Cynematik on IndieWIRE

Being selected for the Sundance Independent Producers Conference is a stunning experience. The more I read about the presenters the more giddy I am to be attending. Having it occur two days before we leave for Zambia is quite inspiring, too! (Part One was posted yesterday.)

Academy Award-winning filmmaker STEVEN OKAZAKI’s diverse filmography includes children's films, documentaries and independent features. Segments from his films have been featured on The CBS Evening News, The NBC Nightly News, ABC News Nightline, CNN and Oprah. Steven started his career in 1976, producing children’s films about racism for Churchill Films. In 1991, he won an Academy Award and a Peabody for DAYS OF WAITING, the story of artist Estelle Ishigo, one of the few Caucasians to be interned with the Japanese Americans during World War II. At present, he is producing a feature documentary about the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Steven was born in 1952 and grew up in Venice, California. He graduated from San Francisco State University’s film school in 1976.

SUNMIN PARK, who is a writer/director/producer, began writing at a very young age in her native Korea. While studying at Columbia University, Park launched the film production and media strategies company Maxmedia. In 1998, at the Sundance Film Festival, Maxmedia made it’s first major foray into international production with the introduction of Alejandro Amenábar’s OPEN YOUR EYES (later remade into VANILLA SKY starring Tom Cruise and directed by Cameron Crowe). Park’s next production effort was the Chinese epic THE EMPEROR AND THE ASSASSIN, starring Gong Li and directed by Chen Kaige, which premiered in the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. Park produced THE OTHERS, directed by Alejandro Amenábar and starring Nicole Kidman, along with executive producers Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner, Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein. Currently, Maxmedia has projects in development in numerous countries around the globe including Bolivia, Mali, Spain, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom and China.

DOREEN RINGER ROSS, as Vice President, Film/TV Relations for BMI. Prior to BMI, Ringer Ross held artist development positions at A&M Records, ABC Records and MCA Records, and also worked in television production as a producer for a wide array of television programs. In addition to playing a pivotal role in BMI's sponsorship of the Sundance Composers Lab, she was part of a group that planned the original Sundance Composers Labs (1986-89) and in the last nine years has been actively involved in the current Labs. Some of the composers she works close with are: Thomas Newman, Danny Elfman, David Newman, Lalo Schifrin, Earle Hagen, Randy Edelman, Mark Mothersbaugh, John Barry, Mike Post, Trevor Rabin, Mark Mancina, BT, and W.G. "Snuffy" Walden. Doreen Ringer Ross' professional affiliations include: President of the Board, Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation; Music Advisory Board member at UCLA; Business Advisory Board of the Young Musicians Foundation; the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences; the Society of Composers and Lyricists; Independent Feature Project; Film Independent; California Copyright Conference; Women In Film; and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

CATHY SCHULMAN has been an executive and producer since 1987. Currently, Schulman is raising investment capital, continuing her career-long commitment to producing and financing independent film. Schulman is also in pre-production on DreamWork’s KIMBERLY AKIMBO, based on David Lindsay-Abaire’s play and to be directed by Jake Scott. From 2002 to 2005, Schulman and her Bull’s Eye Entertainment partner, Tom Nunan, formed a venture with third partner Bob Yari to produce film and television content. The company’s feature film, CRASH, recently won a 2006 Academy Award for Best Picture, garnering Schulman an Oscar for producing the film. Ms. Schulman has numerous feature film projects in development, including THE LIONS OF AL RASSON, which will be directed by Ed Zwick for Warner Bros. An active member of the Producers Guild of America, AFI, IFP and FIND, Schulman teaches graduate level film producing at UCLA and is a graduate of Yale University.

