won the production house its second National Award in 2008.
From an entrepreneur who was a film aficionado to becoming one of India’s most successful film makers with a panache for state-of-the-art cinema, Ritesh Sidhwani’s journey has been as dramatic as his fast paced action thrillers. He took a leap of faith, incorporating his entrepreneurial skills and business acumen coupled with his passion for good cinema by establishing Excel Entertainment Private Limited in partnership with his longtime friend and confidante, Farhan Akhtar. Excel aims at continuing its dream run as a production house. To that end, the banner produces feature films and has started distributing it theatricality worldwide apart from creating original content for digital platforms.
Ritesh Sidhwani
PAULA WAGNER has worked in the top ranks of the entertainment industry as a film & Broadway producer, talent agent and studio executive. She has made films all over the world and has been actively involved in promoting international co-productions. Ms. Wagner is a co-founder of Cruise/Wagner Productions, where she produced notable films such as MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE I, II, III, THE LAST SAMURAI, VANILLA SKY, THE OTHERS, SHATTERED GLASS and executive produced Steven Spielberg’s WAR OF THE WORLDS. Earlier in her career was a prominent talent agent at Creative Artists Agency. In all, films produced by C/W earned more than $3 billion in worldwide box office receipts.
She most recently produced the critically acclaimed film MARSHALL, starring Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad and Kate Hudson, through her production company, Chestnut Ridge Productions. Broadway producing credits include the new hit, PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL; THE HEIRESS starring Jessica Chastain, GRACE starring Paul Rudd and Michael Shannon, and the Tony-nominated play MOTHERS AND SONS. Wagner was honored at the Deauville American Film Festival in 2012. She was one of the recipients of the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards in 2016, and the Cameraimage Producer with Unique Visual Sensitivity award in 2017, amongst other awards and honors she has received throughout her career. Wagner is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, PGA and the Broadway League. In addition to her producing career she is an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s MEIM program and serves on the Board Of Trustees at CMU.
Paula Wagner
Sophia Yen - Partner, Entertainment and Finance, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP
Representing clients in a variety of commercial sectors, Sophia Yen counsels both lenders and borrowers in debt financing transactions. She also advises entertainment industry clients on debt and equity finance deals, as well as other transactional matters. As lender’s counsel, Sophia advises financial institutions in transactions that include single-lender and syndicated senior-secured, second-lien, mezzanine and unsecured acquisition and working capital loans; cross-border lending transactions; and loan portfolio purchases. She also assists lenders with problem loan workouts, restructurings and foreclosures. When borrower’s counsel, Sophia advises privately and publicly held companies on negotiating loans to finance a variety of corporate needs.
Sophia represents film and television industry clients—as well as financial institutions and hedge funds—in equity and debt finance deals, distribution and licensing deals, and branded entertainment matters. In this sphere, she drafts and negotiates loan agreements, interparty agreements, cofinance agreements, distribution agreements and other ancillary documents. Sophia also advises independent production companies, high net worth individuals, producers, and other parties who operate in film and television development, production, financing and distribution. In addition, she has experience in film foreclosures, dispute settlements, purchasing distressed entertainment assets, negotiating with the guilds and counseling clients on copromotion deals. She is well-versed in the emerging fields of the entertainment industry and in recognizing for clients the strategic value of the digital media and China entertainment sectors.
Viviana Zarragoitia began her career in the entertainment industry working in production accounting at Millennium Films and Bold Films. She then spent 5 years at Lionsgate, where she started working in the accounting department and segued into the finance division, specifically, profit participation. While working in profit participation, she oversaw the preparation of multi-million dollar film and television distribution deals. She was then promoted to the group's audit division, where she managed film and television royalty audits of producers’ profit participation statements. In 2013, she joined Three Point Capital, a boutique firm that specializes in senior lending on film and television projects. While at Three Point Capital, Viviana has been involved in the financing of over 70 independent films, and worked with such producers as Cassian Elwes, Rob Barnum, Anthony Bregman, James Schamus, Aaron Gilbert, Kimberly Steward, Nicolas Chartier and Kevin Frakes, among others. As Vice President, Viviana closes the financing on every film that the company is involved in, as well as manage the company's operations in its satellite offices (Ohio and Louisiana). Viviana has received over a dozen Executive Producers credits on titles she has financed. She graduated Cum Laude with a double-major in Business and English from Loyola Marymount University.
