On Tuesday at The New School, we looked at "The White Boys Club" that is American independent film, considering how and why the industry often lacks ethnic and/or gender diversity, especially in the executive ranks. We watched Jim McKay's "Our Song" and a clip from Alison Anders' "Gas Food Lodging".

While the next day, we considered the growing importance of awards and how the focus on star-driven projects is affecting which movies get made. After watching a clip from Todd Haynes' "Far From Heaven" and then a screening of "The Woodsman", we sat down for a brown bag lunch with filmmaker Nicole Kassell who related her experiences getting her successful film off the ground after winning a prize for the script at Slamdance.