JOHN SLOSS is the founder of Cinetic Media, a managing partner and founder of the entertainment law firm Sloss Law Office LLP and a principal in the independent digital film production company InDigEnt. Through Cinetic Media, Sloss has facilitated the sale and financing of well over 200 films including many box office and critical successes. Sloss has executive produced over 45 films including BEFORE SUNSET, the Academy Award®- winning THE FOG OF WAR, BOYS DON’T CRY and FAR FROM HEAVEN. His law clients include Bob Dylan, Jesse Dylan, John Hamburg, Todd Haynes, Jared Hess, Killer Films, Richard Linklater, Errol Morris, Kevin Smith, Morgan Spurlock, Whit Stillman and Gary Winick. Sloss received his J.D. and B.A. from the University of Michigan. He lives in New York with his wife, producer Kathryn Tucker, and daughter Loulou.

RICKY STRAUSS joined Participant Productions, as President, in March, 2005. He oversaw the company's first slate of releases –GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK; NORTH COUNTRY; SYRIANA— to box-office success, and a total of 11 Oscar nominations. Ricky is a seventeen-year veteran of the motion picture industry with an outstanding track record in feature film production and marketing. Most recently, he ran his own film and television production company, Ricochet Entertainment, where he executive produced THE SWEETEST THING starring Cameron Diaz. Prior to starting Ricochet Entertainment, Ricky was a Senior Vice President of Production at Sony where he developed and supervised various film projects. Ricky not only brings invaluable entertainment industry experience to Participant Productions, but also a firm commitment to social issues and service to his community. Ricky has served on the Board of Directors for Project Angel Food, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles that delivers hot meals to home bound men, women and children who are threatened with HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Trevor Project which operates the only 24-hour national suicide hotline for troubled gay youth. He is also a filmmaker mentor for Project:Involve, a fellowship program sponsored by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping independent filmmakers. Ricky graduated Phi Beta Kappa cum laude from The University of Vermont with a BA in English and Theater.

MARK URMAN heads THINKFilm's U.S. Theatrical division. THINKFilm was founded in September of 2001 and its slate of releases has included such acclaimed films as Peter Care's THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS, Gus Van Sant’s GERRY, the Oscar-nominated SPELLBOUND, Jonathan Demme’s THE AGRONOMIST, Stephen Fry’s BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS, Shane Carruth’s PRIMER, Paul Provenza’s THE ARISTOCRATS, and Paul Dinello’s STRANGERS WITH CANDY. In 2004, both THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL and BORN INTO BROTHELS received Oscar Nominations in the feature Documentary category, with the latter taking home the prize. MURDERBALL, a double-prize winner at Sundance (as well as the company’s first non-fiction production), was nominated for an Oscar in 2005. Other current and forthcoming releases include the innovative Beastie Boys’ concert film AWESOME; I FUCKIN’ SHOT THAT! ; Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s HALF NELSON, starring Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, and Shareeka Epps; Keeping Mum, starring Rowan Atkinson, Dame Maggie Smith, and Kristin Scott Thomas; John Cameron Mitchell’s groundbreaking SHORTBUS; CANDY, starring Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish, and Geoffrey Rush; and OFF THE BLACK, starring Nick Nolte and Trevor Morgan. Urman served as executive producer on MURDERBALL and AWESOME, both of which were financed by THINK. Before joining THINKFilm, Urman served as Co-President of Lions Gate Films Releasing. During his tenure at Lions Gate he oversaw a slate that included such films as AFFLICTION, GODS AND MONSTERS, BUFFALO 66, THE RED VIOLIN, DOGMA and AMERICAN PSYCHO, garnering a total of nine Academy Award nominations and three Oscar wins. He also served as executive producer on the Oscar-winning MONSTER'S BALL, directed by Marc Forster and starring Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry. Prior to that he was Senior VP at Dennis Davidson Associates, a major film public relations firm, where he headed up the company's domestic division. Before joining DDA in 1989, Urman spent nearly six years as VP of East Coast Publicity at Columbia Pictures. From 1982-84, he was head of marketing at Triumph Films, the specialized film distribution division that Columbia created in partnership with Gaumont.