Viviana Zarragoitia
Gaurav Gandhi
Director & Country General Manager, Amazon Prime Video, India
Deepti Chawla - Head, NFDC - Distribution, Syndication & Marketing
Currently bridging the gap between content creators and platforms that showcase their products. Deepti is completing her 360 degree journey of a studio model. A film maker by experience she is now a distributor/syndication leader with National Films Development Corporation, India, a government of India enterprise for all their content worldwide, she lives in Mumbai. Her career began with a boutique ad films Production house back in 1999 in Mumbai but her craft of film making was sharpened at Disney (then UTV, first integrated global media and entertainment company in India). She worked on over 100 TV commercials as an assistant with renowned directors from the field and later directed spots by herself for top FMCG brands. It was during that time that UTV was debuting in feature film productions. She worked closely on the first few offerings of UTV in the motion pictures space between 2000-2005. That experience and interest lead her to a new arena of greenlighting scripts and sanctioning projects in Sahara-One Motion Pictures, India (2005-06). The successes of that year were Hanuman (Animation), Malamaal Weekly (Bollywood midsized non-star/hit ) and Corporate ( successful film by a National award winning Director, Madhur Bandarkar)
The urge to challenge her limits and to deliver larger goals took her to a start-up, Studio18 (Now, Viacom 18-Motion Pictures) where she joined in as the Creative Head. Developing a script bank for the studio, pioneering ancillary revenue streams for IPR monetization along with sanctioning national/international award winning films like 1971, Little Zizou and Road Movie. She also worked closely with established directors and writers like Rohit Shetty, Anurag Kashayap, Onir, late Kundan Shah etc. Creating Horror comics to be made into movies in collaborations with Virgin Comics, London was the most fulfilling experience in that tenure from 2006-2011. She was among the founder members of the company. To harness her creativity and passion to its fullest she co-founded and co-owned Daydreamer Pictures, a production house which provides communication solutions for all business requirements in the eco-system of film-making. Within a short span of time, Daydreamer has collaborated with National and International directors/ cinematographers/Music Directors/Line Producers and produced over 35 ad films and short format films from 2011-2017. The company has diversified their services across other communication requirements in the digital space now. Looking for a change from Creating and Producing content she took up the challenge to License India’s Iconic and highly acclaimed Film catalogue owned by National Films Development Corporation, India (2017). NFDC has the repertoire of highly acclaimed titles, such as 8 Academy award winner Gandhi and Salaam Bombay! (Winner of the most prestigious National awards and many more. NFDC is the umbrella organization of India's regional Indie cinema with it’s own OTT platform lead by Deepti.
David Vashadze - Film Commissioner, Georgina National Film Center, Tbilisi, Georgia
David has over 10 years of experience in film industry policy development, promotion and research. Acting as a liaison between international producers, film markets and festivals and the Georgian film industry. Authored 25% Georgian Film Cash Rebate program, one of the most flexible and innovative film support schemes in Europe. He represents the Georgian film industry to various international trade shows and markets, including Cannes, Berlinale, Busan, AFM. Accomplished introduction of first ever Georgian Film Cash Rebate of 25%. He has promoted Georgian films on international film festivals - Berlinale competition sections, San-Sebastian, Karlovy Vary, Sundance. Managing OSCAR campaigns for Georgian foreign language entries; Organizing Georgian Film Days internationally, including Georgian Film Retrospective at MoMA, New York and Pacific Film Archives in Berkley, CA; Georgian Focus on Asia’s biggest film festival Busan. He is a Project Coordinator on the project of United Nations Development Fund — 2005-2007 and created the Georgian Governmental Network for e-Governance.
Sydney is the Writer of popular blog, SydneysBuzz. She is also a trainer & educator. After five years as a feature film acquisitions executive in Hollywood, in 1988 she created FilmFinders, the first database of worldwide features which became industry standard for organizing and tracking the rights-buying activities. It was adapted by the Cannes Marché to become Cinando.com and in 2008 sold to IMDb, an Amazon Company.
Sydney now consults and educates with producers, national film organizations, Berlin Talents, Cannes, Toronto, Sundance, Chapman University, UCLA, etc. on international film business. Her company, SydneysBuzz issues quarterly reports including the U.S. Distributors Report and Shorts and Your Career.
Sydney Levine