DIANE WEYERMANN serves as Executive Vice President, Documentary Production at Participant Productions, where she has been responsible for the releases of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH and THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SESAME STREET; and the management of the company’s documentary slate. Prior to joining Participant in October 2005, Diane was the Director of the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program. During her 4 1/2 year tenure at Sundance, Diane directed the Sundance Documentary Fund, a program supporting documentary films dealing with contemporary human rights, social justice, civil liberties, and freedom of expression from around the world. She launched two annual documentary film labs, focusing on the creative process – one dealing with editing and storytelling, and the other with film music in documentary work. Diane was also part of the Sundance Film Festival programming team, where she was instrumental in creating a platform for international documentary work, and responsible for programming the documentary content of the Filmmaker Lodge activities. Diane’s work in the documentary and international fields extends many years prior to Sundance. She was the Director of the Open Society Institute New York’s Arts and Culture Program for 7 years. In addition to her work with contemporary art centers and culture programs in the Soros Foundation network, which spans over 30 countries, she launched the Soros Documentary Fund (which later became the Sundance Documentary Fund) in 1996. Since the inception of the Fund, Diane has been involved with the production of over 300 documentary films, including such projects as the 2005 Oscar winning BORN INTO BROTHELS, and award winning films such as PROMISES, LOST BOYS OF SUDAN, CHILDREN UNDERGROUND, and LONG NIGHT’S JOURNEY INTO DAY.

Producer HOLLY WIERSMA moved to Los Angeles in 1996 where she began her career as a casting associate on such films as BLADE, THE RAINMAKER, and AMISTAD. She soon developed a strong passion for independent filmmaking and switched her focus from casting to producing. Currently, Ms. Wiersma is busy with two films in post-production that were both both bought by The Weinstein Company. The first, FACTORY GIRL and BOBBY, was written and directed by Emilio Estevez. In May, Ms. Wiersma wrapped production on COME EARLY MORNING, written and directed by Joey Lauren Adams and starring Ashley Judd. In January 2006, it premiered in dramatic competition at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. She also produced HAPPY ENDINGS, which premiered as the opening film for the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. The film was written and directed by Don Roos. The cast includes Lisa Kudrow, Steve Coogan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tom Arnold, Laura Dern, Bobby Cannavale, Jesse Bradford, Sarah Clarke and Jason Ritter.

GARY WINICK teamed up with John Sloss and IFC Productions to create Independent Digital Entertainment (InDigEnt) to produce digital video feature films to be released theatrically. Winick’s producing credits include PERSONAL VELOCITY, directed by Rebecca Miller starring Kyra Sedgwick and Parker Posey which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Cinematography award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival; PIECES OF APRIL, directed by Peter Hedges starring Katie Holmes, Oliver Platt, and Patricia Clarkson who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role; and NOVEMBER directed by Greg Harrison, starring Courtney Cox which won the Cinematography Award at Sundance 2004. Winick’s has numerous film directing including TADPOLE starring Sigourney Weaver, John Ritter, Bebe Neuwirth and Aaron Stanford. TADPOLE distributed by Miramax won the Best Director Award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. Currently, Winick is in post-production on CHARLOTTE'S WEB for Paramount Studios due out in June 2006. .

RON YERXA formed Bona Fide Productions with Albert Berger in 1993. Their producing credits include Steven Soderbergh’s KING OF THE HILL (1993), Alexander Payne’s ELECTION (1999), Rick Famuyiwa’s THE WOOD (1999), and Anthony Minghella’s COLD MOUNTAIN (2003). Upcoming this July is the Bona Fide production LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE staring Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, and Alan Arkin; directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Ron Yerxa graduated from Stanford University before working as a journalist and an inner city high school teacher. He joined Time-Life Films as a story analyst and then worked as an executive at CBS and Sovereign Films before becoming an independent producer. Bona Fide has several projects in development including NEBRASKA, a screenplay by Robert Nelson to be directed by Alexander Payne, ADULT WORLD to be directed by Jason Reitman, and THE RUG MERCHANT to be written and directed by Miguel Arteta. Bona Fide made a first-look deal at Paramount starting in 2005.